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THE 


BIRDS  OF  INDIANA 


A  DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE  OF  THE    BIRDS  THAT  HAVE 

BEEN  OBSERVED  WITHIN  THE   STATE,  WITH  AN 

ACCOUNT  OF  THEIR  HABITS. 


By    AMOS    ^W.    BUTLER. 


INTRODUCTION. 


At  the  request  of  Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley,  the  chief  of  the  Department 
of  Geology  and  Natural  Resources,  I  have  undertaken  the  preparation 
of  a  report  upon  the  birds  of  Indiana.  This  is  made  necessary  by  the 
fact  that  Dr.  A.  W.  Bray  ton's  "Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Indiana," 
published  in  1879,  has  long  been  out  of  print  and  the  supply  of  my 
own  catalogue  of  1890  is  practically  exhausted.  Both  of  these  papers 
were  published  by  the  Indiana  Horticultural  Society. 

"With  the  increasing  interest  in  the  relations  of  birds  to  the  farm, 
orchard,  garden  and  lawn;  with  the  attention  that  has  of  late  been 
.directed  to  birds  as  subjects  for  nature  study  in  all  our  schools  and 
wrth  the  awakening  desire  to  prevent  the  slaughter  of  native  beneficial 
birds^  for  purposes  of  decoration  and  adornment,  has  come  a  demand 
or  information  relating  to  the  birds  about  us  that  is  unsupplied. 

It  is  desired  that  I  give  at  this  time  an  account  of  the  occurrence, 
distribution,  breeding  range,  nesting  habits  and  foods  of  the  birds  of 
the  State,  to  which  shall  be  added  descriptions  of  all  the  species  that 
occur  within  our  limits  and  an  artificial  key  to  aid  in  their  determina- 
tion. With  tlie  material  available,  the  result  of  over  twenty-one  years' 
observations  on  the  migrations  of  birds  within  the  State  of  Indiana, 
it  was  to  have  been  hoped  that  the  way  might  have  opened  for 
some  extended  consideration  of  the  data  at  hand.    I  have  been  enabled 

LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORIJIA; 


616  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

to  illustrate  slightly  the  movements  of  birds  generally,  giving  the  ear- 
liest and  latest  dates  as  indicating  the  two  extremes  of  the  migratory 
periods  as  they  are  known  to  us.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  at  an  early 
date  at  least  one  volume  will  appear,  giving  some  of  the  more  impor- 
tant results  of  the  observations  that  have  been  made. 

While  this  report  is  based  largely  upon  my  notes,  made  principally 
in  southeastern  Indiana  within  the  past  twenty-one  years,  I  have  also 
had  the  benefit  of  the  material  that  has  come  into  my  hands  as  the 
curator  of  the  Department  of  Ornithology  of  the  Indiana  Academy  of 
Science.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  chief  of  the  Biological  Survey  of  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  has  very  kindly  afforded  me  facil- 
ities for  examining  the  migration  reports  in  his  office  from  Indiana 
for  a  series  of  years.  He  has  also  arranged  to  supply  such  cuts  as  are  in 
the  possession  of  that  department  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  this 
report. 

I  have  been  favored  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway, 
curator  of  the  Department  of  Birds  of  the  United  States  National 
Museum;  Dr.  J.  A.  Allen,  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New 
York;  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon,  Mr.  Charles  Dury,  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride, 
Cincinnati,  0.;  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale,  Mr.  J.  G.  Par- 
ker, Jr.,  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff,  Chicago,  111.;  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick,  Brook- 
ville,  Ind.;  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  Mr.  Jerome 
Trombley,  Petersburg,  Mich.;  Mr.  L.  Whitney  Watkins,  Manchester, 
Mich.;  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann,  Icthyologist,  U.  S.  Fish  Commission, 
Washington,  D.  C;  Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley,  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton  and 
Hon.  R.  Wes.  McBride,  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  also  of  Mrs.  Jane  L. 
Hine,  Sedan;  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler,  Bicknell;  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D. 
Test,  Lafayette;  Prof.  H.  S.  Voorhees,  Brookville,  and  Miss  Lulu 
Ward,  Milton,  and  of  a  great  number  of  patient  investigators  who,  for 
the  love  of  nature  and  the  desire  to  advance  knowledge,  have  made 
careful  observations  and  submitted  valuable  reports.  Towards  the  end 
of  this  paper  I  have  attempted  to  mention  them  by  name,  and  I  sin- 
cerely hope  I  have  omitted  none.  To  each  one  I  extend  my  thanks 
for  the  assistance  rendered. 

In  addition  the  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company  have  kindly  given  me 
permission  to  make  use  of  the  keys  in  Ridgway's  Manual  of  North 
American  Birds.  A.  C.  McClung  &  Company  have  granted 
the  same  permission  regarding  Dr.  Jordan's  Manual  of  Vertebrates, 
and  Dr.  Elliott  Coues  has  authorized  me  to  make  use  of  his  Key  to 
North  American  Birds.  I  am  indeed  thankful  for  the  courtesy  ex- 
tended by  the  persons  interested  in  these  valuable  works.  I  have 
availed  myself  of  the  opportunity,  and  from  them  have  gathered  much 


Birds  of  Indiana.  517 

of  the  material  for  the  keys  and  descriptions  found  herein.  In  addi- 
tion I  have  consulted  Dr.  Wheaton's  Birds  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Mcllwraith's 
Birds  of  Ontario,  Prof.  Cook's  Birds  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Eidgway's  Birds 
of  Illinois,  Dr.  Hatch's  Birds  of  Minnesota,  Dr.  Warren's  Birds  of 
Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Chapman's  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America,  Maj. 
Bendire's  Life  Histories  of  North  American  Birds,  Mr.  Nehrling's 
North  American  Birds,  the  reports  of  Professors  King  and  Forbes  on 
the  food  of  birds,  and  numerous  other  publications,  from  all  of  which 
I  have  used  more  or  less  material.  For  this  I  desire  to  acknowledge  my 
indebtedness  to  those  authors  and  to  others  to  whose  works  reference 
is  made  herein. 

It  has  been  my  purpose  not  to  include  within  this  list  any  bird 
which  has  not  been  ascertained  to  occur  within  the  State  and  not  to 
note  any  species  as  having  bred  unless  I  have  been  satisfied  upon  good 
authority  that  it  has  done  so.  I  have  added  a  supplemental  list  of 
species  which,  from  their  having  been  taken  near  our  limits,  may, 
\vi1h  greater  or  less  probabilit}^,  be  expected  to  be  found  within  the 
State. 

THE  INDIANA  BIRD  LAW. 

Jn  1891  the  Legislature,  at  the  request  of  the  Indiana  Academy  of 
Science  and  the  Indiana  Horticultural  Society,  enacted  the  following 
law  for  the  protection  of  our  native  beneficial  birds: 

"AN  ACT  for  the  protection  of  birds,  their  nests  and  eggs. 

(Approved  March  5, 1891.) 

"Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Indiana,  That  it  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person  to  kill  any  wild  bird 
other  than  a  game  bird  or  purchase,  offer  for  sale  any  such  wild  bird  after 
it  has  been  killed,  or  to  destroy  the  nests  or  the  eggs  of  any  wild  bird. 

"Sec.  2.  For  the  purpose  of  this  act  the  following  shall  be  considered 
game  birds:  the  Anatidse,  commonly  called  swans,  geese,  brant,  and 
river  and  sea  ducks;  the  Rallidae,  commonly  known  as  rails,  coots,  mud 
hens,  and  gallinules;  the  Limicolse,  commonly  known  as  shore  birds, 
plovers,  surf  birds,  snipe,  woodcock,  and  sandpipers,  tattlers,  and  cur- 
lews; the  Gallinse,  commonly  known  as  wild  turkeys,  grouse,  prairie 
chickens,  quail,  and  pheasants,  all  of  which  are  not  intended  to  be  af- 
fected by  this  act. 

"Sec.  3.  Any  person  violating  the  provisions  of  section  1  of  this  act 
shall,  upon  conviction,  be  fined  in  a  sum  not  less  than  ten  nor  more  than 
fifty  dollars,  to  which  may  be  added  imprisonment  for  not  less  than  five 
days  nor  more  than  thirty  days. 

"Sec.  4.  Sections  1  and  2  of  this  act  shall  not  apply  to  any  person  hold- 
ing a  permit  giving  the  right  to  take  birds  or  their  nests  and  eggs  for 
scientific  purposes,  as  provided  in  secton  5  of  this  act. 


518  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

"Sec.  5.  Permits  may  be  granted  by  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Indi- 
ana Academy  of  Science  to  any  properly  acrcedited  person,  permitting 
the  holder  thereof  to  collect  birds,  their  nests  or  eggs  for  strictly  scientific 
purposes.  In  order  to  obtain  such  permit  the  applicant  for  the  same  must 
present  to  said  Board  written  testimonials  from  two  well  known  scientific 
men  certifying  to  the  good  character  and  fitness  of  said  applicant  to  be 
entrusted  with  such  privilege,  and  pay  to  said  Board  one  dollar  to  defray 
the  necessary  expenses  attending  the  granting  of  such  permit,  and  must 
file  with  said  Board  a  properly  executed  bond  in  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dollars,  signed  by  at  least  two  responsible  citizens  of  the  State  as  sure- 
ties. The  bond  shall  be  forfeited  to  the  State  and  the  permit  become  void 
upon  proof  that  the  holder  of  such  permit  has  killed  any  bird  or  taken 
the  nests  or  eggs  of  any  bird  for  any  other  purpose  than  that  named  in 
this  section,  and  shall  further  be  subject  for  each  offense  to  the  penalties 
provided  in  this  act. 

"Sec.  6.  The  permits  authorized  bjf^this  act  shall  be  in  force  for  two 
years  only  from  the  date  of  their  issii^'^'nd  shall  not  be  transferable. 

"Sec.  7.  The  English  or  European  house  spaiTow  {Passer  domesticus), 
crows,  hawks,  and  other  birds  of  prey;  are  not  included  among  the  birds 
protected  by  this  act. 

"Sec.  8.  All  acts  or  parts  of  acts  heretofore  passed  in  conflict  with  the 
provisions  of  this  act  are  hereby  repealed. 

"Sec.  9.  An  emergency  is  declared  to  exist  for  the  immediate  taking 
effect  of  this  act,  therefore  the  same  shall  be  in  force  and  effect  from  and 
after  its  passage." 

In  some  localities  this  law  has  been  enforced,  but  presumably  in 
others  it  is  not  well  known.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  citizens  will 
familiarize  themselves  with  it  to  the  end  that  it  may  be  made  efficient 
throughout  the  Commonwealth. 

POSITION  AND  BOUNDARY. 

The  following  is  an  account  of  the  location  and  physical  features  of 
Indiana.  The  quotations  are  from  Dr.  Charles  R.  Dryer^s  "Studies  in 
Indiana  Geography :" 

"Indiana  is  one  of  the  ^orth  Central  States,  situated  in  what  is 
sometimes  called  the  Middle  West,  between  the  upper  Great  Lakes 
and  the  Ohio,  and  mostly  in  the  Mississipni  basin.  The  central  par- 
allel of  the  United  States,  the  39th,  crosses  its  southern  third  and  it 
is  included  between  37  degrees  41  minutes  and  41  degrees  46  minutes 
north  latitude,  and  between  84  degrees  44  minutes  and  88  degrees 
6  minutes  west  longitude.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  parallel 
which  is  ten  miles  north  of  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan; 
on  the  east  by  the  meridian  of  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  River; 
on  the  south  by  the  Ohio,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Wabash  river  and 
the  meridian  of  Vincennes.  Its  extreme  length  is  250  miles,  its  -av- 
erage width  145  miles,  its  area  36,850  square  miles. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  519^ 


ELEVATION. 

"According  to  Powell's  division  of  the  United  States  into  physio- 
graphic regions,  Indiana  lies  mostly  on  the  Ice  Plains,  but  includes  a 
small  portion  of  the  Lake  Plains  on  the  north  and  of  the  Alleghany 
Plateau  on  the  southeast.  The  highest  land  in  the  State,  in  southern 
Randolph  county,  is  1,285  feet  above  tide;  the  lowest,  at  the  south- 
west corner  is  313  feet.  The  area  above  1,000  feet  comprises  2,850 
square  miles,  in  three  tracts:  (1)  An  irregular  area  around  the  head- 
waters of  the  Whitewater  river,  in  Union,  Wayne,  Randolph,  Dela- 
ware, Henry,  Rush,  Decatur,  Franklin  and  Ripley  counties;*  (2)  a 
narrow  crescentic  ridge  in  Brown  county;  (3)  a  considerable  area  in 
Steuben,  DeKalb,  Noble  and  Lagrange  counties.  Isolated  peaks  rise 
in  Brown  coiinty  to  1,172  feet  and  in  Steuben  to  1,200  feet.  The 
area  between  500  and  1,000  feet  in  elevation  is  28,800  square  miles 
and  that  below  500  feet  is  4,700  square  miles.  The  average  elevation 
of  the  state  is  700  feet. 


PHYSIOGRAPHIC  REGIONS. 

"The  most  striking  physical  contrast  in  Indiana  is  that  between  the 
glaciated  and  unglaciated  areas.  A  comparison  of  the  topographic 
map  with  that  showing  the  revised  glacial  boundary  brings  out  this 
contrast  sharply.  North  of  the  limit  of  drift  the  contour  lines  run  in 
large  curves  and  are  far  apart,  showing  the  general  smoothness  and 
monotony  of  the  surface.  South  of  the  glacial  boundary  the  lines  are 
crowded  and  extremely  tortuous,  showing  a  surface  much  cut  up. 
The  limit  of  drift  incloses  and  fits  this  area  of  broken  surface  as  a 
man's  coat  fits  his  shoulders. 

''The  Ohio  Slope. — That  portion  of  the  State  which  slopes  directly 
to  the  Ohio,  including  the  driftless  area  and  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  drift  plain,  is  a  region  of  deep,  narrow  valleys,  bounded  by 
precipitous  bluffs  and  separated  by  sharp,  irregular  divides.  Isolated 
knobs  and  buttes  are  numerous;  the  crests  and  summits  are  from  300 
to  500  feet  above  the  valley  bottoms.  The  streams  are  rapid  and 
broken  by  frequent  cataracts.  All  open  out  into  the  Ohio  Valley,  a 
trench  from  one  to  six  miles  wide,  400  feet  deep  and  bounded  by  steep 
bluffs. 

"Hie  Central  Plain. — North  of  an  irregular  line  extending  in  a 
general  direction  from  Richmond  to  Terre  Haute,  and  south  of  ^he 
west^^ard  flowing  portion  of  the  Wabash  from  Fort  Wayne  to  Attica, 

*A]6o  Favette  and  a  nart  of  Dearborn. 


520  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

the  topography  is  that  of  an  almost  featureless  drift  plain.  It  is 
traversed  by  numerous  morainic  ridges,  but  they  are  low  and  incon- 
spicuous. The  traveler  may  ride  upon  the  railway  train  for  hours 
without  seeing  a  greater  elevation  than  a  hay  stack  or  a  pile  of  saw- 
dust. The  divides  are  flat  and  sometimes  swampy,  the  streams  muddy 
and  sluggish.  The  valleys  begin  on  the  uplands  as  scarcely  percepti- 
ble grooves  in  the  compact  boulder  clay,  widen  much  more  rapidly 
than  they  deepen  and  seldom  reach  down  to  the  rock  floor. 

^^The  Northern  Plain. — The  portion  of  the  drift  plain  north  of 
the  Wabash  river  is  more  varied  than  the  central  plain,  and  comprises 
several  regions  which  differ  materially  in  character.  A  small  area 
around  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  is  occupied  by  sand  ridges  and 
dunes,  partly  due  to  a  former  extension  of  the  lake  and  partly  to 
present  wind  action.  Some  of  the  drifting  dunes  are  more  than  100 
feet  high.  This  region  is  separated  by  a  belt  of  morainic  hills  from 
the  'basin  of  the  Kanlcakee,  which  contains  the  most  extensive  marshes 
and  prairies  in  the  State.  This  region  also  is  traversed  by  numerous 
low  ridges  of  sand,  the  origin  and  character  of  which  are  not  yet  well 
understood.  Many  of  its  features  are  probably  due  to  the  fact  that 
during  the  retreat  of  the  ice-sheet  it  was  temporarily  occupied  by  a 
glacial  lake,  which  received  the  wash  from  the  high  moraines  to  the 
eastward.  Northeastern  Indiana  is  the  region  of  high  moraines,  and  has 
a  strongly  marked  character  of  its  own.  A  massive  ridge  of  drift,  25 
miles  wide,  100  miles  long  and  from  200  to  500  feet  thick,  extends 
from  Steuben  County  to  Cass  County  and  is  joined  by  several  smaller 
branches  from  the  northwest.  This  is  the  joint  moraine  of  the  Erie 
and  Saginaw  lobes  of  the  Laurentide  glacier.  Much  of  its  surface  is 
extremely  irregular,  presenting  a  succession  of  rounded  domes,  conical 
peaks,  and  winding  ridges,  with  hollows  of  corresponding  shape  be- 
tween, which  are  occupied  by  innumerable  lakes  and  marshes;  the 
highest  points  are  100  to  300  feet  above  the  level  intermorainic  inter- 
vals. A  large  proportion  of  the  material  is  sand  and  gravel.  A  small 
area  in  eastern  Allen  County  is  a  part  of  the  bed  of  the  glacial  Lake 
Maumee. 

DRAINAGE. 

"The  general  slope  of  Indiana  is  to  the  southwest,  as  indicated  by 
the  course  of  the  Wabash  River  and  its  tributaries,  which  drain  two- 
thirds  of  the  State.  Of  the  remaining  third  one-half  is  drained  di- 
rectly to  the  Ohio  and  one-half  to  Lakes  Erie  and  Michigan  and  to  the 
Mississippi  through  the  Illinois. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  521 

'^Tlie  Wabash  River  is  the  great  artery  of  Indiana,  which  it  traverses 
for  more  than  400  miles.  The  fall  is  quite  uniformly  about  eighteen 
inches  per  mile.  Its  current  is  gentle  and  unbroken  by  notable  rapids 
or  falls.  Its  valley  is  quite  varied  in  character.  Above  Huntington  it  is 
a  young  valley,  without  bluffs,  terraces  or  flood  plain.  Below  Hunt- 
ington it  once  carried  the  drainage  of  the  upper  Maumee  Basin,  and 
is  nowhere  less  than  a  mile  wide  as  far  down  as  Attica.  Below  that 
point  its  width  varies  from  two  to  six  miles.  The  original  valley  has 
been  largely  filled  with  drift,  which  the  present  river  has  been  unable 
to  clear  out.  It  winds  between  extensive  terraces  of  gravel,  which 
border  it  at  various  elevations,  and  flows  at  a  level  from  50  to  100  feet 
above  the  original  rock  floor.  Below  Terre  Haute,  the  wide  flood  plain, 
ox-bow  bends  and  bayous  give  it  a  character  similar  to  that  of  the 
lower  Mississippi.  The  upper  tributaries  as  far  down  as  Lafayette  are 
post-glacial  streams  in  drift  valleys,  whose  courses  are  largely  deter- 
mined by  the  trend  of  the  moraines.  Below  that  point  the  smaller 
tributaries  enter  the  river  through  picturesque  sandstone  gorges. 

''White  River,  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Wabash,  and  rivaling  it  in 
volume  of  discharge,  is  a  much  more  varied  and  complex  stream.  The 
larger  West  Fork  rises  at  the  summit  level  of  the  state  in  Eandolph 
county.  In  its  upper  course  it  is  moraine-guided,  like  the  upper  trib- 
utaries of  the  Wabash,  and  presents  the  same  characters  as  the  other 
streams  of  the  central  plain.  In  Morgan  county  it  assumes  a  different 
aspect,  and  thence  to  its  mouth  flows  through  a  valley  from  one  to 
three  miles  wide,  100  to  300  feet  deep,  bordered  by  wide  bottoms. 
The  East  Fork  rises  on  the  same  elevation  as  the  West,  but  reaches  its 
destination  by  a  more  tortuous  course.  Although  its  length  is  in- 
creased and  its  slope  decreased  by  its  numerous  meanders,  it  is  still 
a  swift  stream.  Both  forks  of  White  river  suffered  many  disturbances 
during  the  glacial  period,  which  have  not  yet  been  studied  in  detail, 
but  are  obvious  from  the  varying  character  of  their  valleys  and  from 
the  terraces  which  border  them  at  all  heights  up  to  300  feet. 

''The  Whitewater  River  takes  the  shortest  course  of  all  from  the  sum- 
mit level  to  the  Ohio,  and  its  average  fall  is  about  seven  feet  to  the 
mile.  At  Eichmond  it  has  cut  a  narrow  gorge  into  the  soft  shales 
100  feet  deep.  In  strongest  contrast  with  this  and  the  other  rivers 
of  the  Ohio  Slope  is  the  Karikdkee,  which  winds  through  wide  marshes 
with  a  scarcely  perceptible  current  and  without  deflnite  banks.  Its 
basin,  however,  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  render  good  drainage  possi- 
ble by  the  construction  of  the  requisite  ditches,  and  much  has  already 
been  done  to  that  end. 


522  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 


PHYSIOGRAPHIC  FEATURES. 


"Many  important  land  forms  are  wanting  in  Indiana.  There  are  no 
mountains,  no  valleys  formed  by  upheaval  or  subsidence,  no  volcanoes 
or  volcanic  rocks  except  foreign  fragments  brought  by  the  ice  sheet, 
no  features  due  to  disturbance  of  the  earth  crust  except  the  rock  foun- 
dations of  the  State  itself. 

"Plains. — As  already  indicated,  the  greater  part  of  Indiana  is  a  plain 
of  accumulation;  the  surface  of  a  sheet  of  glacial  drift  which  varies  in 
thickness  from  a  few  feet  to  500  feet  or  more.  The  average  thickness 
is  more  than  100  feet.  It  consists  chiefly  of  a  mass  of  clay  containing 
more  or  less  gravel  and  boulders-^the  till  or  boulder  clay  of  the  geol- 
ogists. This  is  locally  varied  by  heaps,  ridges,  sheets  and  pockets  of 
sand  and  gravel,  and  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  is  overlain  by 
a  peculiar  fine  silt  called  loess.  The  boulder  clay  is  the  grist  of  the 
glacial  mill,  and  is  composed  of  a  very  intimate  and  heterogeneous 
mixture  of  native  and  foreign  materials,  containing  fragments  of 
almost  every  known  mineral  and  rock.  The  large  fragments,  or 
boulders,  are  widely  distributed,  and  of  every  size  up  to  30  feet  in  di- 
ameter. They  are  nearly  all  igneous  or  metamorphic  in  character  and 
can  be  traced  back  to  their  origin  in  the  Canadian  highlands  north  of 
the  Great  Lakes. 

"The  driftless  area  is  a  plain  of  degradation^  formed  by  the  removal 
of  the  original  rock  surface  to  an  unknown  depth,  and  now  repre- 
sented by  the  summits  of  the  flat  and  even-topped  divides,  ridges  and 
hills. 

"Hills. — On  the  northern  plain  occur  numerous  Mils  of  accumula- 
tion forming  the  great  morainic  belts,  the  result  of  excessive  dumping 
and  heaping  up  of  drift  along  the  margins  and  between  the  lobes  of 
the  melting  ice-sheet.  The  most  impressive  examples  are  found  in 
Steuben,  Lagrange,  N'oble  and  Kosciusko  counties,  where  they  attain 
a  height  of  200  feet  or  more,  and  are  as  steep  and  sharp  as  the  mate- 
rials will  lie.  Their  peculiar  forms  and  tumultuous  arrangement  give 
a  striking  and  picturesque  character  to  the  landscape. 

"The  Ohio  Slope  is  studded  all  over  with  liills  of  degradation — blocks 
and  fragments  of  the  original  plain  left  by  the  cutting  out  of  the 
valleys  between  them.  Some  are  broad  and  flat-topped,  some  narrow, 
crooked  and  level-crested,  some  sharp  or  rounded,  isolated  knobs  or 
buttes.  These  are  very  conspicuous  in  the  counties  of  Greene,  Da- 
viess, Martin,  Crawford,  Orange,  Washin^on  and  Jackson,  .but  attain 
their  greatest  development  in  Floyd,  Clark  and  Scott,  where  the 
Silver  Hills  and  Guinea  Hills  rise  to  400  and  500  feet  above  the  valley 


Birds  6f  Indiana.  533 

bottoms.  In  Brown  Coimty  the  knob  topography  attains  the  highest 
absolute  elevation  in  Weed  Patch  Hill,  and  the  surrounding  region  is 
30  rugged  as  to  have  gained  the  title  of  the  'Switzerland  of  Indiana.' 

"In  Benton,  county  Mounts  Neho  and  Gilboa  are  isolated  masses  of 
rock  projecting  above  the  general  level  of  the  plain,  and  are  probably 
3ntitled  to  the  name  of  monadnochs. 


"Lakes. — The  surface  of  the  northern  plain  is  peppered  with  small 
lakes  which  occupy  irregular  depressions  in  the  surface  of  the  drift, 
and  are  especially  characteristic  o-f  the  massive  moraines.  The  whole 
number  cannot  be  less  than  1,000.  The  largest,  Turkey  Lake  in  Kos- 
3iusko  county,  has  an  area  of  five  and  a  half  square  miles. 

"Marshes  and  Swamps. — These  exceed  the  lakes  in  number  and 
extent.  The  smaller  ones  are  the  basins  of  former  lakes  which  have 
been  filled  up  with  sediment  and  vegetation.  The  largest  are  in  the 
Kankakee  Basin,  and  are  the  remaining  vestiges  of  a  glacial  lake. 
Everywhere  over  the  central  plain  the  divides  are  too  flat  and  the 
slopes  too  gentle  for  good  drainage,  and  marshes  abound.  These, 
however,  have  been  largel}^  drained  by  ditches.'' 

The  surface  of  the  State  presents  considerable  differences  in  its 
vegetation.  The  heaviest  timber  which  was  found  in  central  and 
southern  Indiana  has  for  the  greater  part  disappeared.  Throughout 
the  northern  part  of  the  State  the  number  of  large  trees  is  much  less 
and  the  general  size  of  forest  trees  decreases  noticeably  as  one  proceeds 
northward. 

"Contrary  to  the  statements  made  in  many  books,  Indiana  is  not 
a  prairie  state.  An  area  estimated  to  comprise  one-eighth  of  the 
whole,  situated,  except  a  few  isolated  patches  in  the  northwestern  part, 
is  marsh  and  upland  prairie.  The  remainder  of  the  State  was  orig- 
inally covered  by  a  heavy  growth  of  oak,  walnut,  beech,  maple  and 
other  hardwood  timber,  with  sycamore  and  poplar  near  the  streams 
and  a  little  pine  along  the  Ohio  slope.  No  region  in  the  United 
States  could  show  finer  specimens  or  a  greater  number  of  individuals 
and  species  of  forest  trees  than  the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  The  same 
region  is  said  to  be  the  original  habitat  of  the  bluegrass  w^hich  has 
made  Indiana  and  Kentucky  pastures  so  famous."    (Dryer,  p.  25.) 


524  Report  of  State  Geologist. 


PECULIARITIES  AFFECTING  BIRD  DISTRIBUTION. 

The  region  about  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan  presents  an 
unusually  fertile  field  for  the  ornithologist.  Situated  as  it  is,  midway 
between  the  wooded  region  of  the  East  and  the  treeless  plains  of  the 
West,  with  the  warm  river  bottoms  of  the  South,  rich  in  southern 
species,  extending  to  within  a  comparatively  short  distance,  and  the 
great  lake  upon  the  north,  northwestern  Indiana  forms  a  kind  of  '^four 
corners"  where  the  avian  faunae  of  four  regions  intergrade.  To  the 
proximity  of  Lake  Michigan  we  are  indebted  for  a  number  of  more  or 
less  strictly  maritime  species.  As  would  be  expected  the  southern 
species  occur  only  in  summer,  with  the  exception  of  Lophophanes 
hicolor,  which  is  found  only  in  winter.  Not  only  is  the  influence  of 
the  lake  upon  the  faunae  shown  by  the  occurrence  of  numerous  species 
of  birds,  attracted  by  the  presence  of  a  large  body  of  water,  with  its 
congenial  surroundings,  but  the  influence  of  the  lake  upon  the  climate 
and  the  vegetation  in  its  immediate  vicinity  has  a  marked  influence 
upon  the  list  of  summer  residents.  The  northwestern  portion  of  the 
State  is  divided  into  alternating  tracts  of  prairie,  marsh  and  wood- 
land, each  possessing  a  bird  life  of  its  own.  In  Lake  County,  along 
the  Lake  Shore,  is  a  stretch  of  pine  woods  known  as  "the  pinery," 
which  is  quite  peculiar.  (Condensed  from  E.  W.  [N'elson's  notes  of 
'^irds  of  N"ortheastern  Illinois.")  Coming  south  one  crosses  the  Kan- 
kakee River  and  marshes,  well-known  regions  for  water  fowl  and 
marsh-inhabiting  birds,  and  enters  the  Wabash  Valley.  Back  from 
this  valley  proper  we  find  occasional  prairies  and  extensive  meadows, 
where  such  prairie-inhabiting  forms  as  Henslow's  Sparrows,  Yellow- 
winged  Sparrows,  Black-throated  Buntings  and  Prairie  Larks  are  ex- 
pected to  be  found.  The  lower  Wabash  Valley  is  noted  for  its 
extended  "bottom  lands"  and  "cypress  swamps,"  which,  for  their 
flora  no  less  than  their  birds,  are  of  much  interest.  The  amount 
of  bird  life  here  in  summer  is  very  much  in  excess  of  that  in  the  north- 
western corner  of  the  State  at  that  season.  The  difference  in  the  num- 
ber of  birds  noted  would  be  readily  observed.  In  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  State  the  land  rises  in  some  places  almost  400  feet  above  the 
Ohio  River  within  a  mile  or  very  little  more.  On  leaving  the  fertile 
river  bottoms,  with  their  successive  terraces,  one  ascends  the  steep 
river  hills  and  soon  reaches  the  wet  flats  where  the  drainap-e  is  so 
poor  that  the  water  stands  upon  the  surface  beneath  the  oak  and  beech 
timber  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  There  is  an  intimate  relation  be- 
tween the  topography  and  the  character  of  the  soil  here.     There  is  a 


Birds  of  Indiana.  525 

comparatively  level  plateau  extending  from  the  Ohio  Eiver  '"bluffs'' 
to  the  northward,  west  of  the  valley  of  the  Whitewater,  and  forming 
the  water  shed  of  a  number  of  streams,  some  running  into  the  White- 
water and  some  into  the  White  River.  This  surface  soil  is  usually  a 
white  or  gray  clay,  characteristic  of  the  country  within  30  miles  of  the 
Ohio  Eiver  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  State.  From  this  one  de- 
scends until  the  "broken  uplands"  are  found  lying  just  below  the  level 
land..  Still  lower  down  the  "hillsides"  are  reached.  These  rise  more 
or  less  abruptly  from  the  bottom  lands.  The  prevailing  timber  of  this 
region  is  oak,  maple,  beech,  sweet  gum,  black  gum,  etc.,  and  with  them 
are  found,  each  in  its  season,  some  birds  which  prefer  these  surround- 
ings— Summer  Redbird,  Cape  May  Warbler,  Black-throated  Blue  War- 
bler, etc.  East  of  the  Whitewater  River  to  beyond  the  Ohio  line  the 
country  is  more  level  and  the  soil  darker  and  more  fertile,  the  land 
ranking  with  the  best  in  the  State.  The  central  portion  of  the  State  is 
comparatively  level  and  very  fertile.  It  was  more  recently  settled  than 
the  southeastern  portion,  and  hence  to-day  there  may  still  be  seen 
among  the  finest  farms  specimens  of  the  largest  trees  to  be  found  upon 
Indiana  soil.  The  northeastern  part  of  the  State  .has  been  but  little 
explored  by  the  zoologist.  Doubtless  it  will  prove  a  valuable  field  for 
the  one  who  will  occupy  it.  This  is  the  "lake  region"  of  Indiana. 
Within  this  quarter  is  the  meeting  of  two  drainage  systems — the  Wa- 
bash to  the  southwest  and  the  St.  Joseph  and  St.  Mary's  to  the  north- 
.  east.  The  Wabash  River  is  the  line  of  principal  migration  in  Indiana. 
As  it  turns  to  the  eastward  many  routes  leave  it  for  the  north,  par- 
ticularly just  south  of  Lake  Michigan,  but  many  birds  follow  its  course 
along  its  length.  To  this  fact  seems  to  be  due  the  peculiar  distribu- 
tion of  such  forms  as  the  Prothonotary  and  Cerulean  Warblers,  and  in 
less  degree  the  Kentucky,  Worm-eating  and  Sycamore  Warblers. 

CHANGES  IN  BIRD-LIFE. 

When  our  race  first  viewed  this  region  it  was  a  vast  forest,  a  wilder- 
ness, unbroken  save  by  the  water  courses,  the  trail  of  the  Indian,  the 
runways  of  the  deer,  the  roadways  of  the  buffalo.  Our  birds  were  only 
such  as  frequented  the  densest  woodland  or  the  bars  in  the  river  chan- 
nels, together  with  forms  of  wide  range  and  birds  of  passage.  With 
the  cutting  away  of  the  larger  trees  sprang  up  thickets,  and  therewith 
came  thicket-inhabiting  forms.  As  the  clearings  were  extended 
meadow  lands  and  pasture  lands  were  reserved.  To  the  meadows  came 
such  forms  as  the  Bay-winged  Bunting,  Field  Sparrow,  Black-throated 
Bunting  and  Grasshopper  Sparrow,  species  peculiar  to  such  surround- 
ings.   Some  parts  of  this  land  were  wet  and,  where  the  drainage  was 


536  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

not  good,  became  swamps  and  sloughs.  There  birds  peculiar  to  such 
localities  settled,  among  them  Marsh  Wrens,  Rails,  Gallinules,  Swamp 
Sparrows  and  Red- winged  Blackbirds.  As  the  orchard  and  garden  de- 
veloped, other  birds,  well  known  to  us  and  greatly  beloved  for  their 
cheery,  social  ways,  there  made  their  home;  such  are  the  Orchard 
Oriole,  Warbling  Vireo  and  Yellow  Warbler.  The  changes  in  condi- 
tions and  continual  increase  in  number  of  settlers  caused  a  continual 
diminution  in  numbers  of  many  birds;  especially  is  this  true  of  geese, 
ducks  and  other  water-loving  species,  while  some  l>irds  famous  in  his- 
tory and  literature  have  passed  from  us  and  are  fast  becoming  extinct. 
Such  are  the  Ivory-billed  Woodpecker,  Pileated  Woodpecker,  Wild 
Turkey  and  Carolina  Parakeet.  About  our  homes  the  Bluebirds, 
House  Wrens  and  Carolina  Wrens  came  and  lived  with  us,  even  nearer 
and  dearer  than  other  birds. 

As  time  went  on  drainage  became  a  feature  introduced  into  the  new 
country.  With  the  drainage  of  our  sloughs  and  swamps  a  second 
change  was  noted.  The  forms  of  avian  life,  which  lived  among  its 
reeds  and  flags,  ijiingling  their  voices  with  those  of  the  frogs,  disap- 
peared, and  the  land  reclaimed  tells,  in  its  luxuriant  growth  of  corn, 
no  story  to  the  casual  passer-by  of  the  former  population  which  occu- 
pied it.  Time  went  on,  change  followed  change,  little  by  little,  but 
still  each  cleared  field,  each  rotation  of  crops,  each  one  of  a  thousand 
variations  in  cause  had  its  effect  upon  the  numbers  or  the  life  his- 
tory of  our  birds.  ^ 

DESTRUCTION  OF  BIRDS. 

By  man's  agency  the  English  Sparrow  was  introduced,  and  as 
its  numbars  •  increased,  began  to  assert  itself  in  the  struggle  for 
existence.  The  Bluebird,  which  has  come  from  the  hole  in  the 
snag,  was  driven  from  her  box.  The  Martin  and  Chimney  Swift, 
which  formerly  nested  in  hollow  trees,  left  their  nesting  sites  about 
the  house,  and  even  the  Eave  Swallow,  which  in  olden  times  fastened 
its  nests  to  the  cliffs,  was  in  some  cases  driven  away.  The  warfare 
still  continues  with  this  aggressive  little  foreigner,  worse  some  places 
than  others,  but  with  such  surprising  powers  of  reproduction  and  un- 
heard-of audacity,  it  seems  they  must  soon  cover  our  entire  continent. 

Another  epoch  in  this  category  is  marked  by  the  abnormal  craze 
which  has  for  some  years  been  noted  of  using  the  skins  and  parts  of 
birds  for  purposes  of  decoration  and  adornment.  This  barbarous  cus- 
tom has  been  frowned  down  in  some  places  by  society  leaders,  but  is 
still  quite  common. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  527 

It  is  marvelous,  the  destruction  of  innocent,  beneficial  lives  that 
have  been  saerified  upon  the  altar  of  fashion.  Our  State  has  now  a 
very  good  law  for  the  protection  of  our  native  birds,  and  it  behooves  us 
all  to  see  that  in  our  communities,  our  separate  neighborhoods,  that 
law  is  fully  enforced.  Unless  this  is  done  we  may  awake  too  late  to  the 
importance  of  protecting  these  feathered  friends  who  gather  their  sub- 
stance from  the  insect  enemies  of  the  farm,  the  orchard,  the  garden 
and  the  woodland. 

Birds  are  also  destroyed  in  great  numbers  by  natural  causes.  The 
sudden  severe  storms  which  occur  at  times  in  the  migrating  season 
often  cause  the  death  of  a  great  number  of  tiny  wanderers.  It  is  no 
unusual  thing  to  find  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  numbers 
of  other  great  lakes,  following  some  severe,  cold  storm,  the  bodies  of 
great  numbers  of  migrating  birds.  How  great  this  loss  of  life  is 
cannot  be  estimated,  but  they  are  often  found  lying  close  together  on 
the  beach  where  they  have  been  tossed  by  the  waves.  Again,  it  is  no- 
unusual  thing  to  find,  following  a  spell  of  cold  weather  in  April  or 
May,  the  bodies  of  many  birds  which  have  just  arrived  from  the  South 
and  have  been  unable  to  withstand  the  effects  of  the  sudden  cold 
which  came  upon  them.  Other  birds  which  irregularly  winter  with, 
us,  at  times  when  they  attempt  to  remain,  are  destroyed  in  great  num- 
bers in  unusually  severe  and  unfavorable  winter  weather.  A  striking 
illustration  of  this  was  the  severe  weather  of  the  late  winter  and  early 
spring  of  1895,  when,  over  almost  the  entire  Southern  States  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  a  cold  wave  prevailed  coincident  with  the  winter  range 
of  the  Buebirds,  Hermit  Thrushes,  Robins  and  other  birds  occupy- 
ing that  region.  These  wintering  birds  were  destroyed  in  great  num- 
bers— so  great,  in  fact,  as  almost  to  exterminate  the  entire  race  of 
Bluebirds  and  to  greatly  lessen  the  numbers  of  some  other  forms.  In 
addition  to  this,  many  birds  are  destroyed  at  the  time  of  migration  on 
dark  nisrhts  by  flying  against  the  lighthouses,  light  towers  and  other 
lights  in  high  places.  Unfavorable  weather  during  the  breeding 
season  is  also  the  cause  of  large  loss  of  life  among  the  young  birds  and 
of  the  destruction  of  many  eggs. 

In  addition,  birds  are  subject  to  disease,  fall  a  prey  to  their  enemies, 
are  killed  by  accident,  and,  as  these  conditions  combine  in  a  favorable 
or  in  an  unfavorable  way,  we  may  note  among  many  species,  taking 
one  year  with  another,  an  increase  or  a  decrease  in  their  normal 
numbers. 


528  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

:  ZOOLOGICAL  AREAS. 

Geographers  have  attempted  to  divide  the  world  into  zoological  re- 
gions in  accordance  with  the  harmonic  distribution  of  certain  typical 
forms.  These  zoological  areas  have  not  been  very  accurately  defined. 
They  may  be  termed  the  different  divisions  of  the  sea  of  animal  life, 
with  its  tides,  currents,  varying  temperature  and  depth,  two  areas 
meeting  as  land  and  sea,  each  with  irregular  shore  lines  and  deeply 
indented  coasts,  the  boundaries  continually  changing  as  barriers  in 
one  direction  are  overcome,  and  in  another  a  different  coast  configura- 
tion appears. 

Indiana  is  included  entirely  within  the  Eastern  (Atlantic)  faunal 
province,  and  while  it  is  within  the  limits  of  the  Carolina  fauna  of 
Mr.  Allen,  the  southern  portion  contains  so  many  birds  that  are  dis- 
tinctive of  the  Louisiana  fauna  (Austroriparian  Province  of  Professor 
Cope)  that  it  has  been  thought  it  should  be  referred  to  that  district. 
According  to  Dr.  Merriam's  provincial  classification,  almost  all  of 
Indiana  is  included  within  the  upper  Sonoran  Zone.  The  Transition 
Zone  appears  in  the  northern  part,  while  the  extreme  southwestern 
portion  is  included  in  an  arm  of  the  lower  Sonoran  Zone. 

BIRD  MIGRATION. 

The  migratory  instinct  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  nature.  The  origin 
of  migration  seems  to  reach  far  back  into  the  unwritten  history  of  the 
past.  According  to  geological  testimony,  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the 
earth's  history  a  warm  climate  existed  almost  to  the  North  Pole. 
Then  neither  lack  of  food  nor  the  consequences  of  rigorous  winter 
compelled  the  birds  to  leave  that  favored  region.  With  the  changing 
of  conditions  by  which  the  circumpolar  area  became  colder,  then  ice- 
locked  and  finally  the  limit  of  ice  extended  far  to  the  southward,  the 
birds  were  forced  to  more  congenial  lands.  With  the  winter  they 
sought  warmer  climes,  and  as  the  summer  approached  they  sought  to 
return  to  the  ancestral  home.  Finally  the  southern  limit  of  the  ice 
sheet  was  reached,  and  it  began  to  recede.  With  its  recession  the  birds 
were  enabled  to  reach  higher  latitudes,  and  in  time,  when  the  frigid 
area  reached  its  present  limitation,  there  was  left  for  our  solution  the 
problem  of  the  migration  of  birds.  This  habit  is  not  the  acquirement 
of  any  one  bird,  but  is  the  influence  of  the  experience  of  many  gen- 
erations of  birds  extending  through  long  ages  of  time,  an  inherited 
desire  to  seek  nesting  sites  near  the  old  home  of  their  race. 

With  what  regularity  do  certain  forms  leave  their  summer  homes  in 
the  temperate  and  frigid  realms  and  traverse  the  great  expanse  of  plain 
and  wood  and  ocean  to  far  within  the  tropics,  there  spending  the 


Birds  of  Indiana.  529 

colder  parts  of  the  year,  returning  to  the  same  breeding  ground  when 
summer  approaches!  Unerringly  they  pursue  long  lines  of  migration, 
as  though  following  beaten  paths,  for  thousands  of  miles.  O'er  river 
and  lake  and  sea,  o'er  marsh  and  mountain  and  meadow  they  fly.  So 
accurate  is  the  chart,  so  true  the  compass  of  instinct,  that  each  re- 
turning annual  pilgrimage  brings  the  little  wanderers  to  their  former 
homes.  When  the  frosts  touch  the  maple  leaves  and  tinge  the  woods 
with  bright  autumn  colors  we  miss  some  of  our  little  friends.  Day 
after  day  as  the  daylight  grows  shorter  others  follow  where  they  led, 
until,  when  the  snows  come,  many  of  the  summer  songsters  have  left 
us.  These  have  sought  the  regions  best  suited  to  their  condition  in 
winter,  where  the  food  supply  is  more  abundant  or  more  easily  ob- 
tained. Others  from  farther  north  have  taken  their  places.  These, 
to  us,  are  winter  residents.  To  our  friends  farther  northward  they  are 
summer  residents;  between  us  there  is  a  region  where  they  are  known 
as  migrants.  Among  these  latter  bids  which  spend  a  part  or  the 
whole  winter  in  our  States  are  the  Junco  or  Black  Snow-bird,  one  form 
of  Shore-lark,  Tree  Sparrows,  the  Sapsucker  or  Yellow-bellied  Wood- 
pecker, rarely  the  White  Snow-bird  or  Snowflake,  the  Snowy  Owl  and 
the  Bohemian  Waxwing.    Their  summer  homes  are  north  of  us. 

Some  of  the  forms,  perhaps  most  of  them,  which  are  with  us  the 
whole  year  round  are  not  represented  winter,  spring,  summer  and  au- 
tumn by  the  same  individuals.  In  winter  the  Song  Sparrow  among  the 
garden  shrubbery  or  in  the  willow  thickets  are  not  particularly  numer- 
ous, but  late  in  March  and  early  in  April  a  host  of  Song  Sparrows  have 
appeared  from  the  milder  climate  of  Tennessee  and  neighboring  States. 
Their  numbers  are  very  noticeable,  but  they,  with  many,  perhaps  all, 
of  those  who  wintered  with  us,  have  passed  on  farther  north.  The 
usual  number  remains  to  keep  house,  rear  a  family  and  cheer  humanity 
with  their  songs.  With  October  those  who  spent  their  summers  farther 
north  return,  and,  as  the  frosts  succeed  dews  and  snows  succeed  frosts, 
they  gradually  pass  by  to  favorite  winter  homes,  leaving  the  individ- 
uals we  knew  the  past  winter  with  their  children,  our  companions 
through  the  colder  part  of  the  year.  The  American  Goldfinch  that 
appears  with  the  apple  leaves  in  April  in  lemon-yellow  dress  with  black 
cap  and  wings,  comes  from  the  southland  to  replace  other  more  hardy 
relatives  of  his  by  the  same  name,  who  were  hardly  recognized  by  many 
of  us  for  the  plain  winter  dress  they  wore.  Well,  they  passed  on  north- 
ward just  a  day  or  two  before  these  brighter-appearing  ones  arrived 
from  the  pine  groves  and  cotton  fields  of  the  Southern  States.  Next 
fall  they  will  return  with  their  bright  colors  deadened  by  the  touch  of 
the  north  wind,  but  we  will  know  them  by  their  voices. 

34— Geol. 


528  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


ZOOLOGICAL  AREAS. 


Geographers  have  attempted  to  divide  the  world  into  zoological  re- 
gions in  accordance  with  the  harmonic  distribution  of  certain  typical 
forms.  These  zoological  areas  have  not  been  very  accurately  defined. 
They  may  be  termed  the  different  divisions  of  the  sea  of  animal  life, 
with  its  tides,  currents,  varying  temperature  and  depth,  two  areas 
meeting  as  land  and  sea,  each  with  irregular  shore  lines  and  deeply 
indented  coasts,  the  boundaries  continually  changing  as  barriers  in 
one  direction  are  overcome,  and  in  another  a  different  coast  configura- 
tion appears. 

Indiana  is  included  entirely  within  the  Eastern  (Atlantic)  faunal 
province,  and  while  it  is  within  the  limits  of  the  Carolina  fauna  of 
Mr.  Allen,  the  southern  portion  contains  so  many  birds  that  are  dis- 
tinctive of  the  Louisiana  fauna  (Austroriparian  Province  of  Professor 
Cope)  that  it  has  been  thought  it  should  be  referred  to  that  district. 
According  to  Dr.  Merriam^s  provincial  classification,  almost  all  of 
Indiana  is  included  within  the  upper  Sonoran  Zone.  The  Transition 
Zone  appears  in  the  northern  part,  while  the  extreme  southwestern 
portion  is  included  in  an  arm  of  the  lower  Sonoran  Zone. 

BIRD  MIGRATION. 

The  migratory  instinct  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  nature.  The  origin 
of  migration  seems  to  reach  far  back  into  the  unwritten  history  of  the 
past.  According  to  geological  testimony,  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the 
earth's  history  a  warm  climate  existed  almost  to  the  North  Pole. 
Then  neither  lack  of  food  nor  the  consequences  of  rigorous  winter 
compelled  the  birds  to  leave  that  favored  region.  With  the  changing 
of  conditions  by  which  the  circumpolar  area  became  colder,  then  ice- 
locked  and  finally  the  limit  of  ice  extended  far  to  the  southward,  the 
birds  were  forced  to  more  congenial  lands.  With  the  winter  they 
sought  warmer  climes,  and  as  the  summer  approached  they  sought  to 
return  to  the  ancestral  home.  Finally  the  southern  limit  of  the  ice 
sheet  was  reached,  and  it  began  to  recede.  With  its  recession  the  birds 
were  enabled  to  reach  higher  latitudes,  and  in  time,  when  the  frigid 
area  reached  its  present  limitation,  there  was  left  for  our  solution  the 
problem  of  the  migration  of  birds.  This  habit  is  not  the  acquirement 
of  any  one  bird,  but  is  the  influence  of  the  experience  of  many  gen- 
erations of  birds  extending  through  long  ages  of  time,  an  inherited 
desire  to  seek  nesting  sites  near  the  old  home  of  their  race. 

With  what  regularity  do  certain  forms  leave  their  summer  homes  in 
the  temperate  and  frigid  realms  and  traverse  the  great  expanse  of  plain 
and  wood  and  ocean  to  far  within  the  tropics,  there  spending  the 


Birds  of  Indiana.  529 

colder  parts  of  the  year,  returning  to  the  same  breeding  ground  when 
summer  approaches!  Unerringly  they  pursue  long  lines  of  migration, 
as  though  following  beaten  paths,  for  thousands  of  miles.  O'er  river 
and  lake  and  sea,  o'er  marsh  and  mountain  and  meadow  they  fly.  So 
accurate  is  the  chart,  so  true  the  compass  of  instinct,  that  each  re- 
turning annual  pilgrimage  brings  the  little  wanderers  to  their  former 
homes.  When  the  frosts  touch  the  maple  leaves  and  tinge  the  woods 
with  bright  autumn  colors  we  miss  some  of  our  little  friends.  Day 
after  day  as  the  daylight  grows  shorter  others  follow  where  they  led, 
until,  when  the  snows  come,  many  of  the  summer  songsters  have  left 
us.  These  have  sought  the  regions  best  suited  to  their  condition  in 
winter,  where  the  food  supply  is  more  abundant  or  more  easily  ob- 
tained. Others  from  farther  north  have  taken  their  places.  These, 
to  us,  are  winter  residents.  To  our  friends  farther  northward  they  are 
summer  residents;  between  us  there  is  a  region  where  they  are  known 
as  migrants.  Among  these  latter  bids  which  spend  a  part  or  the 
whole  winter  in  our  States  are  the  Junco  or  Black  Snow-bird,  one  form 
of  Shore-lark,  Tree  Sparrows,  the  Sapsucker  or  Yellow-bellied  Wood- 
pecker, rarely  the  White  Snow-bird  or  Snowflake,  the  Snowy  Owl  and 
the  Bohemian  Waxwing.    Their  summer  homes  are  north  of  us. 

Some  of  the  forms,  perhaps  most  of  them,  which  are  with  us  the 
whole  year  round  are  not  represented  winter,  spring,  summer  and  au- 
tumn by  the  same  individuals.  In  winter  the  Song  Sparrow  among  the 
garden  shrubbery  or  in  the  willow  thickets  are  not  particularly  numer- 
ous, but  late  in  March  and  early  in  April  a  host  of  Song  Sparrows  have 
appeared  from  the  milder  climate  of  Tennessee  and  neighboring  States. 
Their  numbers  are  very  noticeable,  but  they,  with  many,  perhaps  all, 
of  those  who  wintered  with  us,  have  passed  on  farther  north.  The 
usual  number  remains  to  keep  house,  rear  a  family  and  cheer  humanity 
with  their  songs.  With  October  those  who  spent  their  summers  farther 
north  return,  and,  as  the  frosts  succeed  dews  and  snows  succeed  frosts, 
they  gradually  pass  by  to  favorite  winter  homes,  leaving  the  individ- 
uals we  knew  the  past  winter  with  their  children,  our  companions 
through  the  colder  part  of  the  year.  The  American  Goldfinch  that 
appears  with  the  apple  leaves  in  April  in  lemon-yellow  dress  with  black 
cap  and  wings,  comes  from  the  southland  to  replace  other  more  hardy 
relatives  of  his  by  the  same  name,  who  were  hardly  recognized  by  many 
of  us  for  the  plain  winter  dress  they  wore.  Well,  they  passed  on  north- 
ward just  a  day  or  two  before  these  brighter-appearing  ones  arrived 
from  the  pine  groves  and  cotton  fields  of  the  Southern  States.  Next 
fall  they  will  return  with  their  bright  colors  deadened  by  the  touch  of 
the  north  wind,  but  we  will  know  them  by  their  voices. 

34 — Geol. 


530  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

The  impression  which  may  prevail  that  the  winter  residents  are 
smaller  than  the  summer  forms  is  erroneous.  The  Shore-larks,  which 
winter  with  us,  represent  the  same  species  which  is  resident  in  summer 
and  the  northern  form  which  is  larger.  The  idea  that  many  birds  mi- 
grate at  night  is  correct. 

Some  winters  the  Eobins,  Meadow  Larks,  Kingfishers,  Killdeers, 
Red-headed  Woodpeckers  and  Chewinks  remain  with  us.  Other  yeais 
they  pass  to  the  southward.  Even  when  they  are  here,  some  years  they 
seem  to  the  casual  observer  to  have  left;  yet  the  inquisitive  lover  of 
birds  knows  his  little  friends  are  to  be  found,  even  in  inclement 
weather,  though  they  do  not  appear  to  the  uninitiated.  To  such  an  one  a 
protected  thicket,  a  deep  ravine,  an  unexposed  hillside,  a  dense  wood- 
land, as  his  tramp  leads  through  such  out-of-the-way  places,  is  found 
to  be  inhabited  by  forms  which  have  disappeared  to  many  eyes.  The 
instinct  which  calls  upon  some  to  seek  the  better  feeding  grounds,  the 
warmer  places  of  earth,  has  impelled  these  to  well-protected  spots  and 
localities  where  food  may  be  most  easily  obtained. 

The  Catbird,  Blackbird,  Chipping  Sparrow  and  Phoebe  go  but  a 
little  farther  south,  some  years  lingering  along  the  Ohio  River. 

The  Marsh  Wrens,  Red- winged  Blackbird,  Hermit  Thrush  and 
sometimes  the  beautiful  little  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  and  eccentric  lit- 
tle Blue-gray  Gnat-catcher  linger  along  the  gulf  coast,  while  all  the 
north  is  snow-bound. 

Other  birds  go  farther  on  their  winter  journey.  The  Baltimore 
Orioles  go  as  far  as  Panama.  Our  cheery  Bobolink  with  "his  Quaker 
wife,"  both  plain  clad  when  cold  comes  nigh,  visit  the  West  Indies  and 
South  America.  The  King  Bird  reaches  the  West  Indes  and  Bolivia. 
The  Night  Hawk  covers  the  same  islands  and  Eastern  South  America. 
The  Cerulean  Warbler,  on  the  contrary,  visits  Cuba  and  Central  Amer- 
ica. Kirtland^s  rare  warbler  winters  only  in  the  Bahamas.  The  little 
Spotted  Sandpiper  visits  Brazil.  The  Blue-winged  Teal  extends  its 
journey  to  Ecuador,  and  Swainson's  Thrush  to  Peru. 

Some  make  more  extended  tours  even  than  these.  The  American 
Golden  Plover,  a  well-known  game  bird,  wjiich  breeds  in  the  northern 
part  of  our  continent,  when  winter  holds  the  northern  hemisphere  in 
his  cold  grasp,  is  found  as  far  away  as  Patagonia,  while  the  Knot,  a 
coast  bird  which  breeds  in  very  high  northern  latitudes,  the  eggs  of 
which  were  taken  by  the  members  of  the  Greely  Arctic  expedition  at 
Ft.  Conger,  about  north  latitude  82  degrees,  ranges  to  Cape 
Horn  during  our  winter.  Thus  it  will  be  observed  migra- 
tion may  mean  the  trip  to  the  protected  thicket  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  wild  grapes,  blackberries  and  weed  patches  laden  with 


Birds  0¥  Indiana.  531 

at  the  southern  edge  of  the  farm,  or  the  almost  endless  voyage  of  some 
shore  birds  across  every  one  of  the  earth's  zones.  It  may  mean  a  change 
of  individuals;  a  moving  of  those  which  summer  with  us  a  little  farther 
south  and  a  filling  of  their  places  by  others  of  the  same  kind  from  a  lit- 
tle farther  north.  It  may  mean  a  restlessness  which  some  years  impels 
the  Bob  White  to  move  southward  a  few  miles,  or  again  to  leave  the 
hills  and  congregate  in  the  valleys,  or  the  reverse.  Many  times  they 
•fly  into  towns,  and  becoming  confused,  enter  houses  and  stores,  and 
are  readily  caught  in  the  hand.  It  may  mean  the  slow  movement  of 
the  short-winged  warblers  and  wrens,  or  the  rapid  flight  of  the  swallow 
and  Wild  Pigeon.  Its  cause  is  the  instinct  which  tells  them  to  prepare 
for  winter  or  return  for  spring.  A  call  that  must  be  ajiswered,  an  in- 
herent demand  that  comes  to  each  individual  through  the  accumulated 
experiences  of  the  past  which  it-  cannot  disobey. 

Birds  do  not  move  promiscuously  over  the  country,  but  are  observed 
to  have  migratory  routes.  The  Mississippi  Eiver  is  a  great  artery 
along  which  in  spring  courses  a  mighty  stream  of  avian  life  destined 
to  its  breeding  ground.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  a  large  stream 
turns  off  to  ascend  that  river,  sending  out  branches  of  considerable 
size  up  the  Wabash,  Whitewater  and  Miami  rivers.  The  Whitewater 
Valley  forms  one  channel  by  which  these  wandering  birds  reach  the 
Maumee  and  the  lakes,  whence  many  pass  on  still  farther  northward 
to  their  summer  homes.  As  the  rivers  become  the  channels  of  migra- 
tion for  certain  species,  other  forms  of  different  habits  follow  the 
higher  lands  or  the  mountain  bases,  along  characteristic  topographical 
features.  As  the  warm  air  of  spring  comes,  as  from  the  throbbing  of 
a  great  tropical  heart,  so  the  birds  come,  in  pulsating  movements,  each 
succeeding  one  stronger  and  driving  its  tide  of  life  farther  along  its 
course.  Each  bird-wave  seems  to  move  as  though  the  rear  of  the  mi- 
grating forms  was  continually  passing  over  the  more  advanced  and  tak- 
ing the  lead.  Among  the  smaller  streams,  the  main  ridges,  the  connect- 
ing woodland,  at  the  height  of  the  migration  may  readily  be  observed 
the  smaller  currents  of  bird  life  given  off  by  the  larger  streams,  each 
following  its  own  course,  all  instinctively  going  in  a  definite  direction 
— north.  The  whole  movement  may  be  compared  to  the  circulation  of 
sap  in  a  tree.  From  trunk  to  limb,  from  Hmb  to  branch,  from  branch 
to  bough,  from  bough  to  twig,  from  twig  to  leaf.  The  entire  move- 
ment over  either  hemisphere  may  be  likened  to  numberless  trees  with 
their  roots  at  the  equator,  their  topmost  branches  approaching  the 
poles.  In  autumn  the  courses  of  the  bird  currents  are  not  so  plainly 
marked,  but  yet  along  the  borders  of  our  streams  may  be  seen,  at 
favorable  times,  hordes  of  little  wanderers  moving  past  in  almost  end- 
less streams  at  early  mom  and  eventide. 


534  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

1874. 

Ktrtland,  J.  P.  Letter  from,  dated  1857,  mentioning  various  Indiana 
birds      Proc.  Cleveland  Acad.  Nat.  Science,  1874,  pp.  131-132. 

RiDQWAY,  R.  The  Wabash  Valley  and  Its  Avian  Faun*.  Proc.  Bos- 
ton Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XVI,  pp.  303-332. 

RiDGWAY,  R.  The  Lower  Wabash  Valley,  considered  in  its  relation  to 
the  Faunal  Districts  of  the  Eastern  Regions  of  North  America,  with 
a  Synopsis  of  Its  Avian  Fauna,  by  Robert  Ridgway.  Boston,  1874, 
p.  31.     Repaged  edition  of  the  above. 

CouES,  Elliott.  Birds  of  the  Northwest,  a  handbook  of  the  Ornithol- 
ogy of  the  region  drained  by  the  Missouri  River  and  its  tributaries. 
Dept.  of  the  Interior,  U.  8.  Geol.  Survey  of  the  Territories,  Mis- 
cellaneous Publications,  No.  3,  1874. 

Editor's  Note.  Wild  Turkey  found  breeding  at  Valparaiso,  Ind. 
Forest  and  Stream,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  Ill,  1874-5,  10,  p.  150. 

Editor's  Note.  Wild  Pigeon,  very  abundant  in  Michigan,  Indiana 
and  Wisconsin  in  beech  woods.  Sept.  15,  1874.  Forest  and 
Stream,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  ni,  1874-5,  7,  p.  107. 

1876. 

Jordan,  David  Starr.  Manual  of  the  Vertebrates  of  the  Northern 
United  States,  including  the  District  East  of  the  Mississippi  River 
and  North  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  exclusive  of  marine 
species,  by  David  Starr  Jordan,  Ph.  D.,  M.  D.,  Porfessor  of  Nat- 
ural History  in  N.  W.  C.  University  and  in  Indiana  State  Medica] 
College.  Chicago,  Jansen,  McClurg  &  Co.,  1876.  Refers  to  a 
number  of  Indiana  birds.  A  second  edition,  dated  1878;  a  third, 
1880;  a  fourth  in  1888. 

Smith,  G.  Aug.  Birds  of  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana.  Forest  and  Stream, 
Vol.  X,  1876,  p.  148.     Fifty  species  mentioned,  some  by  error. 

Coues,  Elliott.  Peculiar  nesting  site  of  Bank  Swallow  (i.  e. ,  Stelgido- 
pteryx  serripennis) .     Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  I,  1876,  p.  96. 

Haymond,  R.  Notes  on  the  Bank  Swallow  (i.  e.,  Stelgidopteryx  serripen- 
nis).    Field  and  Forest,  Vol.  I,  1876,  No.  11,  p.  88. 

CouES,  Elliott.  Notable  change  of  habit  of  the  Bank  Swallow  (i.  c, 
Stelgidopteryx  serripennis).  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  X,  1876,  pp. 
492-493. 

Nelson,  E.  W.  Additions  to  the  avifauna  of  Illinois,  with  notes  on 
other  species  of  Illinois  birds.  Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  I, 
1876,  pp.  39-44.     Notes  some  observations  on  the  Wabash  River. 

1877. 

Nelson,  E.  W.  The  Louisiana  Heron  in  Indiana.  Bull.  Nuttall  Orn. 
Club,  Vol.  II,  1877,  p.  51. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  535 

Nelson,  E.  W.  Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinoig.  Bull,  of  the  Essex 
Institute,  Vol.  VIII,  1877,  p.  90-155.  Some  observations  noted 
about  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan, "^along  the  Indiana  and 
Illinois  line. 

Nelson,  E.  W.  Notes  upon  birds  observed  in  Southern^Illinois  between 
July  17  and  September  4,  1875.  Bull,  of  the  Essex  Institute,  Vol. 
IX,  1877,  pp.  32-65.  Part  of  the  observations  made  on  the  Wabash 
River  and  part  on  the  White  River. 

OoLOGiST  (A.  W.  Butler).  The  Nesting  of  the  Wood  Pewee.  The 
Oologist,  Vol.  Ill,  1877,  p.  37. 

Lanodon,  Frank  W.  A  catalogue  of  the  birds  in  the  vicinity  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Frank  W.  Langdon,  Salem,  Mass.     Naturalists'  Agency, 

1877,  pp.  18.     Mentions  several  observations  on  Indiana  birds. 

Arrow.  A  voice  against  the  English  Sparrow  from  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana.    Forest  and  Stream,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  VIII,  1877,  17,  p.  261. 

Carey,  A.  G.     Observations  on  the  English  Sparrow  at  Indianapolis,  • 
Indiana.     Forest  and  Stream,  N.  Y.,  Vo^.  VIII,  1877,  19,  p.  307. 

1878. 

RiDGWAY,  Robert.     A  review  of  the  American  species  of  the  genus 

Scops  Saviguy.     Proc.   U.  S.  National  Museum,  Vol.  I,  1878,  pp. 

85-117.     Notes  the  results  of  observations  on  the  dichromatic  phases 

of  Scops  asio.     In  part  made  in  Indiana. 
Brewster,  William.     The  Prothonotary  Warbler.     Bull.  Nuttall  Orn. 

Club,  Vo).  Ill,  1878,  pp.  153-162.     Based  on  observations  made  in 

Knox  and  Gibson  Counties,  Indiana. 
RiDOWAY,  Robert.     Notes  on  birds  observed  at  Mt.  Carrael,  Southern 

Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  1878.     Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Ciub,  Vol  III, 

1878,  pp.   162-166.     Based  in  part  upon  observations  in  the  cypress 
swamps  in  Indiana. 

Sanger.     Ruffed    Grous^.     Observations   made   at    Elkhart,    Indiana. 

Believes  not  over  one-third  killed  are  males.     Forest  and  Stream, 

N.  Y.,  Vol.  IX,  1877-8,  26,  p.  489. 
Allen,  J,    A.     Early  nesting  of  the  Shore  Lark  near  Indianapolis. 

Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  Ill,  1878,  p.  189. 
CouES,  Elliott.     Birds  of  the  Colorado  Valley.     Dept.  of  the  Interior 

U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  of  the  Territories.     Miscellaneous  Publications, 

No.  11.     Part  First,  Passeres  to  Laniidse.     1878. 
EvERMANN,  B.   W.     Notes  on  the  winter  birds  of  Carroll  County,  In- 
diana.    Printed  in  various  issues  of  the  Delphi  Journal  during  the 

winter  of  1878-9. 


536  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

1879. 

Langdon,  Frank  W.  A  revised  list  of  Cincinnati  birds.  Journal 
Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  II,  1879,  pp.  1-27.  Mentions 
several  Indiana  birds. 

Anonymous.  Note  on  Woodcock  flushed  at  Bath,  Indiana,  March  2, 
1879.     Forest  and  Stream,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  XII,  1879,  13,  p.  245. 

1880. 

RiDGWAY,  Robert.  On  six  species  of  birds  new  to  the  fauna  of  Illinois, 
with  notes  on  other  rare  Illinois  birds.  Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club, 
Vol.  V,  1880,  pp.  30-32.  Notes  the  occurrence  of  Ibis  aJha  at  Mt. 
Carmel,  Illinois. 

Brayton,  Alembert  W.  A  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Indiana,  with 
keys  and  descriptions  of  the  groups  of  the  greatest  interest  to  the 
horticulturist,  by  Alembert  W.  Brayton,  B.  S.,  M.  D.  Transac- 
tions Indiana  State  Horticultural  Society  for  1879,  pp.  87-165. 

Allen.,  J.  A.  Review  of  Brayton's  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Indiana. 
Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  V,  1881,  pp.  174-175. 

Langdon,  Frank  W.  Ornithological  field  notes,  with  five  additions  to 
the  Cincinnati  avifauna.  Journ.  Cincinnati  Soc.  of  Nat.  Hist., 
Vol.  Ill,  1880,  pp.  121-127.  Contains  several  notes  on  birds  of 
Franklin  County,  Indiana. 

Anonymous.  Bird  architecture.  St.  Nicholas,  Vol.  VII,  7,  1880,  p. 
57.     Refers  to  Oriole's  nest  at  Spiceland,  Indiana. 

1881. 
Quick,  E.   R.     Catharista   atrata   Less.     Journ.    Cincinnati   Soc.    Nat. 

Hist.,   Vol.   IV,    1881,  pp.   340-341.     Two  specimens  noted   near 

Brookville,  Indiana. 
Quick,  E.  R.     Chen  hyperboreus  Boie.     Journ.   Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat. 

Hist.,  Vol.  IV,  1^81,  p.  341.     Specimens  taken  near  Brookville, 

Indiana. 

Langdon,  F.  W.  Zoological  Miscellany — Ornithology.  Journ.  Cin- 
cinnati Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  IV,  1881,  pp.  337-341.  Contains  sev- 
eral notes  from  Brookville,  Indiana. 

RiDGWAY,  Robert.  A  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Illinois.  Bull.  No.  4. 
Illinois  State  Laboratory  of  Nat.  Hist.,  May,  1881,  pp.  163-208. 
Mentions  the  occurrence  of  the  Louisiana  Heron  (A.  tricolor  rufi- 
collis  Gosse)  in  Indiana,  etc. 

Bailey,  H.  B.  Forest  and  Stream.  Bird  Notes;  an  index  and  sum- 
mary of  all  the  ornithological  matter  contained  in  Forest  and 
Stream,  Vol.  I-XII  (Aug.,  1873;  Aug.,  1879).  Compiled  by  H. 
B.  Bailey,  New  York.  Forest  and  Stream  Publishing  Company, 
39  Park  Row,  1881. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  637 

1882. 

RiDGWAY,  Robert.  Notes  on  some  of  the  birds  observed  near  Wheat- 
land, Knox  County,  Indiana,  in  the  spring  of  1881.  Bull.  Nuttall 
Orn.  Club,-  Vol.  VII,  1882,  pp.  15-33. 

EvERMANN,  B.  W.  A  short  note  on  the  nesting  of  the  Towhee  {Pipilo 
erythrophthalmus).     Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  VI,  p.  61. 

Langdon,  F.  W.  Dichromatism  in  the  Screech  Owl  (Scops  asio  Bp.). 
Journal  Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V,  1882,  pp.  52-53.  Re- 
fers to  several  Indiana  specimens. 

Langdon,  F.  W.  A  synopsis  of  the  Cincinnati  fauna.  Zoological 
Miscellany,  Journal  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V,  No.  3,  pp. 
185-194.     Includes  birds. 

Quick,  E.  R.  Winter  birds  of  1880  and  1881  on  the  White  Water. 
Journ.  Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V,  1882,  pp.  54-56. 

Quick,  E.  R.  Ornithological  notes  from  Brookville,  Indiana.  Journ. 
Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V,  1882,  p.  192. 

Butler,  A.  W.  The  birds  of  Franklin  County,  Indiana.  Atlas  of 
Franklin  County,  Indiana,  etc.,  J.  H.  Beers  &  Co.,  Chicago,  1882, 
pp.  11-12. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Ornithological  notes  from  Brookville,  Indiana.  Journ. 
Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V,  1882,  pp.  192-193. 

Quick,  E.  R.  Brookville  (Indiana)  notes.  Journ.  Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  Vol.  V,  pp.  93-95.  Appears  under  the  caption  "Ornithol- 
ogy" under  "Zoological  Miscellany." 

Wheaton,  J.  M.,  M.  D.  Report  on  the  birds  of  Ohio.  Report  of  the 
Geological  Survey  of  Ohio,  Vol.  IV  ;  Zoology  and  Botany,  Part  I; 
Zoology,  Section  II,  Columbus,  Ohio,  1882,  pp.  187-628.  Notes 
several  observations  on  Indiana  birds. 

1883. 
Langdon,  F.  W.,  M.  D.     Bibliography  of  the  Cincinnati  fauna.    Journ. 

Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.    VI,   1883,   pp.    5-53.     Mentions 

several  publications  on  Indiana  birds. 
EvERMANN,  B.  W.     Notes  from  Bloomington,  Indiana.     Ornithologist 

and  Oologist,  Vol.  VHI,  pp.  27-28. 

1884. 
Butler,  A.  W.     Local  Weather  Lore.     The  American  Meteorological 

Journal,  Dec,  1884,  pp.  313-316.     Relating  to  birds. 
Butler,  A.   W.     Local    Weather   Lore.     Proc.    A.    A.    A.    S.,   Vol. 

XXXIII,  1884,  pp.  603-609.     Abstract  of  above. 


£138  Kepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

Butler,  A.  W.  The  Cerulean  Warbler.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist, 
Vol.  IX,  1884,  pp.  27-28. 

EvERMANN,  B.  W.  Arrivals  of  birds  at  Camden,  Indiana,  1884.  Or- 
nithologist and  Oologist,  Vol.  IX,  1884,  p.  74.  Also  published  in 
the  spring  of  1884,  in  "The  Township  Institute." 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  Chimney  Swallows.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist, 
Vol.  IX,  1884,  p.  104. 

Bicknell,  Eugene  P.  A  study  of  the  singing  of  our  birds.  The  Auk, 
Vol.  I,  Oct.,  1884,  p.  326.  A  series  of  articles  running  through 
several  numbers  of  this  journal.  This  particular  citation  refers  to 
the  note  of  the  Scarlet  Tauager  in  Indiana. 

EvERMANN,  B.  W.     Bird  Migration.     Am.  Field,  Vol.  XXI,  pp.  544- 

545. 
NoE,  Fletcher  M.     Are  Owls  beneficial  to  the  farmer?     Also  notes  on 

the  species  in  Indiana.     Indiana  Farmer,  July  5,  1884. 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  Variation  in  color  of  the  Screech  Owl.  Indiana 
Farmer,  July  10,  1884. 

1885. 

Sharpe,  R.  Bowdler.  Catalogue  of  the  Passeriforraes  or  Perching 
Birds  in  the  collection  of  the  British  Museum,  etc..  Vol.  X,  Lon- 
don, 1885. 

Contains  a  number  of  Indiana  refereuces,  including  Geothlyjm 
maeffUlwmyi  (?)  from  Wolf  Lake,  Indiana.  This  series  of  publica- 
tions, which  began  to  be  issued  in  1874,  and  is  still  being  published, 
contains  a  number  of  references  to  Indiana  birds. 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  Red  Crossbill  in  Indiana.  Ornithologist  and  Oolo- 
gist, Vol.  X,  1885,  p.  32. 

Butler,  A.  W.     The  Cuckoo.     Indiana  Farmer,  April,  1885,  p.  14. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Observations  on-  Faunal  changes.  Bull.  Brookville 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  1,  pp.  5-13.  Includes  notes  on  birds  which 
were  republished  in  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  X,  1^85,  pp. 
98-99. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Observations  on  Faunal  changes.  Ornithologist  and 
Oologist,  Vol.  X,  1885,  pp.  98-99.     Reprint  of  last. 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  The  value  of  birds  as  insect  destroyers.  Indiana 
Farmer,  Jan.  17,  1885.  (Abstract  of  paper  before  State  Board  of 
Agriculture.) 

EvERMANN,  Barton  W.  A  day  with  the  birds  of  a  Hoosier  swamp. 
Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XI,  1886,  p.  99. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  530 

1886. 

Butler,  Amos  W.  A  list  of  birds  observed  in  Franklin  County,  In- 
diana.    Bull.  Brookville  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  2,  1886,  pp.  12-39. 

Blatchley,  W.  S.  Winter  birds  of  the  vicinity  of  Bloomington,  In- 
diana.    Hoosier  Naturalist,  1,  pp.  169-171. 

EvERMANN,  B.  W.  White  eggs  of  the  Bluebird.  Ornithologist  and 
Oologist,  Vol.  II,  1886,  p.  124. 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  Notes  on  the  destruction  of  Indiana  birds  for  mil- 
linery purposes.     Indianapolis  News,  Feb.  22,  1886. 

Noe,  Fletcher  M.  Notes  on  Indiana  birds.  Indianapolis  News,  Feb. 
27,  1886. 

Thompson,  Maurice.  Some  song  birds  of  Indiana.  Report  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  1885,  pp.  247-252. 

A.  O.  U.  Check  List.  The  code  of  nomenclature  and  check  list  of 
North  American  birds,  adopted  by  the  American  Ornithologists* 
Union,  New  York',  1886. 

Gregg,  J.  C.     Hoosier  Naturalist,  Vol.  I,  p.  155.     Letter  about  birds. 

Butler,  A.  W.  The  Periodical  Cicada  in  Southeastern  Indiana.  U. 
S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  Divij-ion  of  Entomology,  Bulletin  No.  12, 
pp.  24  31.     Refers  to  birds  known  to  eat  cicadas. 

1887.      • 

Hay,  O.  p.  The  Red-headed  Woodpecker  a  Hoarder.  The  Auk,  Vol. 
IV,  July,  1887,  pp.  193-6.     Observations  near  Irvington,  Indiana. 

Evermann,  B.  W.  Birds  of  Monroe  County,  Indiana.  The  Hoosier 
Naturalist,  Vol.  II,  1887,  pp.  137-145. 

Evermann,  B.  W.  Some  rare  Indiana  birds.  American  Naturalist, 
Vol.  XXI,  1887,  pp.  290-291. 

Evermann,  B.  W.  Bird  Migration.  Popular  Science  Monthly,  April, 
1887. 

Evermann,  B.  W.  An  addition  to  the  list  of  birds  of  Monroe  County, 
Indiana.     Hoosier  Naturalist,  Vol.  II,  1887,  p.  164. 

RiDGWAY,  Robert.  A  Manual  of  North  American  Birds.  Philadel- 
phia.    J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  1887. 

1888. 

Butler,  A.  VV.  Tropical  Sojourners.  The  Agassiz  Companion,  Vol. 
lU,  No.  6,  1888,  pp.  61-63. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Notes  on  the  range  of  the  Prothonotary  Warbler  in 
Indiana.     Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XH,  1888,  pp.  33-34. 


640  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

EvERMANN,  Barton  W.  Birds  of  Carroll  County,  Indiana.  The  Auk, 
Vol.  V,  1888,  pp.  344-351;  continued  in  Vol.  VI,  1889,  pp.  22-30. 

Butler,  Amos  W.  Notes  concerning  albinism  among  birds.  Journ. 
Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Jan.  1,  1888,  pp.  214-216. 

NOE,  Fletcher  M.  Do  English  Sparrows  protect  trees  from  insect  rav- 
ages?   Indianapolis  News,  June  15,  1888. 

Blatchley,  W.  S.  ''A  Gnatcatcher's  Strategy."  Audubon  Magazine, 
March,  1888.  Describes  a  two-story  nest  of  the  Blue-gray  Gnat- 
catcher,  PolioptUa  cddrvlea  (Linn.),  taken  near  Bloomington.  A 
Cowbird  had  deposited  an  egg  in  the  nest  proper  and  the  second 
story  was  built  over  the  egg. 

West,  F.  M.  A  Cross- billed  Woodpecker.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist, 
Vol.  XIII,  p.  95,  June,  1888.  Specimen  of  Melanerpes  carolinensis 
noted  from  Greensburg,  Indiana. 

Troller,  Jas.  S.  Correspondence  from  (Greensburg)  Indiana.  The 
Bay  State  Oologist,  Vol.  I,  No.  6,  June,  1888,  p.  52.  Account  of 
nesting  of  a  pair  of  Bluebirds  in  the  sand  pump  of  a  well-driller's 
outfit.  Reprinted  in  the  Ornithologist  and  Oologist  Annual,  Vol. 
I,  No.  1,  January,  1889,  p.  29. 

Hanger,  O.  P.  Black  Vulture  (Catharista  atrata)  in  Orange  County, 
Indiana.     The  Curlew,  Orleans,  Indiana,  Vol.  I,  No.  3,  December, 

1888,  p.  35. 

1889. 

Langdon,  F.  W.,  M.  D.  On  the  occurrence  of  large  numbers  of  six- 
teen species  of  birds.     Journ.  Cincinnati  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XII, 

1889,  pp.  57-63.     Notes  the  unusual  abundance  of  the  Rose-breasted 
Grosbeak  at  Brook ville,  Indiana,  in  the  spring  of  1885. 

EvERMANN,  B.  W.  The  Wood  Ibis  of  Indiana.  The  Auk,  Vol.  VI, 
1889,  pp.  186-187. 

RroGWAY,  Robert.  The  Ornithology  of  Illinois.  Natural  History  Sur- 
vey of  Illinois.  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History,  S.  A.  Forbes, 
Director.  Part  I,  Descriptive  Catalogue,  by  Robert  Ridgway,  Vol. 
I,  Springfield,  111.,  1889,  pp.  520+ VIII,  pis.  XXXII.  The  present 
volume  ends  with  Columbae.  Contains  many  references  to  Indiana 
birds. 

Barrows,  Walter  B.  The  English  Sparrow  (Passer  domestieus)  in 
North  America,  especially  in  its  relation  to  agriculture.  Prepared 
under  the  directions  of  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  Ornithologist,  by 
Walter  B.  Barrows,  Assistant  Ornithologist.  Bulletin  No.  1,  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  Division  of  Economic  Onithology  and 
Mammalogy,  Washiugton,  1889,  pp.  405  and  map.  A  number  of 
Indiana  observations  noted. 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  641 

DwiGHT,  Jonathan,  Jr.  The  Horned  Larks  of  North  America.  The 
Auk,  Vol.  VII,  1890,  pp.  138-158  and  map.  Notes  specimens  from 
Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

Thompson,  Maurice.  Preliminary  sketch  of  the  aquatic  and  shore 
birds  of  the  Kankakee  region.  Kept.  Ind.  Geol.  Survey,  1888,  pp. 
102-164. 

Davie,  Oliver.  Nests  and  Eggs  of  North  American  Birds.  Fourth 
ed.,  1892,  pp.  455-J-12-J-1].     Three  previous  editions. 

Blatchley,  W.  S.  "The  Coming  of  the  Birds."  Terre  Haute  Ga- 
zette, April  17,  1889.  Gives  the  arrivals  in  the  vicinity  of  Terre 
Haute  to  that  date. 

Nehrling,  H.  North  American  Birds.  Issued  in  parts.  No.  1,  1889. 
George  Brumder,  Milwaukee,  Wis.     1889-1896. 

18-9. 

Blatchley,  W.  S.  Our  Feathered  Friends  of  Indiana.  A  series  of 
five  articles  in  Indiana  Farmer,  under  dates  of  May  4,  May  18, 
May  25  and  Nov.  23,  1889,  and  March  29,  1890. 

1890. 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  Wood  Ibis  in  Indiana.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist, 
Vol.  XV,  p.  167. 

N(0RRi8),  J.  P.  A  series  of  the  eggs  of  the  Prothonotary  Warbler.  Or- 
nithologist and  Oologist,  Vol.  XV,  Dec.  1890,  pp.  172-182.  Speci- 
mens noted  from  Carroll  County,  Indiana. 

1891. 

Butler,  Amos  W.  A  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Indiana.  Trans.  In- 
diana Hort.  Soc,  1890.  Appendix  C,  pp.  1  135.  Also  separately 
printed. 

Butler,  Amos  W.  Our  birds  and  what  they  do  for  the  farmer.  Kept. 
State  Board  of  Agl. ,  Indiana,  1890,  pp.  113-125.  Also  issued  sep- 
arately in  pamphlet  form. 

Hasbrouck,  Edwin  M.  The  Carolina  Paroquet  (Conwus  carolinensis). 
The  Auk,  Vol.  VIII,  1891,  pp.  369-379. 

Allen,  J.  A.  Butler's  Birds  of  Indiana.  Review.  The  Auk,  Vol. 
VIII,  p.  383. 

Hasbrouck,  Edwin  M.  The  present  status  of  the  Ivory-billed  Wood- 
pecker (CampephUus  princijmlis).  The  Auk,  1891,  Vol.  VIII,  pp. 
174186. 

HiNE,  Jane  L.  Tyrant  Flycatchers.  The  Waterloo  Press,  Vol. 
XXXIII,  No.  30,  March  19,  1891. 


542  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

Keyser,  L.  S.  Birddom.  Boston.  D.  Lothrop  A  Co.,  1891.  Refers 
to  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  in  Indiana,  p.  44. 

Parker,  B.  S.     Hoosier  Bards.     Chicago.     Charles  H.  Kerr,  1891.     A 

delightfully  accurate  interpretation  of  the  songs  of  our  birds  by  a 

poet. 
Blatchley,  W.  S.     Birds  and  Their  Value  on  the  Farm.     Terre  Haute 

Gazette,  Jan.   13,   1891.     A  paper  read  before  the   Vigo  County 

Farmers'  Institute. 

1892. 

BcTiLER,  Amos  W.  Notes  on  Indiana  birds.  Proc.  Indiana  Acad,  of 
Sci,  1«91,  pp.  164-166. 

Butlf.r,  Amos  W.  Notes  on  the  range  and  habits  of  the  Carolina  Par- 
akeet.    The  Auk,  Vol.  IX,  No.  1,  Jan.,  1892,  pp.  49-56. 

McBrede,  R  Weh.  Some  notes  on  the  birds  of  Indiana.  Proc.  Ind. 
Acad.  Sci,  1891,  pp.  166-169. 

BuTLEK,  Amos  W.  Some  notes  concerning  the  Evening  Grosbeak. 
The  Auk,  Vol.  IX,  pp.  238-247. 

NoE,  Fletcher  M.  Note  on  White  Pelican.  New  Castle,  Indiana. 
Ornithologist  and  06  ogist.  Vol.  VI,  p.  123. 

Ulrey,  a.  B.     Notes  on  the  American  Bittern  (Botaurus  lentiginosm). 
*        Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVII,  pp.  76  77. 

Gould,  James  E.  Note  on  nesting  of  Bald  Easle  at  English  Lake,  In- 
diana.    Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  64. 

Kindle,  E.  M.  Arrivals  of  some  migratory  bird*?  of  Johnson  County, 
Indiana.     Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVIf,  p.  44. 

Bendire,  Charles,  Capt.  U.  S.  A.  Life  Histories  of  North  American 
Birds.  Smith:sonian  Institution,  United  States  National  Museum. 
Special  Bulletin  No.  1,  1^92,  pp.  1-414. 

1893 

BcTLEK,  Amos  W.  Range  of  the  Crt»8sbiil  (Loxia)  iu  the  Ohio  Valley, 
with  notes  on  their  unusual  occurrence  in  summer.  Proc.  Indiana 
Acad.  Sci.,  1892,  pp.  63-72. 

Butler,   Amos  W.     Further  notes   on   the   Eveniucr  Grosbeak.     The 

Auk,  Vol.  X,  1893,  pp.  155-157. 
Cook,  A.  J.     Birds  of  Michigan.     Bull.  94,  Mich.  Agl.  College,  pp. 

1-148,  first  edition.     References  to  Indiana  birds. 
Cook,  A.  J.     Birds  of  Michigan.     Bull.  94,  Mich.  Agl.  College,  pp. 

1-168,  second  edition. 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  543 

Fisher,  A.  K. ,  M.  D.  The  Hawks  and  Owls  of  the  United  States  in 
their  relation  to  agriculture.  Bull.  No.  3,  Div.  Orn.  and  Mam.  U. 
S.  Dept.  Agriculture,  1893,  pp.  210. 

Cox,  Ulysses  O.  A  list  of  the  birds  of  Randolph  County,  Indiana, 
with  some  notes  on  the  mammals  of  the  same  county.  Ornitholo- 
gist and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVIII,  1893,  pp.  2-3. 

Mc Bride,  Herbert  W.  Letter^  Notes  on  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  in 
Michigan  and  Indiana.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVIII, 
p.  47. 

Butler,  Amos  W.  On  the  migration  of  birds.  Indiana  Farmer,  Oct. 
21,  1893. 

Butler,  Amos  W.  The  range  of  Crossbills  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  with 
notes  on  their  unusual  occurrence  in  summer.  The  American  Nat- 
uralist, Vol.  XXVIII,  1894,  pp.  136-146. 

Anonymous.  Account  of  Swan  (»p?)  killed  on  Little  Beaver  Lake, 
Newton  County,  Indiana.  Forest  and  Stream,  Vol.  XL,  No.  13, 
p.  72. 

Hasbrouck,  E.  M.  Evolution  and  Dichromatisra  of  the  Genus  Mega- 
scops.     American  Naturalist,  Vol.  XXVII,  pp.  521-533;  638-649 

MuRCHisoN,  A.  C  Distribution  of  the  Mocking  Bird  in  Illinois.  Or- 
nithologist and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVIII,  1893,  pp.  67-70.  Indiana 
reference. 

HiJfE,  Jane  L.  Bird^  that  Befrieud  Our  Forest  Trees.  A  series  of 
chapters  irregularly  published  in  the  Farmer's  Guide^  Huntington, 
Indiana.  Chapter  I  in  Vol.  V,  No.  1,  Jan.  1 ;  Ch.  II  in  Vol.  V,  No. 
2,  Jan.  15 ;  Ch.  Ill  in  Vol.  V,  No.  3,  Feb.  1 ;  Ch.  IV  in  Vol.  V, 
No.  4,  Feb.  15;  Ch.  V  in  Vol.  V,  No.  6,  March  15;  Ch.  —  in 
Vol.  V,  No.  27,  Dec.  15. 

MuRCHisoN,  A.  C.  Distribution  of  the  Lr>ng-eared  Owl  and  Cooper's 
Hawk  in  Illinois.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVIII,  1893, 
pp.  17-22,  33-35,  49-51.     Indiana  reference. 

Cook,  A.  J.  Birds  of  Michigan.  A  review.  Ornithologist  and  Oolo- 
giit,  Vol.  XVIII,  1893,  p.  106. 

MuRCHisoN,  A  C.  Distribution  of  the  Black-crowned  Night  Heron  in 
Illinois.  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XVIII,  189>,  pp.  82-85. 
Indiana  reference. 

Nehrling,  H.  Our  Native  Birds  of  Song  and  Beauty,  Vol.  I,  1893. 
Geo.  Brumder,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Also  issued  in  parts  as  North 
American  Birds,  beginning  in  1889. 


544  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

1893.  . 

Blatchley,  W.  S.  Our  Winter  Birds.  A  series  of  ten  articles  in 
Terre  Haute  Gazette  under  dates  of  Dec.  9  and  16,  1893,  and  Jan. 
6,  13,  20;  Feb.  3,  10,  17,  24,  and  March  3,  1894. 

1894. 

EiGENMANN,  C.  H.  Report  of  Director  Division  of  Zoology  Indiana 
Biological  Survey.  Proceedings  Indiana  Academy  of  Science,  1893, 
pp.  68-69.     Reference  to  work  done  in  ornithology. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Bibliography  of  Indiana  Ornithology.  Ibid.,  pp. 
108-116. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Notes  on  Indiana  Birds.  Ibid.,  pp.  116-120.  Notes 
on  24  species.  First  Indiana  record  of  Tryngites  suhruficollis,  Mi- 
cropatama  himantopiLS,  Tringa  bairdii,  and  Dendroica  kirtlandi. 

LoucKS,  W.  E.  The  life  history  and  distribution  of  the  Prothonotary 
Warbler  in  Illinois.  Bull.  111.  State  Lab.  of  Nat.  Hist,  Champaign, 
111.,  Vol.  IV,  No.  3.     Springfield,  111.,  1894.     Reference  to  Indiana. 

Hine,  Jane  L.  Farmers,  Take  Care  of  Your  Birds.  The  Farmer's 
Guide,  Huntington,  Indiana,  Vol.  VI,  No.   10,  May  15,  1894. 

1895. 

Barrows,  Walter  B  ,  and  E.  A.  Schwarz.  The  Common  Crow  of 
the  United  States.  Bull.  No.  6,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Div.  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  pp.  98,  1895. 

Deane,  Ruthven.  The  European  Widgeon  {Anas  penelope)  in  Indi- 
ana.    The  Auk,  Vol.  XII,  1895,  April,  179. 

Deane,  Ruthven.  Another  European  Widgeon  (Anas  penelope)  in  In- 
diana.    Ibid. ,  July,  292. 

Deane,  Ruthven.  Additional  records  of  the  Passenger  Pigeon  in  Illi- 
nois and  Indiana.     Ibid.,  298-300. 

Deane,  Ruthven.  Record  of  a  third  specimen  of  the  European  Wid- 
geon (Anas  penelope)  in  Indiana.     Ibid. ,  292. 

Dunn,  James  O.  The  Passenger  Pigeon  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  Val- 
ley. Ibid.,  Oct.,  389.  Reference  to  record  near  Liverpool,  Indi- 
ana, March  14,  1894. 

Dunn,  James  O.     Henslow's  Sparrow  in  Indiana.     Ibid.,  391-2 

Dunn,  James  O.  Notes  on  some  birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois.  Ibid., 
393-5.     Record  of  Prothonotary  Warbler,  Wilder's,  Indiana. 

Blatchley,  W.  S.  Protect  the  Woodpeckers.  Indianapolis  Sunday 
Journal,  Oct.  27,  1895. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  545 

MoNOQUET  (L.  H.  Raymond).  An  American  King,  or  the  Home, 
Haunts  and  Habits  of  the  Ruffed  Grouse.  The  American  Field, 
Vol.  XLIV,  No.  22,  Nov.  30,  1895,  pp.  509-511. 

MoNOQUET  (L.  H.  Haymond).  American  Woodcock  and  Woodcock 
Shooting.     Ibid.,  No.  26,  Dec.  28,  1895,  pp.  605-608. 

Butler,  A.  W.  With  the  Birds  of  Winona.  The  Indiana  Synod,  Vol. 
n,  No.  2,  Dec,  1895,  pp.  78-80. 

Kindle,  E.  M.  Preliminary  list  of  the  birds  of  Brown  County.  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Indiana  Academy  of  Science,  1894,  pp.  68-73. 
Enumerates  106  species. 

Gaines,  Angus.     Books  and  Birds.     Nidiologist,  August,  1895,  p.  162. 

Gaines,  Angus.  Eggs  of  Nighthawks  and  Whippoorwills.  Nidiolo- 
gist, March,  1895,  p.  91. 

Gaines,  Angus.     Migration.     Nidiologist,  July,  1895,  p.  152. 

Gaines,  Angus.     Owls  and  Their  Nests.     Oologist,  May,  1895,  p.  85. 

Gaines,  Angus.  Hawks  and  Their  Nests.  Oologist,  Dec,  1895,  p. 
175. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Notes  on  the  Birds  of  1894.  Ibid.,  pp.  73-80.  Notes 
on  24  species  of  birds.  Includes  record  of  the  first  occurrence  of 
Anas  penelope  and  of  the  breeding  of  Porzana  jamaicensis. 

Gaines,  Angus.     Woodpeckers  and  Their  Nests.     Oologist,  July,  1895, 

p.  115. 
Beal,  F.  E.  L.  ,  Assistant   Ornithologist.     Preliminary  report   on  the 

food  of  Woodpeckers.     Bull.   No.   7,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture, 

Div.  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  pp.  33. 

Gaines,  Angus.     The  Blue  Jay.     Nidiologist,  June,  1895,  p.  132. 

1896. 

HiNE,  Jane  L.  Farm  Birds  in  Northern  Indiana.  The  Farmer's 
Guide,  Huntington,  Indiana,  Vol.  VIII.  A  series  of  articles  in 
chapters  in  the  following  numbers  of  that  paper:  No.  3,  Feb.  1, 
1896;  No.  4,  Feb.  15;  No.  5,  March  1 ;  No.  6,  March  15;  No.  7, 
April  1;  No.  8,  April  15;  No.  9,  May  1. 

Chansler,  E.  J.  Our  Feathered  Beauties.  Indiana  Farmer,  Feb.  15, 
1896,  p.  6. 

Anonymous.     Pigeon  Roosts  Fifty  Years  Ago.     Indiana  Farmer,  Feb. 

22,  1896.     From  Cincinnati  Commercial-Gazette. 
Hine,  Jane  L.     Cedar  Waxwing.     Farmer's  Guide,  Vol.  VIII,  No.  12, 

June  15,  1896. 

35 — Geol. 


546  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Butler,  A.  W.  The  range  of  the  Crosebilla  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  with 
notes  on  their  unusual  occurrence  in  summer.  In  a  volume  entitled 
''  Papers  Presented  to  the  World's  Congress  on  Ornithology."  Ed- 
ited by  Mrs.  E.  Irene  Rood,  Chairman  Woman's  Committee  of  the 
Congress,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  President  of  the 
Congress,  Chicago.     Charles  H.  Sergei  Company,  1896,  pp.  47-58. 

Gaines,  Angus.  Our  Animal  Friends.  The  Nest  in  the  Rushes 
(Grebe),  p.  62,  Nov.,  1896. 

Ulrey,  Albert  B.  Contributions  to  the  Biological  Survey  of  Wabash 
County,  Indiana.  Proc.  Indiana  Acad.  Sci.,  J  895,  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  Feb.,  1896,  p.  147.  Refers  to  the  result  of  investigations 
of  the  bird  fauna  of  that  county. 

HiNE,  Jane  L.  The  Picnic  of  the  Birds.  The  Farmer's  Guide,  Hunt- 
ington, Indiana,  Vol.  VIII,  No.  15,  Aug.  1,  1896. 

Ulrey,  Albert  B.,  and  William  O.  Wallace.  Birds  of  Wabash 
County.  Proc.  Indiana  Acad.  Sci.,  1895,  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
Feb.,  1896,  pp.  148-159.     A  local  list  of  186  species. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Additional  Notes  on  Indiana  Birds.  Ibid.,  pp.  162- 
168. 

Chamberlain,  F.  M.  Water  Birds  of  Turkey  Lake.  Ibid.,  p.  264. 
A  list  of  14  species  noted  between  July  1  and  Sept.  1,  1895. 

Nehrling,  H.  Our  Native  Birds  of  Song  and  Beauty,  Vol.  II.  Geo. 
Brumder,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  1896. 

Ridgway,  Robert.  A  Manual  of  North  American  Birds,  by  Robert 
Ridgway.  Second  edition.  Philadelphia,  J.  B.  Lippincott  Com- 
pany, 1896.     A  number  of  Indiana  references. 

Woodruff,  Frank  M.  On  birds  reported  as  ranging  in  Cook  County, 
111.  The  Auk,  Vol.  XIII,  1896,  April,  179  81.  Reference  to  In- 
diana  notes. 

Deane,  Ruthven.  Record  of  a  fourth  specimen  of  the  European  Wid- 
geon (^Aiias  pendope)  in  Indiana.     Ibid. ,  July,  255. 

Gaines,  Angus.  In  the  Haunts  of  the  Sandpiper.  Recreation,  Au- 
gust, 1896,  p.  97. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Indiana — A  Century  of  Changes  in  the  Aspects  of 
Nature.  President's  address.  Proceedings  of  the  Indiana  Academy 
of  Science,  1895,  pp.  31-42.     Refers  to  changes  in  avifauna. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Indiana — A  Century  of  Changes  in  the  Aspects  of 
Nature.  The  Inland  Educator.  Printed  in  advance  of  preced- 
ing, of  which  it  is  a  copy. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  547 

1897. 

Woodruff,  F.  M.  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  Notes  on  the 
meeting  of  the  Ornithological  Section,  Jan.  6,  1897.  Reference 
made  to  the  capture  of  a  specimen  of  Uria  hmvia.  Brunnich's 
Murre,  at  Foresman,  Indiana,  Dec.  31,  1896.  The  Osprey,  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  Vol.  I,  No.  6,  Feb.,  1897,  p.  83. 

Gaines,  Angus.  The  Nest  of  the  Brown  Thrush.  Recreation,  August, 
1897,  p.  420. 

Meyncke,  O.  M.  An  Early  Whippoorwill.  The  Osprey,  Vol.  I,  No. 
9,  May,  1897,  p.  123.  Notes  on  hearing  a  Whippoorwill  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Indiana,  March  2,  1897. 

Gaines,  Angus.  Our  Animal  Friends.  Winter  visitors  (Doves),  p. 
158,  March,  1897. 

Gaines,  Ajjgus.  Our  Animal  Friends.  Summer  Yellowbird,  p.  233, 
June,  1897. 

Palmer,  T.  S.  Extermination  of  Noxious  Animals  by  Bountie?,  by  T. 
S.  Palmer,  First  Assistant  Biological  Survey  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture.     Year  Book  of   the  Department   of  Agriculture  for 

1896,  pp.  55-68. 

Butler,  A.  W.  The  unusual  occurrence  of  Brunnich's  Murre  (Uria 
lomvia)  far  inland,  with  notes  on  other  rare  birds.  The  Auk,  Vol. 
XIV,  1897,  April,  197-2C0. 

Woodruff,  Frank  M.  Lake  Michigan  Bird  Notes.  Ibid.,  227-8. 
Notes  partly  on  Indiana  birds. 

Allen,  J.  A.  Review.  Butler  on  a  Century  of  Changes  in  the  As- 
pects of  Nature  in  Indiana.  Review  of  address  of  President  of  In- 
diana Academy  of  Science,  1895.     Ibid.,  245. 

Editor.  Review.  Butler,  a  Century  of  Changes  in  the  Aspects  of 
Nature.  The  Ibis,  Vol.  Ill,  No.  11,  1897,  July,  p.  459,  London, 
Eog. 

Gaines,  Akgus.     The  Nest  of  the  Brown  Thrush.     Recreation,  June, 

1897,  pp.  420-1.     Observations  in  Knox  County,  Indiana. 

DwiGHr,  Jonathan  J  ,  M.  D.  A  Study  of  the  Philadelphia  Vireo 
(Vireo  philadelphicus).  The  Auk,  Vol.  XIV,  No.  3,  July,  1897, 
pp.  25^-272. 

BuTLEK,  A.  W.  The  Bobolink  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus)  in  Indiana.  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Indiana  Academy  of  Science  of  1896,  pp.  227-243. 


648  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Butler,  A.  W.  Some  additions  to  the  Indiana  bird  list,  with  other 
notes.     Ibid.,  1896,  pp.  244-246. 

Johnson,  W.  A.  The  Bobolink  {Dolichonyx  oryzivorus)  in  Indiana,  by 
A.  W.  Butler.  A  note  on  this  paper.  The  Osprey,  Vol.  II,  No.  4, 
Dec,  1897,  p.  54. 

1898. 

Woodruff,  Frank  M.  Lake  Michigan  Notes.  The  Auk,  Vol.  XV, 
No.  1,  pp.  61-62,  January,  1898.  Mentions  a  number  of  birds  from 
the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  Lake  County,  Indiana. 

Smith,  C.  Piper.     Variation  of  Nest  Material.     The  Osprey,  Vol.  II, 

Nos.  6  and  7,  1898,  p.  91. 


EXPLANATION. 


The  nomenclature  used  is  that  adopted  by  the  American  Ornitholo- 
gists' Union. 

The  first  number  given  before  each  species  is  the  serial  number  for 
this  list;  the  second  number,  enclosed  in  parenthesis,  is  that  by  which 
it  is  indicated  in  the  A.  0.  U.  Check  List. 

No  species  is  included  in  this  list  unless  it  is  known  to  have  been 
reported,  upon  good  authority,  to  have  been  observed  within  the  State, 
and  no  species  has  been  reported  as  having  bred  within  the  State  un- 
less it  is  known,  according  to  the  same  authority,  to  have  done  so. 

All  measurements  are  given  in  inches  and  hundredths  of  an  inch. 


KEY  TO  BIRDS. 


ORDERS. 


a^.  Hind  toe  well  developed,  all  four  toes  connected  by  webs. 

STEGANOPODES.     C 
a^.  Hind  toe,  if  present,  not  connected  with  the  others. 

b^.  Nostrils  opening  through  tubes.     (Extralimital).  TUBINARES. 

6^.  Nostrils  noi  opening  through  tubes. 

c^.  Cutting  edges  of  bill  more  or  less  distinctly  fringed,  notched  or  toothed. 
d^.  Legs  short  or   slightly  lengthened;    bill  not  abruptly  bent    downward 
from  the  middle.  AXSERES.     D 

cP.  Legs  excessively  lengthened;    bill   bent  abruptly  downward  from  the 
middle.     (Extralimital.)  ODONTOGLOSS.E. 

c^.  Cutting  edges  of  bill  not  fringed,  notched,  or  toothed. 

e^  Legs  inserted  far  behind  the  middle  of  the  body,  which,  in  standing 
position,  is  more  or  less  erect:  the  toes  webbed  or  conspicuously 
lobed.  PYGOPODES.     A> 

e^.  Legs  inserted  near  the   middle  of  the  body,  which,  in  standing  posi- 
tion, is  nearly  horizontal,  or  else  toes  not  webbed. 
f^.  Anterior  toes  distinctly  webbed,  tarsus  shorter  than  tail. 

LONGIPEXNES.     B 
f^.  Anterior  toes  not  distinctly  webbed  (with  rare  exceptions);  toes  not 
webbed,  or  webbed  at  base  or  on  sides  (full  webbed  only  in  a  few 
waders  with  very  long  tarsus  and  the  tibia  partly  naked). 
(7^.  Tarsus   more   or  less  elongate;  tibia  more  or  less  naked  below. 
Waders. 
h^.  Hind  toe  well  developed,  inserted  at  same  level  with  the  anterior 
toes ;  the  claws  never  excessively  lengthened  ;  the  space  between 
the  eye  and  the  bill  or  the  space  around  the  eye,  or  both  (some- 
times the  whole  head),  naked.  HERODIONES.     E 
h'^.  Hind  toe,  if  present,  small  and  inserted  above  the  level  of  the 
rest  (or  else  size  small  or  medium,  length  less  than  36  inches); 
the  space  between  the  bill  and  the  eye  or  the  space  around  the 
eye  fully  feathered  ;  no  comb-like  teeth  on  inner  edge  of  middle 
claw. 
i^.  Length  over  three  feet. 

j\  Hind  toe  short  and  elevated.  PALUDICOL.E.     F 

(-.  Length  under  three  feet. 

k^.  Hind  toe  almost  on  level  with  other  toes. 

PALUDICOL.E.     F 
k-.  Hind  toe,  if  present,  short  and  elevated,  or  else  claws 
excessively  lengthened  and  wings  spurred. 

LIMICOL^.     C^ 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


551 


g"^.  Tarsus  not  greatly  elongate;  tibia  mostly  entirely  feathered.    Not 
Waders. 

P.  Bill  strongly  hooked,  with  distinct  cere  at  base. 

m^.  Toes  three  in  front,  one  behind.      The   outer  toe 
sometimes  reversible.  RAPTORES.     J 

m^.  Toes  two  in  front,  two  behind.  PSITTACI.     K 

P.  Bill  not  both  strongly  hooked  and  cered. 

w^.  Hind  toe  short,  decidedly  elevated  ;  "toes  slightly 
connected  at  base  by  web;"  no  soft  membrane 
about  nostrils.  GALLING.     H 

n^.  Hind  toe  little,  if  at  all,   above  the  level  of  the 
rest  (rarely  absent). 
0^.  Nostrils   opening  beneath  a  soft,  swollen  cere; 
hind  claw  short.  COLUMB^.     I 

o"^.  Nostrils  not  opening  beneath  a  soft,  swollen  cere. 
p^.  Wings  very  long,  with  ten  quills;  tail  of  ten 
feathers;  gape  very  wide   and    deeply  cleft, 
or  else  the  bill  long  and  slender ;  (tongue  ex- 
tensile); secondaries  only  six  in  number. 

MACROCHIRES.     N 
p2.  Wing  not  very  long;  gape  not  very  wide  nor 
deeply   cleft ;    or  else  wing  with   only   nine 
quills  and  tail  with  twelve  feathers. 
q^.  Toes  only  two  in  front;    or,   if   three,  the 
middle  and  outer  toes  connected  for  at  least 
half  their  length. 
r^.  Tail  feathers  stiff  and  pointed;  bill  more 
or  less  chisel-like.  PICI.     M 

r^.  Tail   feathers  neither   stiff  nor   pointed; 
bill  not  chisel-like.  COCCYGES.     L 

q^.  Toes  three  in  front,  one  behind,  the  middle 
and  outer  toes  not  united  for  half  their 
length;  lower  part  of  thighs  feathered  and 
the  tarsus  equal  to  or  longer  than  the  lat- 
eral toes.  PASSERES.     O 


FAMILIES. 


A.     Order  PYGOPODES. 


DIVING  BIRDS. 


a^.  Feet  lobate. 
a^.  Feet  webbed. 

h^.  With  four  toes. 

h^.  W^ith  three  toes. 


PoDicipiD^.  —  Grebes.     I 

UBINATOEIDiE.  —  LoONS.       II 

Alcidje.— Auks,  Etc.     Ill 


562  Kepoht  of  State  Geologist. 

B.     Oeder  LONGIPENNES. 

LONG-WINGED  SWIMMERS. 

•  a^.  Covering  of  upper  mandible  of  three  distinct  pieces ;  a  terminal  hook,  a  lateral 
piece,  and  a  cere-like  piece  overhanging  the  nostrils. 

StercorariidvE. — Jaegers,  Etc.    IV 
o^.  Covering  of  upper  mandible  of  a  single  piece  pierced  by  the  nostrils. 

Larid^. — GuLiiS  AND  Terns.     V 
[Included  in  this  order  are  the  Rhynchopidae  or  Skimmers,  the  limits  of  whose  range  do 
not  reach  this  State.    The  above  key  is  not  intended  to  include  them.] 


C.     Order  STEGAJ^OPODES. 

darters,  pelicans,  cormorants. 

a^.  Upper  mandible  hooked  at  tip. 

b^.  Tarsus  moderate,  much  longer  than  hind  toe  with  claw, 
c^.  Bill  shorter  than  middle  toe,  compressed;  gular  sack  small. 

Phalacrocoracid^. — Cormorants.     VII 
c^.  Bill  much  longer  than  middle  toe,  much  flattened;  gular  sack  very  large. 

PELECANID.E.— Pelicans.    VIII 
b^.  Tarsus  very  short,  not  longer  than    hind  toe   with   claw  ;    wings  and  tail 
excessively  long,  the  latter  deeply  forked. 

Fregatid.e.— Man-o'-War  Birds.     IX 
a^.  Upper  manible  not  hooked   at  tip.     Bill  slender,  nearly  straight;    tail  long, 
feathers  very  broad  ;  neck  very  long  and  slender. 

Anhingidjs. — Darters.     VI 


D.     Order  ANSERES. 

DUCKS,  GEESE  AND  SWANS. 
Characteristics  the  same  as  the  order.  Anatid.e. — Ducks,  Etc.     X 


E.     Order   HERODIOKES. 

HERONS,  STORKS,  IBISES,  Etc. 

a^.  Sides  of  upper  mandible  with  a  deep,  narrow  groove  extending  from  the  nos- 
trils to  the  tip. 
6^.  Bill  very  broad,  much  flattened,  and  greatly  widened  toward  the  tip,  only 
the  end  bent  down.  Plataleid^. — Spoonbills.     XI 

h^.  Bill  slender,  nearly  round,  gradually  bent  downward  for  nearly  its  whole 
length.  Ibidid^. — Ibises.     XII 

a^.  Sides  of  upper  mandible  without  groove. 

c^ .  Middle  toe  nail  with  comb-like  inner  edge;  claws  narrow,  arched,  and 

sharp  pointed.  Ardeid.e. — Herons,  Etc.     XIV 

c2.  Middle  toe  nail  with  comb-like  edge ;  claws  broad  and  flat,  resting  on 

a  horny  pad  or  shoe.  Ciconiid^.— Storks,  Etc.     XIII 


Birds  of  Indiana.  553 

F.     Order  PALUDICOLJi:. 

THE  SWAMP  BIRDS— CRANES,  RAILS,  COOTS,  Etc. 

assize  large;  wing  over  10  inches;  bill  over  3  inches.      Gruid^>. — Cranes.     XV 
a^.  Size  small ;  wing  under  10  inches;  bill  under  3  inches. 

Rallid^i:. — Rails,  Etc.     XVI 

G.     Order  LIMICOL^. 

THE  SHORE  BIRDS-SNIPES,  PLOVERS,  SANDPIPERS,  Etc. 

a^.  Toes  with  lobed  webs  on  the  sides;  tarsus  compressed. 

Phalaropodid^. — Phalaropes.     XVII 
a-.  Toes  without  lobed  webs  on  the  sides;  tarsus  not  extremely  compressed. 
b^.  Tarsus  more  than  twice  the  length  of  middle  toe  with  claw. 

Recurvikostrid^.— AvocETS,  Etc.     XVIII 
6^.  Tarsus  less  than  twice  the  length  of  middle  toe  with  claw. 

c^  Front  of  tarsus  covered  with  a  continuous  row  of  transverse,  four-sided 
scales.     Toes  four  (except  Sanderling). 
d^.  Bill  slender  with  blunt  tip,  soft  skinned  and  sensitive  throughout. 

ScoLOPACiD^. — Snipe,  Etc.     XIX 
c^.  Front  of  tarsus  covered  with  small   six-sided  or  irregular   scales;  toes 
three  (except  Black-bellied  Plover).        Charadriid^. — Plovers.     XXI 
cP.  Bill  stout,  hard,  pointed  and  wedge  shaped  at  the  tip  in  our  species. 

ApHRiziDiE.— Surf  Birds,  Etc.     XX 


H.     Order  GALhlNJE. 

PHEASANTS,  GROUSE,  PARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

a^ .  Tarsus  with  spurs  in  male  ;  head  naked  or  tail  long  and  vaulted. 

Phasianid.e. — Pheasants,  Etc.     XXIII 
a^.  Tarsus  without  spurs;  head  feathered  (or  nearly  so) ;  tail  not  vaulted. 

Tetraonid^:.— Grouse,  Etc.     XXII 


I.     Order  COLUMBiE. 

THE  PIGEONS. 
Characters  same  as  the  order.  ColumbiDyE, — Pigeons.     XXIV 


.    J.     Order  RAPTORES. 

BIRDS  OF  PREY. 

Head  entirely  naked  (downy  in  young);  feet  not  adapted  for  grasping;  nostril 
longitudinal.  Catharxidje.— American  Vultures.     XXV 

Head  nearly  or  fully  feathered  ;  feet  especially  adapted  for  grasping ;  nostrils 
vertical  or  roundish. 


554  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

b^.  Eyes  lateral,  not  surrounded  by  discs  of  radiating  feathers  ;  cere  exposed. 

Falconid.e. — Falcons.     XXVI 
b^.  Eyes  set  in  front,  surrounded  by  discs  of  radiating  feathers;  cere  covered, 
c^.  Middle  claw  having  comb-like  edge.      Strigid^. — Barn  Owls.     XXVII 
c^.  Middle  claw  not  having  comb-like  edge. 

BuBONiD^. — Horned  Owls;  vScreech  Owls,  Etc.     XXVIII 


K.     Order  PSITTACI. 

PARROTS,  PAROQUETS,  Ftc. 

Characters  the  same  as  the  order. 

PsiTTAciD.E.— Parrots,  Paroquets,  Etc.     XXIX 


L.     Order  COCCYGES. 

CUCKOOS  AND  KINGFISHERS. 

a^.  Toes  two  in  front,  two  behind  ;  bill  as  long  as  head,  curved  downwards. 

CucuLiD^.— Cuckoos.     XXX 
o^.  Toes  three  in  front,  one  behind;  outer  and  middle  toes  united  for  half  their 
length  ;  bill  straight,  longer  than  head. 

ALCEDiNiDiE, — Kingfishers.     XXXI 


M.     Order  PICI. 

WOODPECKERS. 
Characters  the  same  as  the  order.  ,  Picid.e. — Woodpeckers.     XXXII 

K     Order  MACROOHIRES. 

WHIP-POOR-WILLS,  SWIFTS,  HUMMINGBIRDS,  Etc. 

a^  Bill  short,  broad  at  base;  mouth  deeply  cleft;  plumage  not  metallic. 

b^.  Middle  toe  much  the  longest,  its  claw  with  comb-like  edge;  gape  bristled; 
plumage  spotted.  Caprimulgid.i!:. — Whip-poor-wills,  Etc.     XXXIII 

6^.  Middle  toe  not  much,  if  any,  longer  th=an  others,  its  claw  without  comb-like 
edge;  gape  without  bristles;  plumage  black. 

MiCROPODiD.B. — Swifts.     XXXIV 

a^.  Bill  very  long  and  slender;  mouth  not  deeply  cleft;  plumage  more  or  less 

metallic ;  size  small.  Trochilid.e. — Hummingbirds.     XXXV 


O.     Order  PASSERES. 

a^ .  Tarsus  with  its  hinder  edge  rounded. 

6^  Inner  toe  free  at  base  from  middle  toe;    bill  hooked  at  tip,  with  bristles  at 
base ;  primaries  ten,  the  first  about  as  long  as  second. 

Tyrannid^.— Flycatchers.     XXXVI 


Birds  of  Indiana.  555 

6^.  Bill  not  hooked  at  tip,  ho  bristles  at  base;  developed  primaries  nine;  hind 
toe  with  long,  nearly  straight  claw.  Alaudid.^  — Larks.     XXXVII 

<a^.  Tarsus  with  its  hinder  edge  compressed. 

c^.  Primaries  apparently  only  nine;  bill  not  hooked  at  tip. 

d'^.  Bill  very  short,  flat,  broad  at  base,  deeply  cleft;  wings  very  long. 

HiRUNDiNiD^. — Swallows.     XLII 
d-.  Bill  not  very  flat  and  deeply  cleft ;  outer  primary  never  twice  as  long  as 
the  innermost. 
e^.  Bill  more  or  less  conical,  broad  at  base. 
f^.  Bill  rather  long,  often  longer  than  head,  without  notch  at  tip  or 
bristles  at  base. 

IcTERiD.E. — Orioles,  Blackbirds,  Etc.     XXXIX 

/2.  Bill  shorter  than  head,  often  notched  at  tip,  usually  with  bristles  at 

base.  Fringillid.k —Finches,  Sparrows,  Etc.     XL 

/^.  Bill  stout,  upper  mandible  curved  with  slight  tooth  near  the  middle 

of  the  cutting  edge;  color  chiefly  red  and  yellow. 

Tanagridje.— Tanagers.     XLI 
e^.  Bill  not  conoid. 

g'^.  Hind  claw  long  and  nearly  straight,  generally  longer  than  its  toe; 
tertials  much  elongated,  reaching  nearly  to  tips  of  primaries. 

MoTAciLLiP^. — Wagtails  and  Pipits.     XLVII 
g"^.  Hind  claw  short  and  curved,  generally  shorter  than  its  claw; 
tertials  short,  not  nearly  reaching  to  the  tip  of  primaries. 

Mniotiltid^. — Wood  Warblers.     XLVI 
'C'^.  Primaries  evidently  ten,   the  first  developed  but  short,   rarely  half  the 
length  of  the  next;  or  else  bill  hooked  at  tip. 

h^.  Front  of  tarsus  covered  with  transverse  four-sided  scales. 
i  ^  Bill  strongly  hooked  and  notched  at  tip. 

Laniid^.— Shrikes.     XLIV. 
i  2.  Bill  not  strongly  hogked  or  not  hooked  at  all. 
j'^.  Head  with  conspicuous  crest;  tail,  in  our  species,  tipped 
with  yellow;  bill  slightly  hooked  and  notched  at  tip. 

Ampelid^.— Waxwings.     XLIII 
7*2.  Head  usually  not  crested;  tail  not  tipped  with  yellow. 
k'^.  Back  generally  olive  green;    bill   slightly   hooked  and 
notched  at  tip ;  length  five  to  seven  inches. 

VlREONID^. — ViREOS.       XLV 

.k^.  Back  not  generally  olive  green. 
.   l^.  Tail  feathers  stiff,  pointed;  bill  slender,  curved  down- 
ward. Certhiid^.— Creepers.     XLIX 
■  P,  Tail  feathers  more  or  less  soft,  not  pointed. 

m^.  Nasal  feathers  directed  forward  on  bill,  usually  cov- 
ering the  nostrils. 
n^.  Birds  of  large  size,  length  over  ten  inches. 

CoRviDiE.— Crows,  Jays,  Etc.     XXXVIII 
-n^.  Birds  of  small  size;  length  under  ten  inches  (ex- 
cept genus  Harporhynchus ) . 
0^.  Bill  notched  toward  the  tip,  very  slender. 

Sylviid^e. — Kinglets  and  Gnatcatchers.     LI 
o^.  Bill  not  notched. 

Parid^. — Nuthatches  and  Titmice,     L 


566  Repobt  of  State  Geologist. 

m^.  Nasal  feathers  erector  directed  backwards,  not  cov- 
ering nostrils ;  bill  more  or  less  curved  downwards. 
Troglodytid^. — Wrens,  Thrashers,  Etc.     XLVIII 
h'^.  Front  of  tarsus  not  divided  into  scales  except  at  extreme  lower 
portion. 

p^.  Small  birds;  length  under  five  inches;  young, 

not  spotted. 
Sylviid^. — Kinglets  and  Gnatcatchers.     LI 
p2.  Larger  birds;  length  over  five  inches;  young 
distinctly  spotted. 

TuRDiD^. — Thrushes,  Etc.     LII 


A.     Order  PYGOPODES.     Divers. 
Suborder  PODICIPEDES.    Grebes. 

I.     Family  PODICIPID^.     Grebes. 

#■ 

a^.  Bill  slender,  straight,  rather   acute;     its  length  rather  more  than  twice  its 
depth  at  base. 
b^.  Neck  much  shorter  than  body.  Colymbus.     1 

o^.  Bill  stout,  somewhat  hooked;  its  length  not  quite  twice  its  greatest  depth. 

PODILYMBUS.      2 
1.    Genus  COLYMBUS  Linn^us. 

a^.  Wing  more  than  6.00;  bill  about  as  long  as  head.     Subgenus  Colymbus. 

b^.  Length  18.00,  or  over.  C.  holboellii  (Reinh.)     1 

a^.  Wing  not  over  6.00;  bill  much  shorter  than  head.     Subgenus  Dytes. 

c^.  Bill  compressed  ;  deeper  than  wide  at  base.  C.  auritus  Linn.     2 

c^.  Bill  depressed;  wider  than  deep  at  base. 

C.  nigricollis  calif ornicus  (Heerm.)     3 

Subgenus  Colymbus. 

1.  (2.)  Colymbus  holboellii  (Reinh.). 

Holboell's  Grebe. 
Synonym,  Red-necked  Grebe. 

Adult. — Front  and  sides  of  neck  rich  brownish-red;  throat  and  sides 
of  head  ashy,  whitening  where  it  joins  the  dark  color  of  the  crown, 
the  feathers  slightlj^  rnfiied;  top  of  head  with  slight  occipital  crest; 
upper  parts,  generally,  and  wings  dark  brown,  the  feathers  of  the  back 
paler  edged;  primaries  brown,  part  of  inner  quills  white;  lower  parts 
pale  silvery-ash,  the  sides  watered  or  obscurely  mottled,  sometimes 
obviously  speckled  with  dusky;  bill  black,  more  or  less  yellow  at  base; 
eye  carmine.  (Wheaton.)  Immature. — Above,  blackish;  sides  of  head 
with  white  stripes;  fore  part  and  sides  of  neck  light  rusty;  otherwise 
as  in  adult. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  557 

Length,  18.00-20.00;  wing,  7.30-8.10;  bill,  1.65-2.40. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Sonth  Carolina  and  Nebraska  to 
Arctic  coast  and  Greenland,  also  northeastern  Asia  south  to  Japan. 
Breeds  from  Minnesota  northward. 

Nest,  a  mass  of  floating  material  fastened  to  reeds.  Eggs,  2-7,  dull 
white,  tinged  with  greenish;  2.30  by  1.35. 

Eare  migrant  and  possibly  winter  resident.  It  has  only  been  re- 
ported from  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  where  it  has  been  taken  in 
spring.  Dr.  J.  L.  Hancock,  of  Chicago,  111.,  reports  it  at  Wolf  Lake, 
Indiana,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  also  at  Park  Side,  111.,  April  29,  1883. 
Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  (Birds  of  Illinois,  Vol.  II,  pp.  259-261)  gives  it 
as  a  winter  visitant  to  Illinois.  Its  summer  home  is  farther  north, 
mainly  much  to  the  northward  of  the  United  States.  Dr.  T.  S.  Roberts 
(The  Auk,  April,  1890,  p.  213)  found  it  breeding  in  limited  numbers 
in  west-central  Minnesota.  It  breeds  abundantly  along  the  Yukon 
River,  where  Mr.  Robert  Kennicott  saw  it  and  gave  an  account  of  its 
nest  and  habits.    These  are  very  similar  to  those  of  other  grebes. 

Subgenus  Dytks  Kaup. 

"^2.     (3.)    Colymbus  auritus  Linn. 

Horned  Grebe. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  dark  brown,  the  feathers  paler  edged; 
below,  silvery-white,  the  sides  mixed  dusky  and  reddish;  most  of  the 
secondaries  white;  foreneck  and  upper  breast  brownish-red;  head, 
glossy  black,  including  the  ruff;  a  broad  band  over  the  eye  to  and  in- 
cluding occipital  crests,  brownish-yellow;  bill,  black,  yellow  tipped 
(Wheaton);  eye  carmine.  Adult  in  Winter  and  Immature. — Above,  in- 
cluding top  of  head,  dusky  gray;  sides  of  head  and  ]t)wer  parts,  white; 
the  chest  and  sides  more  or  less  grayish. 

Length,  12.50-15.25;  wing,  5.75;  bill,  1.00. 

Range. — Northern  hemisphere,  in  North  America  south  to  Gulf 
States.  Breeds  from  northern  Indiana  and  southern  Michigan  north- 
ward.   Winters  from  Indiana  and  southern  New  York  southward. 

Nest,  of  water  plants  attached  to  reeds  and  floating  on  the  surface 
of  the  water.    Eggs,  2-7;  whitish  or  greenish;  1.78  by  1.20. 

Regular  migrant  in  some  numbers,  but  never  abundant.  Some  are 
winter  residents  in  suitable  localities.  In  the  northern  part  of  the 
State  among  the  lakes  and  marshes  it  breeds.  Mr.  Geo.  L.  Toppan 
has  a  young  bird  of  this  species,  in  downy  plumage,  taken  at  Sheffield, 
Ind.,  May  24,  1878.    He  considers  it  more  common  in  winter.     Dr. 

■"Species  marked  with  an  asterisk  ('•')  breed  within  the  State. 


558  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

F.  W.  Langdon,  in  "Summer  Birds  of  a  Northern  Ohio  Marsh,"  notes 
having  taken  two  sets  of  eggs  which  he  thinks  were  of  this  species 
July  2,  1880.  The}^  are  known  to  hreed  in  numbers  at  St.  Clair  Flats, 
Mich.  Most  often  seen  in  March,  April  and  May,  October  and  Novem- 
ber. In  the  spring  of  1883  they  were  more  numerous  in  the  Whitewater 
Valley  than  I  ever  knew  them.  They  were  found  from  April  15  to  May 
19.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  reports  it  from  Vigo  County  January  5, 
1891.  Mr.  E.  M.  C.  Hobbs,  Salem,  Ind.,  has  an  immature  specimen 
taken  alive  in  a  barnyard  near  Harrisontown,  Washington  County, 
about  Christmas,  1897.  In  habits  there  is  much  similarity  among  all 
the  Grebes.  To  this  one,  in  particular,  attention  has  been  called  be- 
cause of  its  habit  of  quietly  sinking  beneath  the  water,  the  bill  being 
last  to  disappear,  leaving  no  ripple  to  mark  its  place  upon  the  surface. 

3.     (4.)    Colymbus  nigricollis  californicus  (Hberm  ). 

American  Eared  Grebe. 

Adult  Male. — Long  ear-tufts  of  rich  yellowish-brown;  head  and 
neck  all  round,  black;  upper  parts,  grayish-black;  sides,  chestnut; 
lower  parts,  silvery-gray;  primaries,  dark  chestnut;  secondaries  white, 
dusky  at  the  base.  Young. — Similar,  the  ear-tufts  wanting  and  the 
colors  generally  duller.    (Mcll wraith.) 

Length,  12.00-14.00;  wing,  5.20-5.50;  bill,  .95-1.10. 

Eange. — North  America  from  Guatemala  to  Great  Slave  Lake;  east 
to  Indiana  and  Ontario.    Breeds  from  Wyoming  northward. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  similar  to  those  of  C.  auritus. 

This  species  is  an  accidental  visitor  or  perhaps  a  rare  migrant.  The 
first  record  of  its  Rapture  in  Indiana  was  a  specimen  shot  four  miles 
north  of  Brookville  by  Mr.  Edward  Hughes,  May  19,  1883.  A  second 
specimen  was  killed  at  Brookville,  Nov.  5,  1886.  These  are  the  only 
specimens  I  have  seen  from  the  State,  and  I  do  not  laiow  that  it  has 
been  taken  farther  eastward.  Dr.  Brayton  says  it  is  a  winter  visitor 
on  Lake  Michigan.  Mr.  Eidgway  says  it  may  possibly  breed  in  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker  has  twice  noted  it  in  Cook  County  near 
the  Indiana  line,  but  he  records  it  as  extremely  rare.  One  day  during 
April,  1890,  a  flock  of  six  flew  over  Mud  Lake  like  a  flock  of  ducks. 
He  supposed  he  was  shooting  into  a  flock  of  ducks,  and  one  fell,  prov- 
ing to  be  a  grebe  of  this  species.  He  also  observed  one  on  the  Calu- 
met Eiver  a  half-mile  from  the  Indiana  line  near  Hammond.  Mr.  N.  S. 
Goss,  in  "The  Auk"  for  January,  1884,  pp.  18-20,  gives  a  very  interest- 
ing description  of  the  breeding  of  about  one  hundred  pairs  of  these 


Birds  or  Indiana.  559 

birds  found  at  Como  Lake,  Wyoming.  He  says:  "The  nests  were  in  a 
narroAV  strip  of  rushes  growing  in  water  eighteen  inches  deep,  and 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  from  the  shore.  *  *  *  * 
I  collected  the  eggs  from  two  nests,  five  in  each;  and  counted  from 
where  I  stood  over  twenty  nests  with  from  one  to  five  eggs  each.  Quite 
a  number  of  others  were  completed,  but  without  eggs,  and  still  others 
were  building.  The  floating  nests  were  made  of  old  broken  rushes, 
weeds  and  debris  from  the  bottom,  and  were  partially  filled  in  and 
around  the  standing,  growing  rushes.  There  were  no  feathers  or  other 
kind  of  lining.  They  were  from  five  to  ten  inches  in  diameter;  the 
outer  edge  or  rim  was  from  two  to  three  inches  above  the  water.  The 
eggs  in  several  touched  the  water,  and  w^ere  more  or  less  stained  in 
their  wet  beds.  The  color  of  the  eggs  when  fresh  was  white,  with  a 
slight  bluish  shade.  The  average  measurements  of  the  ten  eggs  was 
1.81  by  1.20  inches."  The  same  careful  observer  notes  that  in  leaving 
their  nests  the  birds  would  dive  and  come  up  quite  a  distance  away  out 
in  the  open  lake  and,  when  returning  to  their  nests,  would  dive  out  in 
the  lake  and  come  up  among  the  rushes.  He  says  in  no  instance  did 
he  see  them  swim  to  or  from  their  nests,  but  adds,  they  may  do  so. 
when  not  disturbed. 


2.    Gbnus  PODILYMBUS  Lesson. 
a\  Wing  5.00  or  less.  p.  podiceps  (Linn.)     4 

'^4.     (6.)     Podilymbus  podiceps  (Linn.) 

Pied-billed  Grebe. 
Synonyms,  Water  Witch,  Dabchick,  Didapper,  Didippbr,  Dipper,  Hell- 

DlVEE. 

Adult  in  Summer, — Above,  dusky  grayish  brown,  top  of  the  head 
darker;  sides  of  head  lighter;  inner  webs  of  the  secondaries  tipped 
with  white;  below,  grayish  white,  everywhere  spotted  with  dusky; 
chin,  throat  and  a  spot  at  the  base  of  the  mandible,  black;  bill,  white, 
a  black  band  around  it  at  the  middle.  Adult  in  Winter  and  Imma- 
ture.—SimilsiT,  but  lacking  the  black  throat  patch,  and  the  distinctive 
marks  on  the  bill.  Downy  Young. — Head  and  neck  with  black  and 
white  stripes. 

Length,  12.00-15.00;  wing,  4.50-5.00. 

Eange.— America,  from  Argentine  Eepublic  and  Chili  to  Hudson 
Bay  and  Great  Slave  Lake.  Breeds  from  Florida  northward.  Winters 
from  southern  Missouri,  southern  Illinois  and  New  Jersey  southward. 


660  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  a  floating  island  of  mai\sli  vegetation  and  mud  fastened  to 
water  plants.    Eggs,  4-7,  whitish  with  greenish  shadings;  1.72  by  1.99. 

Prof.  Cooke  notes  (Bird  Migration  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  p.  54) 
that  it  "winters  wherever  there  is  open  water,  from  Illinois  southward, 
and  breeds  from  southern  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri  and  eastern  Kan- 
sas northward."  It  has  also  been  found  breeding  in  Florida.  It  has 
never  been  reported  as  wintering  in  Indiana,  and  is  known  as  a 
migrant,  or  summer  resident  only  in  this  State.  Throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  State  it  is  seen  regularly,  but  not  very  commonly, 
during  the  migrations,  and  is,  perhaps,  more  commonly  observed  in 
spring.  The  creeks,  ponds,  rivers  and  lakes  are  frequented  by  it. 
Where  there  is  no  water  it  is  comparatively  unknown.  Owing  to  the 
screen  of  the  season's  vegetation  it  is  not  so  often  noted  in  fall. 
Throughout  the  lake  region  of  northern  Indiana  it  is  a  common  sum- 
mer resident.  It  arrives  about  April  1  and  can  be  found  in  all  lakes, 
rivers  and  muddy  ponds  until  the  early  part  of  November.  In  Lake, 
Starke  and  Laporte  counties  it  is  reported  as  breeding  abundantly, 
and  sparingly  in  Steuben  County.  Mr.  Eobert  Ridgway  (Bull.  Nuttall 
Orn.  Club.,  Jan.,  1882,  p.  22)  reports  it  breeding  commonly  in 
swamps  in  Knox  County.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  found  it  breedini^ 
May  30,  1890,  at  Terre  Haute. 

The  following  account  of  the  nesting  of  this  species  near  Sandusky, 
0.,  by  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon,  in  his  "Summer  Birds  of  a  Northern  Ohio 
Marsh,"  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  floating  nest.  He  says:  "I 
desire  here  to  testify  to  the  fact  that  the  nest  of  the  present  species 
does  float.  *  *  *  *  rpj^^  little  floating  island  of  decayed  vege- 
tation, held  together  by  mud  and  moss,  which  constitutes  the  nest  of 
this  species,  is  a  veritable  ornithological  curiosity.  Imagine  a  ^pan- 
cake' of  what  appears  to  be  mud,  measuring  twelve  to  fifteen  inches 
in  diameter,  and  rising  two  or  three  inches  above  the  water,  whicli 
may  be  from  one  to  three  feet  in  depth;  anchor  it  to  the  bottom  with 
a  few  concealed  blades  of  ^sawgrass'  in  a  little  open  bay,  leaving  its 
circumference  entirely  free;  remove  a  mass  of  wet  muck  from  its 
rounded  top  and  you  expose  seven  or  eight  soiled  brownish- white  Qggi, 
resting  in  a  depression,  the  bottom  of  which  is  less  than  an  inch  from 
the  water;  the  whole  mass  is  constantly  damp.  *  *  *  *  rpy^^ 
anchoring  blades  of  coarse  sawgrass,  or  flags,  being  always  longer  thaa 
is  necessary  to  reach  the  bottom,  permit  of  considerable  lateral  anrl 
vertical  movement  of  the  nest,  and  so  effectually  provide  against 
drowning  of  the  eggs  by  any  ordinary  rise  of  water  level,  such  as  fre- 
quently occurs  during  the  prevalence  of  strong  easterly  winds  on  the 


Birds  of  Indiana.  561 

lake.  A  small  bunch  of  sawgrass  already  growing  in  a  suitable  situa- 
tion is  evidently  selected  as  a  nucleus  for  the  nest,  and  the  tops  bent 
so  as  to  form  a  part  of  it.  During  the  day  we  invariably  found  the 
eggs  concealed  by  a  covering  of  muck,  as  above  described;  but  as  we 
ascertained  by  repeated  visits  at  night  and  in  the  early  morning  they 
are  uncovered  at  dusk  by  the  bird,  who  incubates  them  until  the 
morning  sun  relieves  her  of  her  task.^^ 

Mr.  Euthven  Deane  informs  me  that  Mr.  Hatfield  found  it  breed- 
ing at  English  Lake,  June  3,  1892.  Mr.  J.  E.  Gould,  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  took  a  nest  at  the  same  lake  July  1,  1891,  that  contained  nine 
eggs.  The  same  gentleman,  the  latter  part  of  the  previous  month, 
found  several  pairs  of  Terns  despoiling  the  nest  of  a  Grebe.  The  nest 
had  two  or  more  eggs  in  it,  one  was  found  in  the  nest  and  one  outside. 

This  Grebe  dives  forward  very  suddenly.  Its  motions  are  so  quick 
that  it  often  escapes  the  shots  fired  at  it.  It  is  often  noted  to  appar- 
ently disappear.  After  diving  it  arises  to  the  surface  of  the  water  and 
projects  only  the  bill,  the  rest  of  the  bird  remaining  below  the 
water.  It  thus  remains  invisible.  It  is  said  to  be  able  to  settle  back- 
wards and  disappear  from  view  beneath  the  water.  This  is  done 
quietly  so  that  the  casual  observer  wonders  what  has  become  of  it. 

The  earliest  spring  record  from  Brookville,  and  it  is  the  earliest 
for  the  State,  is  March  17,  1884,  and  the  latest  first  arrival  from  the 
same  station  is  April  18,  1885.  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn  reports  it  from  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago,  near  the  Indiana  line,  March  23,  1894.  Usually, 
however,  they  reach  that  latitude  between  April  1  and  15.  In  the 
late  summer  they  begin  to  journey  south  in  October,  and  a  few  remain 
into  November  (Hillsdale,  Michigan,  November  11,  1894),  possibly 
until  severe  freezing  weather. 

Suborder  CEPPHI.      Loons  and  Auks. 
II.     Family  URINATORID^.     Loons. 

Characters  same  as  for  family.  Urinator.     3 

3.    Gbnus  urinator  Cuvirr.  * 
a^.  Tarsus  shorter  than  middle  toe  without  claw ;  wing  13.  or  more. 

U.  imber  (Gunn.).     5 
a-.  Tarus  longer  than  middle  toe  with  claw;  wing  under  12. 

U.  lumme  (Gunn.).     6 

5.     (7)    Urinator  imber  (Gunn.). 

Loon. 

Synonym,  Great  Northern  Diver. 
Adult. — Above,  black;  back,  with  square  white  spots;  head  and  neck, 
glossy  black,    with  violet  and  green  reflections;    a  patch  of    white 
36— Geol. 


562  Eeport  op  State  Geologist. 

streaks  on  each  side  of  the  neck,  and  one  on  the  throat;  helow,  white; 
bill,  black.  Immature. — Above,  dark  gray,  feathers  edged  with  paler; 
below,  white,  dusky  on  the  sides;  bill,  yellowish  green  and  dusky. 

Length,  28.00-36.00;  wing,  13.00-15.25;  bill,  2.75-3.50. 

Eange. — Northern  part  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  America,  south 
to  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Breeds  from  Indiana,  Minnesota  and  northern 
New  England  northward. 

Nest,  a  depression  in  the  ground  near  the  water,  sometimes  lined 
with  grass  and  weeds.  Eggs,  2-3,  brownish,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
darker  broAvn. 


Loon, 

The  Loon  is  a  regular  migrant  throughout  the  State  in  some  num- 
bers. They  sometimes  remain  through  the  winter,  but  most  of  them 
do  not.  Mr.  J.  W.  Byrkit  informs  me  that  they  are  permanent  resi- 
dents in  Laporte  County.  He  says  they  are  sometimes  caught  by 
fishermen  on  Lake  Michigan,  near  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  "in  gill 
nets  and  on  hooks  in  thirty  fathoms  of  water."  In  the  Whitewater 
Valley  I  have  never  found  them  except  in  April.  That  seems  to  be 
the  month  of  their  principal  spring  migration,  though  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  the  advance  guard  makes  itself  noticeable  in  some 
numbers  a  month  earlier.  The  movement  southward  begins  in  Sep- 
tember, rarely  August,  and  continues  through  November.  Mr.  J.  E. 
Beasley  reports  two  specimens  from  Boone  County  August  25.  Hon. 
E.  AVes.  McBride  says  (Proc.  Indiana  Academy  of  Science,  1891,  pp. 
166-7):  "It  is  a  summer  resident  of  Steuben  County,  and  breeds  in  at 
least  two  of  the  many  beautiful  lakes  in  that  county.  Their  eggs  have 
been  taken  at  Lake  James  and  Crooked  Lake.  I  have  been  familiar 
with  those  lakes  for  more  than  twenty  years,  ajid  have  never  failed  to 
find  them  there  in  summer.  I  have  also  seen  them  in  the  breeding 
season  in  Hamilton  Lake  and  Golden  Lake,  also  in  Steuben  County; 


Birds  of  Indiana.  563 

in  Turkey  Lake,  on  the  line  between  Steuben  and  Lagrange  counties, 
and  in  Bear  Lake,  Noble  County."  Mr.  C.  L.  Cass  notes  it  as  breed- 
ing in  Steuben  County,  and  Mr.  W.  B.  Van  Gorder  in  Noble  County. 
Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  is  informed  that  they  formerly  nested  in  Steuben 
County,  on  the  point  of  land  extending  between  the  Twin  Lakes  of 
the  Wood,  also  at  Big  Turkey  Lake. 

In  1876  Nelson  gave  it  as  "very  common  winter  resident  upon  Lake 
Michigan,"  *  *  *  *  a^f  uncommon  occurrence  during  sum- 
mer^' in  Cook  County,  Illinois.  Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker  says  of  the 
same  county  and  Lake  County,  Indiana:  "Although  not  common,  it 
is  the  common  Loon  with  us.  It  can  be  foimd  at  Wolf  and  Calumet 
lakes  during  April,  October  and  November,  and  until  late  years  bred 
about  these  lakes."  In  the  State  Museum  in  the  State  House  there 
is  a  young  Loon  marked  Zionsville,  June,  1885.  Mr.  Stephen  A.  War- 
nie  informs  me  that  some  breed  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Michigan. 

The  Loon's  nest  is  simply  a  depression  in  bare  ground,  or  a  collec- 
tion of  a  few  sticks,  weeds  and  swamp  vegetation  on  land,  or  some- 
times a  depression  in  the  top  of  a  muskrat  house. 

Its  habits  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Grebes.  It  swims  lower 
in  the  water,  often  with  little  more  than  neck  and  head  exposed;  is 
ever  alert  for  danger;  has  come  to  regard  every  human  being  as  its 
enemy;  is  rapid  in  movement,  diving  at  the  flash  of  a  gun,  and  comins^ 
up  out  of  range. 

The  cry  of  the  Loon  is  one  of  the  characteristic  sounds  of  the  more 
quiet  lakes  of  northern  North  America.  Its  weird,  melancholy  notes 
convey  to  those  who  have  heard  them  impressions  of  the  most  lasting 
character. 

6.    (11^    Urinator  lumme     (Gunn.). 

Red-throated  Loon. 

Adult. — Blackish;  below,  white;  dark  along  the  sides  and  on  the 
vent  and  crissum;  most  of  the  head  and  fore  neck,  bluish-gray;  the 
throat  with  a  large  chestnut  patch;  hind  neck,  sharply  streaked  with 
white  on  a  blackish  ground;  bill,  black.  (Wheaton.)  Immature. — 
Lacking  the  markings  on  the  head  and  neck;  the  back  marked  with 
round  or  oval  spots. 

Length,  18.00-27.00;  wings,  10.00-11.50;  bill,  2.25. 

Range. — Northern  part  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere.  South  in 
winter  to  South  Carolina  and  southern  Indiana.  Breeds  from  Mani- 
toba and  Labrador  northward. 

Nest,  similar  to  that  of  U.  imher.  Eggs,  2,  pale  green,  spotted  with 
brown. 


664  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Rare  winter  resident  and  occasional  migrant,  breeding  far  to  the 
northward  of  the  United  States.  One  shot  from  a  flock  of  five  near 
Brookville,  February  23,  1885.  That  morning  the  thermometer  regis- 
tered 10  degrees  below  zero.  For  several  mornings  previous  the 
weather  had  been  equally  severe.  The  canal,  most  of  the  smaller 
streams,  ponds  and  the  rivers,  except  where  there  were  rapids,  were 
frozen  over.  In  one  of  these  open  places  the  Loons  were  found.  I  am 
informed  by  Mr.  Charles  Durj,  of  Cincinnati,  of  a  specimen  that  .was 
killed  near  Chalmers  several  years  ago.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge  reports 
it  as  a  rare  visitor  at  Ft.  Wayne.  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  found  one  at 
English  Lake,  May  4,  and  another  May  11,  1890.  Dr.  Langdon  noted 
two  or  three  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  and  Dr.  Wheaton  says  it  is 
not  rare  on  Lake  Erie.  Mr.  Nelson  says  it  is  a  very  common  winter 
resident  upon  Lake  Michigan.  Prof.  Cook  reports  it  from  Michigan. 
The  Loons  subsist  chiefly  upon  fish,  and  their  flesh  has  a  fishy  flavor, 
rendering  them  unfit  for  food,  although  it  is  said  they  are  eaten  by  the 
Indians.  They  also,  while  engaged  in  fishing,  are  reported  to  become 
entangled  in  the  fishermen's  nets. 


III.     Family  ALCID^.     Auks,  Murres  and  Puffins. 

Subfamily  ALCIN^E.     Auks  and  Murres. 

a^.  Bill  not  very  short ;  nostril  concealed  or  enclosed  in  dense  velvety  feathering; 
secondaries  tipped  with  white. 
6^.  Bill  narrow;  culmen  slightly  curved,  both  mandibles  destitute  of  grooves; 
tail  rounded,  its  feathers  not  pointed.  Uria.     4 

4.    Genus  URIA  Brisson. 
a^  Bill  under  1.60.  ,  XJ.  lomvia  (Linn.).     7 

7.     (31.)     Uria  lomvia  (Linn  ). 

Brunnich's  Murre. 
Synonym,  Thick-billed  Murre. 

Adult. — Above  and  throat  and  neck,  sooty  black;  secondaries,  tipped 
with  white;  other  lower  parts,  white;  the  cutting  edge,  towards  the 
base  of  the  upper  mandible,  thickened  and  extending  outward  beyond 
the  edge  of  the  lower  mandible. 

Length,  14.50-18.50;  wing,  7.45-8.80;  bill,  1.45-1.50;  depth  of  bill 
at  nostril,  .47. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  565 

Eange. — "Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic  and  Eastern  Arc- 
tic oceans;  south  to  the  lakes  of  northern  New  York  and  the  coast  of 
New  Jersey."  (A.  0.  U.)  Accidental  west  to  Michigan  and  Indiana 
and  south  to  South  Carolina.  Breeds  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 
northward. 

Nest,  in  communities  on  inaccessible  cliffs.  Egg,  one,  pear  shaped 
white,  greenish,  brownish  or  yellowish,  plain  or  marked  with  blotches, 
or  zigzag  markings  of  brown  and  black. 

While  at  Indianapolis  the  last  week  in  December,  1896,  Prof.  W.  S. 
Blatchley,  State  Geologist  of  Indiana,  told  me  of  a  strange  bird  that 
had  been  taken  near  there.  His  information  was  it  was  some  sort  of 
a  Guillemot.  I  learned  it  had  been  sent  for  mounting  to  Mr.  J.  E. 
Beasley,  at  Lebanon,  Indiana,  and  that  the  same  taxidermist  had 
received  others.  Upon  my  return  home  I  found  a  letter  from  my 
friend,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  informing  me  that  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff, 
of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Science,  had  received  a  Murre  from  Indi- 
ana. A  few  days  later  this  information  was  supplemented  by  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Woodruff  informing  me  that  the  specimen  was  Uria  lomvia. 

In  looking  over  my  accumulated  mail  I  found  a  report  from  Mr. 
A.  W.  Hamilton,  Zanes^dlle,  Indiana,  of  the  capture  of  a  specimen 
near  there.  Prof.  E.  S,  Moseley  wrote  me  of  the  capture  of  four  speci- 
mens near  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley,  in  a  note,  said  he 
had  received  four  specimens.  Thus  the  total  number  of  records 
received  in  a  few  days  was  ten.  I  give  herewith  data  concerning  the 
specimens. 

The  first  specimen  mentioned  above  was  brought  to  Mr.  F.  M.  Noe, 
a  dealer  in  natural  history  specimens,  of  Indianapolis,  December  17, 
1896,  by  a  boy  who  told  him  that  it  had  been  taken  alive  the  preceding 
Sunday,  December  13,  near  Schofield^s  old  mill,  on  Fall  Creek,  about 
seven  miles  north  of  that  city.  The  specimen  is  now  in  the  collection 
in  the  State  Geologist's  office  at  the  capitol.  The  specimen  reported 
by  Mr.  Hamilton  was  taken  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Roe,  of  Zaiiesville,  Indiana, 
in  the  northern  part  of  Wells  Count}^,  December  18,  1896.  It  was  first 
observed  slowly  moving  about  in  an  open  field  and  was  shot  at  long 
range.     This  specimen  is  in  my  collection. 

On  December  28  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  wrote  me  that  he  had  in  his 
possession  four  of  these  birds  from  four  different  Indiana  localities. 
One  was  the  specimen  sent  by  Mr.  Noe.  Another  was  brought  to  him 
alive  by  Mr.  David  Johnson,  from  Hazelrigg,  Boone  County,  Decem- 
ber 18.  Mr.  A.  W.  Beck,  of  Hazelrigg,  informs  me  that  it  was  cap- 
tured alive  about  December  15.  Mr.  Johnson  was  driving  along  the 
road  near  that  town  and  saw  the  bird  in  a  field  near  by.    He  caught 


566  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

it  and  kept  it  two  or  three  days.  It  was  a  persistent  diver  wlien  put 
into  the  water;  would  offer  to  fight  when  approached,  and  did  not 
make  mnch  effort  to  get  away.  The  tliird  bird  was  sent  to  him  by 
Mr.  J.  F.  Warner,  of  Fowler,  Benton  County.  Mr.  Warner  has  written 
me  the  bird  was  captured  on  the  road  about  three  miles  west  of  Fow- 
ler by  a  teamster,  whose  name  is  unknown  to  him,  about  December  20. 
He  adds  that  he  never  saw  but  one  other  bird  of  this  kind.  It  was 
caught  near  Eeynolds,  White  County,  Indiana,  by  Mr.  Linck,  a  night 
watchman  on  the  Panhandle  R.  E.,  in  March,  1869.  He  adds,  "it 
lived  three  or  four  days  and  died  in  my  possession,  but  was  not  pre- 
served." The  fourth  was  received  by  the  taxidermist,  about  December 
20,  from  Mr.  A.  C.  Littleton,  Pickard,  Indiana.  It  was  caught  alive  by 
Mr.  Abel  Christj^  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  that  place, 
December  10,  and  was  kept  aHve  until  it  was  sent  to  be  mounted,  but 
died  on  the  road. 

Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley,  Sandusky,  Ohio,  informs  me  that  the  four 
specimens  he  reported  were  taken  within  twenty  miles  of  Sandusky, 
December  19,  1896. 

Bulletin  No.  13,  of  the  Wilson  Ornithological  Chapter  of  the  Agas- 
siz  Association,  March  30, 1897,  p.  16,  records  the  identification  of  two 
specimens  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Keck,  Mentor,  Ohio,  December  19,  1896,  as 
Uria  troile.  Mr.  Lynds  Jones  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  one 
specimen  taken  and  found  it  to  be  an  immature  Briinnich's  Murre, 
Uria  lomvia.    It  was  captured  near  Painesville,  Ohio,  on  Lake  Erie. 

A  fine  adult  male  was  taken  by  a  twelve-year-old  boy  on  the  Iro- 
quois River,  Iroquois  Township,  Newton  County,  Indiana,  one  and  a 
half  miles  from  Foresman,  near  what  is  known  as  the  old  Indian 
Ford,  December  31,  1896.  It  was  shipped  to  a  firm  on  South  Water 
street,  Chicago,  where  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  obtained  it,  and  it  is  now 
in  his  collection.  He  obtained  the  information  given  above  from  the 
postmaster  at  Foresman,  Indiana,  and  kindly  sent  it  to  me. 

The  Bulletin  of  the  Michigan  Ornithological  Club,  January,  1897, 
p.  10,  refers  to  a  Murre  identified  as  TJria  troile^  which  Mr.  N.  A. 
Wood  informs  me  is  shown  by  reexamination  to  be  Uria  lomvia.  The 
specimen  is  an  adult  male  and  was  shot  from  a  flock  of  several  near 
Gibraltar,  Michigan,  December  26,  1896,  by  some  duck  hunters.  The 
specimen  is,  I  understand,  in  the  museum  of  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan at  Ann  Arbor.  In  the  same  publication,  on  page  8,  is  a  reference 
to  two  Black  Guillemots  taken  at  the  St.  Clair  Flats  near  Detroit, 
Michigan.  From  a  letter  received  from  Mr.  W.  A.  Davidson,  Detroit, 
Michigan,  I  gather  that  one  of  the  two  birds  noted  is  in  the  possession 
of  Mr.  C.  Havens  of  that  city.     The  other  belongs  to  a  lighthouse- 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  567 

keeper,  whose  name  he  does  not  know,  at  the  St.  Clair  Flats.  Evi- 
dently both  specimens  are  Uria  lomvia.  It  is  possible  a  careful 
examination  of  the  specimens  will  show  that  these  also  belong  to  this 
species. 

Brtinnich^s  Murre  has,  as  I  have  been  informed,  been  reported  the 
present  winter  from  other  interior  localities.  It  has,  I  believe,  how- 
ever, never  before  been  authentically  reported  far  from  the  ocean.  Mr. 
Robert  Ridgway  informs  me  that  they  have  this  winter  ranged  down 
the  Atlantic  coast  as  far  as  South  Carolina.  It  would  seem  probable 
that  some  storm  had  driven  them  far  out  of  their  usual  range.  Evi- 
dently those  noted  herein  were  carried  inland  and  dispersed  about  the 
same  time,  perhaps  by  the  same  storm.  They  were  all  taken  within  a 
few  days.  Only  twenty-one  days  elapsed  from  the  date  when  the  first 
was  obtained  until  the  last  was  in  the  hands  of  a  naturalist.  This  is 
its  first  record  from  Indiana,  except  that  reported  by  Mr.  Warner 
which,  unfortunately,  is  not  verified  by  the  specimen.  It  will  be  of 
interest  to  hear  of  other  records  of  the  occurrence  of  this  species 
inland.  It  will  be  noted  that  there  is  a  specimen  preserved  in  a  public 
museum  in  Indiana  and  in  Michigan  to  verify  the  records  from  those 
States.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  one  of  the  Ohio  specimens  may  be 
secured  for  a  like  purpose. 


B.    Order  LONGIPENNES.    Long-winged  Swimmers. 

IV.     Family  STERCORARIID^.     Skuas  and  Jaegers. 

a^.  No  white  at  bape  of  the  primaries;    tarsus  longer  than  middle  toe  with  claw; 
middle  tail  feathers,  in  adult,  projecting  much  beyond  the  others. 

Stercoraeius.    5 

5.    Gbnus  STERCORARIUS  Brisson. 

a^  Bill  1.4.")  or  more;  tarsus  2.00  or  more.  S.  pomarinus  (Temm.).     8 

8.     (3(3.)     Stercorarius  pomarinus  (TeMxM.). 

Pomarine  Jaeger. 

Adult,  Light  Phase. — Middle  tail  feathers  projecting  about  four 
inches,  not  pointed;  bill,  1.45  or  more;  tarsus,  2.00  or  more.  "Top 
and  sides  of  head,  with  upper  parts,  sooty  slate  or  dusky;  rest  of  head 
and  neck,  including  nape,  together  with  lower  parts,  white,  the  ear- 
covert  region  tinged  with  straw-yellow,  and  the  lower  tail-coverts 
slaty.  Young. — Head,  neck  and  lower  parts,  dull  buff,  everywhere 
barred  with  dusky;  upper  parts,  brownish  dusky,  the  feathers  of  back, 


568  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

etc.,  tipped  with  buff,  the  rump  and  upper  tail-coverts  spotted  witli 
same.  Adult,  Dark  Phase. — Entirely  dark,  sooty  slate,  with  a  plumbe- 
ous cast  in  certain  lights.  Young. — Entirely  sooty  slate,  the  lower 
parts  more  or  less  barred  with  buff."  (Ridgw.)  The  descriptions  are 
of  extreme  examples  of  coloration.  Specimens  are  found  showing 
every  possible  intermediate  condition  of  plumage. 

Length,  20.00-23.00;  wing,  13.50-14.00;  tail,  8.00-9.00;  bill,  1.45- 
1.75;  tarsus,  2.00-2.10. 

Range. — Northern  portion  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  principally  on 
the  seas,  but  also  visiting  the  larger  inland  waters.  In  America,  south 
to  Nebraska,  Great  Lakes  and  New  Jersey.    Breeds  far  northward. 

Nest,  of  moss  and  grass  on  the  ground.  Eggs,  2  to  3,  grayish-olive, 
spotted  with  brown. 

The  only  record  I  know  of  its  occurrence  is  that  given  by  Dr.  A.  W. 
Brayton  (Trans.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc,  1879,  p.  150):  "A  rare  winter  vis- 
itant to  Lake  Michigan.  October  9,  1876,  in  company  with  my  friend, 
Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson,  *  *  *  we  saw  a  fine  specimen  of  this  bird 
flying  along  the  lake  shore  near  the  State  line."  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson 
notes  a  record  under  the  same  date  which  is  possibly  the  same.  Birds 
of  Northeastern  Illinois,  p.  145.)  Prof.  E.L.Moseley  reports  a  specimen 
shot  at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  October,  1889,  and  the  late  W.  H.  Collins 
reported  one  specimen  taken  on  the  Detroit  River,  and  now  in  the 
collection  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology,  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts. (Cook.  Birds  of  Michigan  ,p.  31.)  From  these  notes  it 
would  appear  that  the  bird  is  of  occasional  occurrence  on  the  Great 
Lakes  in  fall,  and  doubtless  in  winter  and  spring.  They  spend  the 
warmer  parts  of  the  year  far  to  the  northward,  much  of  the  time  fre- 
quenting places  where  other  water  fowl,  particularly  Terns,  congre- 
gate. They  prey  upon  Gulls  and  Terns.  By  reason  of  their  powerful 
wings  they  overtake  their  victim  and  compel  it  to  drop  or  disgorge  its 
food.  They  are  called  "Pirates,''  "Gullchasers,"  "Sea  Hawks"  and 
"Jaegers"  (hunters),  each  of  which  terms  represent  some  one's 
attempt  to  fit  the  birds  with  a  name  that  will  express  their  notable 
habits.  Mr.  Basil  Hicks  Dutcher  has  given  a  good  account  of  the 
habits  of  birds  of  this  genus  on  the  Long  Island  coast  in  The  Auk, 
April  1889,  pp.  125-126. 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  569 


V.     Family  LARID^.     Gulls  and  Terns. 

a^  Bill  more  or  less  hooked;  general  color  chiefly  white  with  a  darker  bluish-gray 
or  slaty  mantle.     Subfamily  Larin^.     Gulls. 

b^.  Hind  toe  rudimentary  or  wanting,  with  minute  claw  or  none.        RissA. 
b^.  Hind  toe  small,  but  with  perfect  claw.     , 

c^.  Tail  even.  Larus.     6 

c\  Tail  forked.  Xema. 

a^.  Bill  not  hooked,  but  narrow  and  pointed,  the  mandibles  even;  tail  (in  our 
species),  deeply  forked.     Subfamily  Sternin^.     Terns. 

d^.  Tail  much  more  than  one-third  length  of  wing,  its  outer  feathers  narrow 
and  pointed;  toes  well  webbed. 
e^ .  Bill  stout,  its  depth  at  base  equal  to  one^third  length  of  culmen. 

Gelochelidon. 
e'^.  Bill  slender,  its  depth  at  base  not  one-third  its  length.        Sterna.     7 
rf2.  Tail  little  more  than  one-third  wing;    its  outer   feathers  broad  and 
rounded.  Hydrochelidon.     8 

Subfamily  LARIN^.     Gulls. 

6.    Genus  LARUS  Linn^us. 


Bill  of  a  Gull  much  reduced, 
a^.  Length  over  18. 

6\  Primaries  without  black;  pearl-gray,  fading  gradually  into  white  at  tips, 
c^  Wing  over  16.50.  L.  g-laucus  Briinn.     9 

c^.  Wing  16.50  or  less.  L.  leucopterus  Faber.       10 

b^.  Primaries  crossed  with  black;  shafts  of  primaries  black  in  the  black  mark- 
ings. 

d^ .  Length  over  22.  ;  white  tips  of  outer  primary  separated  from  the  other 
white  by  band  of  black.       L.  argentatus  smithsonianus  Coues.     11 
d"^.  Length  20.  or  less.  L.  delawarensis  Ord.     12 

a^.  Length  under  16. 

e^  Bill  and  feet  reddish  ;  wing  over  11.    L.  franklinii  Sw.  &  Rich.     13 
e^.  Bill  black  ;  feet  red  or  yellow  ;  wing  under  11. 

L.  Philadelphia  (Ord).     14 

9.     (42.)     Larus  glaucus  Brunn. 

Glaucous  Gull. 
Synonym,  Burgomaster. 

Adult. — "Phimage,  pure  white,  except  the  mantle,  which  is  grayish- 
blue;  bill,  gamboge  yellow,  with  a  carmine  patch  toward  the  end  of 


570  Report  of  State  Gteologist. 

the  lower  mandible;  feet,  flesh  color."  Young. — Above,  yellowish- 
white,  mottled  with  pale  brown;  breast  and  lower  parts,  gray;  tail, 
white,  mottled  with  brown. 

Length,  26.00-32.00;  wing,  16.75-18.75;  tail,  7.40-8.50;  bill, 
2.30-2.70. 

Eange. — Northern  part  of^  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  America, 
south  to  the  Great  Lakes  and  Long  Island.  Breeds  from  Greenland 
and  Hudson  Bay  north. 

Nest,  of  seaweed,  grass  and  moss  on  ground.  Eggs,  2-3,  white, 
ashy  or  grayish-brown;  3.05  by  2.21. 

Occasional  visitor  along  Lake  Michigan.  Mr.  J.  W.  Byrkit  informs 
me  of  its  occurrence  near  Michigan  City.  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  has  a 
beautiful  specimen  in  white  plumage  that  he  killed  at  Millers,  Ind., 
August  8,  1897.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  reports  it  from  Michigan  localities, 
notably  St.  Joseph  County,  1892.  He  also  refers  to  the  fact  that  Prof. 
Ludwig  Kumlein  has  taken  several  specimens  at  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
(Birds  of  Michigan,  p.  31).  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  (Birds  of  Northeastern 
Illinois,  p.  145)  notes  that  Dr.  Hoy  had  taken  three  of  these  gulls  near 
Racine,  Wis.  Careful  attention  needs  to  be  paid  to  the  larger  gulls 
upon  the  lakes  and  larger  streams  during  the  colder  portions  of  the 
year,  in  order  that  more  accurate  information  may  be  had  concerning 
them.  Mr.  L.  M.  Turner  (Contr.  to  N.  H.  of  Alaska,  1887,  p.  125) 
says  this  gull  is  the  ealiest  bird  to  arrive  at  St.  Michaels,  a  few  reach- 
ing there  by  the  middle  of  April.  Mr.  Nelson  (Cruise  of  the  Steamer 
Corwin  in  the  Arctic  Ocean,  p.  106)  notes  the  different  surroundings 
of  this  gull  in  Behring  Sea,  where  it  breeds  on  all  the  islands  and 
shores,  from  those  peculiar  to  it  on  the  North  Atlantic  coast,  where  it 
is  known  as  Ice  Gull,  and  is  so  well  known  as  the  accompaniment  of 
the  ice  pack  of  that  region. 

10.     (43  )     Larus  leucopterus  Faber. 

Iceland  Gull. 
Synonym,  White-wingf.d  Gull. 

Adult. — "Primaries  entirely  white,  or  palest  possible  pearly-blue, 
fading  insensibly  into  white  at  some  distance  from  the  end;  their  shafts 
straw-color;  mantle,  palest  pearly  blue;  bill,  yellow,  with  vermillion 
spot  on  lower  mandible;  feet,  flesh  colored  or  pale  yellowish.  In 
Winter. — Head  and  neck  slightly  touched  with  dusky.  Young. — Im- 
pure white,  with  or  without  trace  of  pearly  on  the  mantle;  head,  neck 
and  upper  parts  mottled  with  pale  brownish,  sometimes  quite  dusky 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  571 

on  the  back,  the  under  parts  a  nearly  uniform,  but  very  faint  shade  of 
the  same,-  the  quills  and  tail  often  imperfectly  barred  with  the  same.'^ 
(Wheaton). 

Length,  24. 00-^6. CK);  wing,  14,75-16.50;  tail,  6.00-6.70;  bill, 
1.60-1.70. 

Eange. — Circumpolar  regions.  In  America,  south  in  winter  to 
Massachusetts  and  the  Great  Lakes. 

Nest,  similar  to  that  of  L.  glaucus.  Eggs,  similar,  but  smaller,  2.79 
by  1.85. 

Like  the  last  mentioned  species  this  is  but  an  occasional  winter  visi- 
tor to  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  Hon.  E.  Wes.  McBride  reports  it 
from  Dekalb  County.  It  is  noted  by  Nelson  (Bird&  of  Northeastern  Illi- 
nois, p.  145)  as:  "A  regular  and  not  uncommon  winter  resident  on 
Lake  Michigan.*^  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton  (Trans.  Indiana  Hort.  Soc, 
1879,  p.  150)  also  notes  it  as:  "Not  uncommon  winter  resident  on. 
Lake  Michigan."  This  gull  and  the  last  species  leave  early  and  pass 
northward  as  rapidly  as  the  waters  open.  According  to  Mr.  E.  W. 
Nelson  (N.  H.  Coll.  in  Alaska,  1887,  pp.  52  and  54)  this  is  perhaps 
the  most  abundant  gull  along  the  coasts  of  Alaska,  about  the  islands 
of  Behring  Sea,  and  along  the  lower  Yukon  River.  Along  the  upper 
Yukon  it  is  replaced  by  the  American  Herring  .Gull. 

U.    (51rt.)    Larus  argentatus  smithsonianus  Coues. 

American  Herring*  Gnll. 
Synonym,  Sea  GulT/. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Feet,  flesh  eolor;  bill,  yellow,  vvith  a  red  spot; 
first  primary  tipped  with  white  and  separated  from  the  larger  white 
spot  by  a  black  bar;  most  of  remainder  of  outer  web  black,  and  of 
inner  web  white;  the  second  primary  tipped  similarly,  and  other  pri- 
maries to  and  inchiding  the  sixth,  tipped  with  white;  mantle,  pale 
dull  blue;  the  remainder  of  the  plumage  white.  Adult  in  Winter. — 
Similar,  but  head  and  neck  streaked  with  dusky.  Immature. — "At 
first  almost  entire  fuscous  or  sooty-brown,  the  feathers  of  the  back, 
white-tipped  or  not;  size,  at  the  minimum  given.  As  it  grows  old,  it 
gradually  lightens;  the  head,  neck  and  under  parts  are  usually  quite 
whitish  before  the  markings  of  the  quills  are  apparent,  and  before  the 
blue  begins  to  show,  as  it  does,  in  patches  mixed  with  brown;  the 
black  on  the  tail  narrows  to  a  bar,  which  disappears  before  the  pri- 
maries gain  their  perfect  pattern. 

Length,  22.50-26.00;  wing,  16.25-17.50;  bill,  1.95-2.50. 


672  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Cuba  and  Lower  California  to 
Labrador  and  Alaska.    Breeds  from  Maine  and  Michigan  northward. 

Nest,  on  ground  or  in  trees;  of  grass.  Eggs,  3,  bluish  white  spotted 
and  marked  with  different  shades  of  brown,  2.85  by  2.01. 

Common  migrant  throughout  the  State;  locally,  a  winter  visitor  or 
winter  resident.  They  occasionally  remain  throughout  the  winter  in 
great  numbers,  especially  on  Lake  Michigan,  and  in  less  numbers 
along  the  Ohio  River.  During  winter  floods  they  may  be  seen  about 
any  of  the  streams  of  the  State.  This  is  the  most  common  gull 
found  in  the  State,  and  is  known  popularly  as  "Sea  GruU."  In  the 
Whitewater  Valley  it  is  most  abundant  in  February  and  March, 
though  it  is  sometimes  seen  in  January,  and  in  October.  Mr.  J.  W. 
Byrkit  notes  that  its  occurrence  about  Michigan  City  is  irregular.  At 
times  they  will  be  very  abundant,  and  then  all  will  disappear  for  somo 
time.  Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker  says  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  and  at 
Millers,  Ind.,  they  are  very  common  on  Lake  Michigan  in  winter. 
Hundreds  of  these  birds  congregate  at  the  outlets  of  the  sewers  of 
Chicago,  in  the  lake.  They  leave  for  the  north  in  April,  and  are 
found  breeding  on  Isle  Royale,  Gull  Island,  Thunder  Bay  Island, 
Mich.,  and  other  islands  in  the  great  lakes,  and  thence  northward  and 
along  the  Atlantic  coast.  As  has  been  noted,  these  gulls  frequent  the 
upper  Yukon  Valley,  and  are  replaced  in  the  lower  valley  by  L. 
leucopterus.  Isle  Royale  is  a  well-known  breeding  ground  for  these 
birds.  There  they  gather  in  great  numbers  before  the  ice  has 
gone,i  and  proceed  to  build  nests,  which  vary  from  a  hollow  in  the 
accumulations  on  the  rocks  to  a  mass  of  peat-like  material,  rootlets, 
moss  and  grass  matted  together  placed  upon  the  rocks,  the  gravelly 
beach,  masses  of  driftwood  on  the  shore,  and  even  upon  the  rapidly 
melting  icebergs  themselves.  In  these  nests  the  set  of  eggs,  generally 
three,  is  laid  some  time  after  the  first  of  May.  (Daggett  in  0.  &  0., 
July,  1890,  pp.  99,  100.)  These  birds  suffer  much  from  the  plunder- 
ing of  fishermen  and  eggers.  Finally,  however,  their  work  is  done. 
What  eggs  have  been  left  them  are  hatched,  the  young  reared,  and 
they  turn  their  flight  southward.  They  reach  the  lower  end  of  Lake 
Michigan  late  in  September,  and  occasionally  the  Ohio  Valley  early  in 
October. 

12.    (54.)    Larus  delawarensis  (Ord). 

Ring-billed  Gull. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Similar  to  the  last,  but  smaller;  first  primary 
black,  but  with  a  white  spot  on  each  web  near  the  end;  the  second  and 
succeeding  primaries  tipped  with  white,  and  the   feathers  one  after 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  573 

the  other  becoming  lighter;  "bill,  greenish-yellow,  encircled  with  a 
black  band  near  the  end,  usually  complete,  sometimes  defective;  the 
tip  and  most  of  the  cutting  edges  of  the  bill  yellow;  in  high  condition 
the  angle  of  the  mouth,  and  a  small  spot  beside  the  black,  red;  feet 
olivaceous,  obscured  with  dusky  or  bluish,  and  partly,  yellow;  the  web, 
bright  chrome."  Immature. — Similar  to  the  same  stage  of  the  last 
species.  All  the  changes  are  substantially  the  same  as  those  of  the 
species  just  described. 

Length,  18.00-20.00;  wing,  13.60-15.75;  bill,  1.55-1.75. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Cuba  and  Mexico  to  Labrador  and 
Manitoba.    Breeds  from  North  Dakota  and  Michigan  northward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  in  a  depression;  of  grass.  Eggs,  3  to  4,  dark  cream 
or  buffy,  blotched  with.brown  and  lavender  gray,  2.39  by  1.71. 

Regular  migrant  and  local  winter  resident  in  the  same  localities  as 
the  last  mentioned  species.  Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker  says  of  it  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan:  "Quite  common  winter  resi- 
dent. Not  so  abundant  as  the  Herring  Gull.  .  I  have  often  found 
large  numbers  of  these  gulls  collected  at  the  sewer  outlets  into  Lake 
Michigan.  They  stay  here  during  the  winter,  except  when  we  have 
our  severe  cold  snaps.  Then  they  go  south."  He  also  reports  a  large 
flock  of  old  and  young  at  Miller^s,  Ind.,  October  26,  1893.  Over  the 
State  generally  they  are  seen  most  numerously  as  migrants  in  March, 
April  and  May.  They  resemble  the  Herring  Gull,  except  they  are 
smaller  and  have  the  ring  around  the  bill.  Like  the  Herring  Gull, 
they  go  north  among  the  islands  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  among  the 
interior  lakes  of  the  northern  United  States  and  of  the  British  posses- 
sions to  breed.  Mr.  Charles  L.  Cass  informs  me  of  their  breeding  on 
the  Beaver  Islands,  near  Petoskey,  Mich.  It  breeds  abundantly  on 
Gull  Island,  near  Escanaba.  Mr.  Stebbins  found  this  species  and 
the  Common  Tern  occupying  an  island  about  an  acre  in  extent  in 
DeviFs  Lake,  Dakota,  the  first  week  of  June.  Mr.  Stebbins  says:  "I 
don't  suppose  you  could  lay  down  a  two-foot  rule  anywhere  without 
each  end  of  it  striking  a  nest.  It  was  common  to  find  the  terns  and 
gulls  breeding  side  by  side.  Most  of  the  gulls'  nests  were  in  the  grass, 
while  those  of  the  terns  were  in  the  sand.  I  did  not  find  a  gulFs  nest 
with  more  htan  three  eggs,  and  a  very  few  with  two;  whereas,  several 
hollows  were  found  with  as  many  as  eighteen  terns'  eggs  in  them, 
which  had  rolled  together.  Mr.  Frazer  noted  them  nesting  in  Labra- 
dor. Mr.  E.  E.  Thompson  notes  them  as  breeding  at  Lake  Winnepeg. 
Neither  they,  nor  the  Herring  Gull,  ordinarily  reach  the  Arctic  coast, 
but  the  northern  limit  of  their  breeding  range  seems  to  be  unknown. 


574  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

13.     (59.)    Larus  franklinii  Sw.  and  Rich. 

Franklin's  Gull. 

Adult  Male.— 'Eyelids,  neck,  rump,  tail,  and  lower  parts  white^ 
the  latter,  with  the  under  part  of  the  wings,  deeply  tinged  with  rich^ 
rosy  red;  hood,  black,  descending  downwards  on  the  nape  and  throat; 
mantle  and  wings,  bliiish-gray;  a  band  of  black  crosses  the  five  outer 
primaries  near  the  end;  all  the  quill  feathers  are  tipped  with  white. 
Young. — Changing  with  age  as  with  other  birds  of  this  class."  (Mc- 
Ilwraith.) 

Length,  13.50-15.00;  wing,  11.25;  bill,  1.30. 

Range. — Western  South  America,  from  Chili  north  through  the 
interior  of  North  America  to  the  Arctic  regions.  Breeds  from  Iowa 
northward. 

Nest,  old  water-soaked  marsh-  vegetation  about  open  water  in 
marshy  lakes,  ^ggs,  1-3;  ground  color  from  dark  chocolate,  sooty, 
creamy-brown  and  dirty-white,  through  all  the  shades  of  light  green 
and  light  drab;  variously  marked  with  blotches  or  spots  of  umber, 
wreathed  at  larger  end,  and  w^ith  lilac  shell  markings,  2.04  by  1.38. 

Occasional  migrant.  It  has  been  occasionally  seen  by  Mr.  J.  W. 
Byrkit  at  Michigan  City.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  has  frequently  seen 
gulls  on  the  Wabash  River,  which  he  was  disposed  to  regard  as  speci- 
mens of  Larus  atricilla,  but  which,  after  an  acquaintance  with  that 
species,  he  considers  as  being  more  probably  L.  franklinii.  (Dr. 
Wheaton,  Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  551.) 

This  gull  is  a  bird  of  the  interior,  and  not  of  the  sea.  Its  migra- 
tions are  through  the  interior  of  North  America,  and  it  breeds  in  the^ 
interior  from  southwestern  Minnesota  and  Dakota  northward 
through  Manitoba.  The  northern  limit  of  its  breeding  range  has  not 
been  noted,  and  it  is  not  given  by  the  reports  on  Alaskan  ornithology 
as  having  been  taken  in  that  region.  Occasionally  specimens  are- 
taken  east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  though  the  bulk  of  the  species 
migrates  to  the  westward  of  that  stream.  It  has  been  reported  from 
Illinois,  near  Warsaw  (Bull.  Nuttall.  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  V,  p.  32);  from 
Milwaukee,  Wis.  (Nelson,  Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  p.  146); 
mouth  of  Fox  River,  Wis.  (Cooke,  Bird  Migration  in  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  1888,  pp.  56-7):  and  near  Hamilton  Ontario  (Mc- 
Ilwraith,  Birds  of  Ontario,  p.  49).  An  interesting  account  of  their 
habits  and  nesting  in  Western  Miianesota  is  given  in  the  Ornithologist 
and  Oologist,  Vol.  XI,  1886,  pp.  54  and  55,  from  which  I  have  gath- 
ered the  description  of  the  nest  and  eggs. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  575 

14.     (60.)     Larus  Philadelphia  (Ord). 

Bonaparte's  Gull. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Size  small;  hill,  black;  mantle,  pearly-blue; 
hood,  slaty  plumbeous,  with  white  touches  on  the  eyelids;  many  win<^ 
coverts  white;  feet  chrome  yellow,  tinged  with  coral  red,  webs,  ver- 
milion; primaries,  first  five  or  six  with  the  shafts  white,  except  at  tip; 
:first  white,  with  outer  web  and  extreme  tip  black;  second  white,  moro 
broadly  crossed  with  black;  third  to  sixth  or  eighth,  with  the  black 
successively  lessening.  Adult  in  Winter. — With  no  hood  but  a  black 
auricular  spot.  Immature. — "Mottled  and  patched  above  with  brown 
-or  gray,  and  usually  a  dusky  bar  on  the  wing;  the  tail,  with  a  black 
bar;  the  primaries,  with  more  black;  the  bill,  dusky;  much  of  the 
lower  mandible,  flesh-colored  or  yellowish,  as  are  the  feet." 

Length,  13.00-14.00;  wing,  9:50-10:50;  bill,  1.12-1.25,  very  slender. 

Kange. — North  America,  from  Bermudas  to  Hudson  Bay,  Labra- 
dor, and  Alaska.  Breeds  from  northern  United  States  northward. 
Winters  from  Indiana  and  Illinois  southward. 

Nest,  in  tree  or  bush,  or  on  stump;  of  sticks  and  grass,  lined  with 
soft  material.  Eggs,  3-4,  grayish  olive,  tinged  with  greenish,  and 
spotted  with  bro\\Ti,  1.97  by  1.40. 

Common  migrant  and  rare  winter  visitor.  Dr.  J.  L.  Hancock  in- 
forms me  that  while  visiting  Wolf  Lake,  in  May,  1882,  he  was  given 
a  fresh  specimen  of  a  female  of  Bonaparte's  Gull  by  a  duck  hunter,  who 
had  shot  it  near  by.  At  the  same  time  he  was  handed  two  quite  fresh 
^SS^f  which  were  said  to  be  those  of  the  gull.  The  same  day  he  saw  an- 
other specimen  flying  over  the  same  site,  which  was  presumed  to  be  the 
male.  May  20,  1882,  he  saw  three  of  these  Gulls  at  different  times 
•during  the  day,  one  of  which  was  shot  for  identification.  The  bulk 
of  the  species  had  gone  further  north  to  nest.  It  is  best  known  as  a 
migrant.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  I  have  never  found  it  earlier 
than  March  12.  From  that  date  until  April  21  it  may  be  looked  for. 
It  is  not  so  common  in  fall  on  its  way  southward.  In  the  northern 
part  of  the  State,  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan,  it  is 
more  numerous.  There  they  remain  until  May,  then  depart  to  return 
again  in  October.  They  are  reported  to  breed  in  the  St.  Clair  Flats 
(Collins'  Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  V,  1880,  p.  62),  and  on  some 
of  the  islands  of  Saginaw  Bay  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  33),  but  I  am 
not  aware  that  this  has  been  verified.  It  breeds  generally  on  all  the 
lakes  of  any  size  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States,  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coasts,  toward  the  Arctic  Ocean.     On  the 


576  Eepoet  op  State  Geologist. 

Alaskan  coast  of  Bering  Sea  it  is  rare,  and  there  is  no  record  of  its 
presence  along  the  shore  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  (Nelson,  Cruise  of  the 
Corwin,  p.  108).  It  has  been  noted  as  breeding  at  Ft.  Yukon,  along  the 
Nelson  River,  and  at  York  Factory  on  Hudson's  Bay  (Mcllwraith, 
Birds  of  Ontario,  p.  50). 

Subfamily   STEKNIN^E.     Terns. 

7.    Genus  STERNA  Linwa:us. 
a^.  Wing  more  than  9.00. 

6^  Both  webs  of  outer  tail  feathers  white.  S.  dougalli   Montag.     17 

b^.  Both  webs  of  outer  tail  feathers  not  white. 

c^.  Outer  tail  feathers  with  inner  web  dusky ;  outer  web  white. 

S.  fosteri  Niitt.     15 
c^.  Outer  tail  feathers  with  inner  web  white;  outer  web  dusky. 

S.  hirundo  Linn.     16 
a'^.  Wing  under  7.  '  S.  antillarum  Less.     18 

Subgenus  Sterna. 

15.     (69.)     Sterna  forsteri  Nutt. 

Forster's  Tern. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Tail  deeply  forked;  whole  top  of  head  black; 
other  upper  parts  pearl  gray;  outer  web  of  the  outside  pair  of  tail 
feathers  white;  inner  web  grayish  or  dusky  toward  the  end;  tips  of 
secondaries,  rump,  sides  of  head,  and  lower  parts  white;  bill  dull 
orange,  the  tip  blackish;  edges  of  eyelids,  black;  legs  and  feet,  orange 
red.  Adult  in  Winter. — Similar,  but  top  of  head  grayish;  patch 
around  eye,  and  over  ear  coverts  black;  tail  not  so  deeply  forked. 
Immature. — Above,  including  head,  brownish,  back  and  crown  nearly 
uniform;  tail  feathers  (except  the  outer  web  of  the  outer  pair)  tipped 
with  dusky;  bill  dusky. 

Length,  12.00-15.00;  wing,  9.50-10.30;  tail,  5.00-7.70;  depth  of 
fork,  2.30-5.00;  bill,  1.50-1.65. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  to  Virginia  on  Atlantic  coast,  to 
Manitoba  in  the  interior.  Breeds  locally  from  Gulf  of  Mexico  north- 
Vard.    Winters  from  Gulf  coast  southward. 

Nest,  a  collection  of  marsh  vegetation,  placed  upon  drift  or  on  the 
ground.  Eggs,  3,  varying  from  pale  greenish  to  warm  brownish  drab, 
spotted  with  different  shades  of  brown,  1.78  by  1.23. 

Most  places  this  tern  is  a  rare  migrant,  but  during  the  fall  it  is 
exceedingly  abundant  on  Lake  Michigan.  Mr.  B.  W.  Evermann  noted 
it  in  Vigo  County  April  28  and  May  19,  1888.  Several  specimens 
have  been  taken  on  Lake  Maxinkuckee  (Ulrey  and  Wallace,  Proc.  L 
A.  S.,  1895,  p.  149).     Mr.  Charles   L.  Cass   noted    one   in    Steuben 


BiEDS  or  Indiana.  577 

County,  August  26,  1894.    He  also  reports  it  as  breeding  at  the  St. 
Clair  Flats,  Mich.  Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker  notes  it  on  Lake  Michigan  in 
April,  August,  September,  and  the  early  part  of  October.    He  reports 
one  specimen  taken  at  Miller's,  Ind.,  August  13,  1896.    He  says  that 
while  a  few  Forster's  Terns  can  be  found  during  August  at  Miller's, 
in  company  with  Wilson's,  the  bulk  does  not  arrive  until  in  September, 
after  the  Common  Terns  have  gone  south.     Then  enormous  flocks 
can  be  seen  flying  south  at  Colehour,  111.,  and  Millers,  Ind.    It  goes 
north  to  breed,  but  is  the  most  common  tern  on  Lake  Michigan  dur- 
ing the  fall.     Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson,  in  Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois, 
notes  its  breeding  there  in  small,  reedy  lakes.     The  young  were  able 
to  fly  about  the  middle  of  July.    He  gives  the  following  account  of 
its  breeding:    "Although  I  have  been  aware  that  8.  forsteri  nested  in 
this  vicinity  for  several  years,  it  was  not  until  the  middle  of  June, 
1876,  that  I  had  the  pleasure  of  examining  one  of  their  nests.    While 
we  were  collecting  eggs  among  one  of  the  wild  rice  patches,  on  Grass 
Lake,  June  14,  Mr.  Douglass  observed  a  pair  of  these  terns  hovering 
near  a  small  patch  of  Saggitaria  leaves  growing  in  several  feet  of 
water,  and  rowing  to  the  spot  found  the  nest,  which  was  a  loosely 
built  structure  of  coarse  pieces  of  reeds  resting  upon  a  mass  of  floating 
plants,  and  concealed  from  view  by  the  surrounding  leaves.     Upon 
the  side  of  the  nest  was  a  single  young  bird,  about  to  scramble  into 
the  water,  but  upon  seeing  Mr.  Douglass,  it  crouched  to  avoid  being 
observed,  and  was  captured.    A  thorough  search  at  the  time  failed  to 
reveal  any  other  young  ones,  so  the  adults,  which  had  been  darting 
and  screaming  about  his  head,  were  secured,  with  a  second  pair,  which 
had  espoused  the  cause  of  their  companions.    Their  anxiety  we  after- 
wards found  to  be  the  proximity  of  an  unfinished  nest,  similarly  situ- 
ated.   That  evening  we  found  and*  secured  two  more  young  upon  the 
nest  found  in  the  morning.  The  next  morning  fortune  favored  me, 
and,  while  passing  between  several  floating  masses  of  decaying  vege- 
table matter,  I  observed  four  small  heaps  of  wild  rice  stalks  resting 
upon  one  of  these  masses,  and,  on  a  nearer  view,  to  my  delight,  they 
proved  to  be  the  desired  nests,  containing  eggs.    The  nests  were  situ- 
ated in  a  line,  and  the  two  outer  ones  were  not  over  twenty-five  feet 
apart.    The  only  materials  used  were  pieces  of  wild  rice  stems,  which 
were  obviously  brought  from  some  distance,  as  the  nearest  patch  of 
rice  was  several  rods  distant.    The  nests  were  quite  bulky,  the  bases 
being  two  feet  or  more  in  diameter.     The  greatest  depth  was  about 
eight  inches,  and  the  depression  in  the  center  so  deep  that,  while  sit- 
ting in  the  boat  a  rod  away,  the  eggs  were  not  visible.     Two  of  the 
nests  contained  three  eggs,  and  two  contained  two  eggs,  each.     The 
37— Geol 


578  Report  of  State  G-eologist. 

following  are  the  measurements  of  three  of  the  eggs,  representing  the 
amount  of  variation:  1.70  by  1.25,  1.75  by  1.20,  1.^8  by  1.25.  The 
ground  color  varies  from  pale  greenish  to  warm,  brownish-drab.  The 
spots  and  shell  markings  are  of  a  varying  shade  of  brown,  distributed 
much  as  in  the  other  terns'  eggs." 

16.     (70.)     Sterna  hirundo  Linn. 

Common  Tern. 

Synonyms,  Sea  Swallow,  Wilson's  Tern, 

Adult  in  Summer. — Similar  to  S.  forsteri,  but  with  the  outer  web 
of  outside  pair  of  tail  feathers  grayish  or  dusky,  the  inner  web  white; 
below,  pale  gray  or  grayish-white,  whitening  on  the  throat,  and  white 
on  crissum;  bill,  red,  blackish  toward  the  tip;  feet,  red,  lighter  than 
bill.  Adult  in  Winter. — Similar,  but  with  forehead  and  crown  white. 
Immature. — Similar,  but  the  crown  with  more  or  less  grayish;  the 
upper  parts  with  more  or  less  buffy  or  brownish;  tail,  shorter;  bill, 
brownish. 

Length,  13.00-16.00;  wing,  9.75-11.75;  tail,  5.00-7.00;.  depth  of 
fork,  3.50;  bill,  1.25-1.50. 

Range. — Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  x\merica, 
breeding  locally  from  Florida  and  xlrizona  to  Arctic  coast.  Winters 
from  Virginia  to  Bermudas  and  Lower  California. 

£Jggs,  2-3,  generally  deposited  in  a  depression  in  the  sand,  varying 
from  greenish  to  deep  brown,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown, 
blackish,  and  lilac,  1.62  by  1.24. 

Migrant;  in  some  localities  abundant.  Some  remain  throughout 
the  summer  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  where  it  may  breed. 
These  birds  are  later  arriving  in  the  spring  and  earlier  returning  in 
the  fall  than  the  last  mentioned  species.  I  have  no  record  earlier 
than  May  2,  and  generally  it  is  the  latter  part  of  the  month  when 
they  are  chiefly  noted.  They  seem  to  mark  the  end  of  the  spring 
migrations.  I  noted  one  on  the  Whitewater  River,  June  3,  1884, 
which  is  the  latest  spring  record  for  the  southern  part  of  the  State. 
They  leave  for  the  south  in  August.  It  has  been  reported  from  Franklin 
County,  Carroll  and  Marshall  (Evermann),  Monroe  (Bollman),  Allen 
(Stockbridge),  Putnam  (Earlle),  Steuben  (Cass),  Laporte  (Barber). 
Lake  (Parker,  Meyer  and  Tallman).  This  species  is  the  common  tern 
of  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  Forster's  is  more  common  in  the  interior. 
They  are  said  to  breed  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  on  Heisterman's  Island,  in 
Saginaw  Bay,  "on  muskrat  houses  in  marshes,"  and  in  the  Upper 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  579 

Peninsula  of  Michigan  (Cook,  Birds  of  Michigan,  p.  34).  Mr.  Eidg- 
way  notes  that  it  breeds  at  Lake  Koshkonong,  Wis.  (Birds  of  111.,  Vol. 
II,  p.  247).  From  there  they  breed  in  suitable  localities  northward 
to  the  Arctic  coast.  They  have  not  been  reported  from  Alaska  (See 
article  by  William  Brewster,  Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  1879,  p.  13). 

17.     (72 )    Sterna  dougalli  Montag. 

Roseate  Tern. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Top  of  head  and  nape  uniform  black;  mantle 
pale  pearly-blue;  upper  tail  coverts  and  tail  silvery  white;  below  pure 
white,  tinged  with  pink;  bill  black,  reddish  at  base;  feet,  coral-red. 
Winter  and  Immature. — Plumages  change  as  in  other  species. 

Length,  14.00-17.00;  wing,  9.25-9.75;  tail,  7.25-7.75;  depth  of  fork, 
3.50-4.50;  B.,  1.50. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  West  Indies  and  Central  America 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Massachusetts;  casually  to  Nova  Scotia;  ac- 
cidental in  the  interior.  Breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range. 
Winters  south  of  the  United  States. 

JEggs,  3,  deposited  on  ground,  similar  to  those  of  the  last  species, 
1.65  by  1.12. 

Accidental  visitor.  Bare.  Nothing  has  ben  added  to  the  history  of 
this  bird  in  Indiana.  I  know  of  no  other  record  of  its  occurrence  in 
the  State  than  that  given  by  Dr.  Haymond,  in  Proceedings  Philadel- 
phia Academy  of  Science,  1859,  and  later  in  the  Indiana  Geological 
Survey,  1869.  Dr.  Wheaton  gave  it  upon  the  authority  of  Mr.  Wins- 
low  as  occurring  on  Lake  Erie  (Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  562);  Dr.  Langdon 
notes  its  occurrence  near  Cincinnati  (Revised  List  of  Cincinnati  Birds, . 
p.  21);  Prof.  Cook  and  Dr.  Gibbs  both  give  it  as  a  bird  of  Michigan. 
The  former  refers  to  a  specimen  recorded  in  the  list  of  the  collection 
of  the  Kent  Scientific  Institute.  Of  course,  its  occurrence  in  the  in- 
terior can  only  be  considered  accidental. 

SuBGKNi  s  STERNULA  Boik. 

'^18.     (74.)     sterna  antillarum  (Less.). 

Least  Tern. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Very  small;  "bill  yellow,  usually  tipped  with 
black;  mantle,  pale  pearly  grayish  blue,  unchanged  on  the  rump  and 
tail;  a  white  frontal  crescent,  separating  the  black  from  the  bill, 
boimded  below  by  a  black  loral  stripe  reaching  the  bill;  shafts  of  two 
or  more  of  the  outer  primaries,  hlacJc  on  the  upper  surface,  white  un- 
derneath;   feet,    orange."      (Wheaton).     Adult  in  Winter. — Similar; 


580  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

the  lores,  forehead  and  crown,  grayish- white,  pure  white  in  front;  bill, 
dull  yellow  or  dusky;  feet,  pale  yellow.  Immature. — Similar  to  last, 
but  lesser  wing  coverts  dusky;  scapulars  with  V-shaped  dusky  marks. 

Length,  8.50-9.75;  wing,  6.60;  tail,  3.50;  depth  of  fork,  1.75;  bill, 
1.20. 

Eange. — America,  from  Trinidad  and  Central  America  to  Massa- 
chusetts and  Minnesota,  and  California  casually  to  Labrador.  Breeds 
throughout  most  of  its  range.    Winters  south  of  the  United  States. 

Nest,  a  hollow  in  the  ground.  Eggs,  2-4;  drab  or  buff,  spotted  with 
brown  and  lilac. 

Eare  migrant  over  most  of  the  State.  A  few  are  summer  residents 
in  the  northern  part.  The  only  record  from  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  is  a  specimen  taken  near  Brookville,  August  22,  1887,  which  is 
now  in  my  collection.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  notes  having  seen  it  through 
the  summer  months  in  Lake  County,  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Hancock  found  a 
nest  containing  three  eggs  at  Wolf  Lake,  Ind.,  June  5,  1882.  Four 
birds  were  seen  at  the  time.  The  nest  was  simply  a  depression  on  a 
pile  of  reeds  in  an  almost  inaccessible  portion  of  a  small  inlet  of 
water.  The  same  gentleman  informs  me  that  Mr.  George  Clingman 
found  it  nesting  at  Hyde  Park,  HI.,  May  27,  1875.  He  notes  it  was 
common  some  years  ago,  but  is  now  rather  rare.  Prof.  Cook  notes 
it  as  a  breeder  at  St.  Clair  Flats.  Mr.  Eidgway  says  it  doubtless 
breeds  in  Hlinois,  although  to  his  knowledge  there  is  no  record  of  its 
doing  so.    (Birds  of  Illinois,  Vol.  II,  p.  248.) 

Genus  HYDROCHELIDON  Boie. 

a'.  Tail  not  deeply  forked;  toes  slightly  webbed  ;  black  below  in  summer. 

H.  nigra  surinamensis  Gmel.     19 

*19.    (77.)    Hydrochelidon  nigra  surinamensis   (Gmel.). 

Black  Tern. 
Synonym,  Short-tailed  Tern. 

Adult  in  Summer. — "Head,  neck  and  under  parts  uniform  jet  black; 
back,  wings  and  tail  plumbeous;  primaries  unstriped;  crissum  pure 
white;  bill  black.  Adult  in  Winter  and  Immature. — The  black  almost 
replaced  by  white  on  the  forehead,  sides  of  head  and  under  parts;  the 
crown,  occiput,  and  neck  behind,  with  the  sides  under  the  wings,  being 
dusky  gray;  a  dark  auricular  patch  and  another  before  the  eye." 
Young. — The  upper  parts  marked  with  dull  brown. 

Length,  9.25-9.75;  wing,  8.25;  tail,  3.75;  depth  of  fork,  .90;  bill, 
1.10. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  581 

Range. — America,  from  Chili  to  Alaska.  Breeds  in  the  interior 
from  Indiana  and  Kansas  northward.  Winters  south  of  the  United 
States. 

Nesty  of  grass,  sedges,  etc.,  on  an  elevation  in  a  marsh  or  a  de- 
pression in  floating  drift.  Eggs,  3;  brown  or  greenish,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  different  shades  of  brown  and  lilac;  1.35  by  .98. 

Regular  migrant  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  and  a  summer 
resident  about  marshy  lakes,  at  least  from  the  Kankakee  River  north- 
ward. In  some  localities  it  breeds  commonly.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley 
I  have  never  found  it  common,  but  occasionally  in  May  it  may  be  seen 
moving  northward.  In  this  vicinity  I  have  never  found  it  in  the  fall. 
Mr.  R.  R.  Moffitt  reports  it  from  White  County  as  early  as  April,  where 
he  says  it  is  to  be  found  from  April  to  August.  Knox  County, 
April  18,  1888.  (Balmer.)  They  usually  are  noted  in  spring  in  May, 
and  pass  directly  northward  to  their  summer  homes.  The  dates  re- 
ported from  the  lakes  of  northwest  Indiana  are  as  early  as  are  those  of 
the  most  southerly  stations.  From  May  6  to  15  they  are  first  seen.  About 
the  marshes  they  are  usually  noted  in  flocks  of  ten  to  forty,  and  it  is 
not  unusual  that  a  number  of  these  birds  are  in  immature  plumage. 
They  may  be  seen  flying  over  the  waters  of  the  lake,  skimming 
the  surface  of  the  marsh,  and  sometimes,  swallow-like,  insect  catching 
over  the  wet  meadows  or  even  the  dryer  pasture  land.  'While  flying 
they  utter  a  peculiar  cry,  sounding  something  like  krik!  krik!  krik! 
Their  principal  food  is  insects.  Often  one  may  approach  their  homes 
and  find  none  fljdng,  but  a  canoe  voyage  through  the  marsh  will  show 
them  sitting  upon  masses  of  roots  of  upturned  pond  lilies  or  other 
floating  material.  They  nest  upon  floating  half-decayed  vegetation  or 
other  debris  often  where  the  water  is  not  over  two  feet  deep.  Two 
broods  appear  to  be  reared  in  a  season,  as  eggs  are  taken  in  May  and 
July.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  of  Chicago,  111.,  for 
the  following  notes  furnished  him  by  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Gould,  of  Colum- 
bus, 0.  He  visited  English  Lake  twice,  once  each  in  June  and  July, 
1891,  and  gives  the  following  results  of  his  observations  upon  the  breed- 
ing habits  of  these  Terns.  He  says:  "I  found  the  Black  Terns  nesting  in 
what  I  suppose  you  call  the  'South  Marsh.'  My  first  trip  to  the  lake 
was  made  on  June  17.  The  water  was  very  high,  and  we  were  able  to 
push  our  boat  through  the  marsh  at  will.  The  nests  were  mere  de- 
pressions made  in  the  mass  of  floating  drift.  This  drift  was  frequently 
very  compact  and  dotted  with  gro^dng  vegetation.  Sometimes  a  nest 
was  found  on  a  bunch  of  drift  no  larger  than  my  hat.  In  no  instance 
was  more  than  one  nest  found  on  a  drift,  but  in  favorable  localities 
two  or  three  nests  would  be  found  within  a  small  space.    We  were  too 


582  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

early  to  find  full  sets  of  eggs,  but  on  July  1,  when  at  the  lake  for  one 
day,  I  secured  several  sets  of  three.  Owing  to, the  color  of  the  eggs, 
the  nests  are  sometimes  hard  to  find,  but  if  one  remains  quiet  he  will 
soon  see  the  birds,  which  have  gathered  over  his  head  on  his  first 
approach,  silently  returning  to  their  nests,  which  can  then  be  readily 
located.  I  caught  several  pair  despoiling  a  nest  of  the  Grebe 
(Podilymhus  podiceps).  I  was  attracted  to  the  spot  by  the  cries  of  the 
Terns,  and  found  them  hovering  over  the  nest,  which  was  a  new  one, 
containing  two  or  more  eggs,  as  I  found  one  in  the  nest  and  one  in  the 
water  lodged  among  the  grass."  Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker,  Jr.,  says  they 
breed  abundantly  about  Hyde  and  Calumet  lakes,  111.,  and  Wolf  Lake, 
Ind.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  notes  them  as  breeding  abundantly  in  the 
marshes  of  the  Calumet  and  Kankakee  rivers.  Mr.  Charles  Barber 
says  they  breed  in  Laporte  County.  Mr.  R.  R.  Moffitt  took  two  young, 
in  White  County,  May  17,  1886.  T  know  of  no  record  of  their  breed- 
ing in  the  north-central  or  northeastern  part  of  the  State.  After  the 
young  are  grown  they  collect  with  the  adults  in  flocks  about  the  lakes 
and  along  the  sluggish  rivers  of  the  breeding  region  and  remain  until 
August  or  early  September,  at  which  time  they  pass  to  the  southward. 
It  is  possible  that  some  remain  into  October  or  even  early  Xovember. 


C.  Ordek  STFXIANOPODES.  TotipalmateSwimmkrs. 
VI.     Family  ANHINGID^.     Dahters. 

Character  same  as  family.  Anhin«;a.     9 

9.    Gkxus  ANIIINGA  Bbisson. 

VI.     Family  ANHINGIDiE      Dakters. 

a^.  Chiefly  black;  greenish  luster  above;  neck  with  hair-like  plumes. 

A.  anh.ing'a  Linn      20 

20.     (^118.)     Anhinga  anhinga  (Linn.). 

Anhinga. 
Synonym,  Snake  Bird. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Head,  neck  and  body  glossy  greenish-black; 
other  parts  deep  black;  wing  coverts  streaked  with  gray;  tail  tipped 
with  whitish;  head  and  neck  mth  hair-like  feathers,  the  forward  ones 
dirty  white,  the  others  black.  Adult  Male  in  Winter. — Similar,  but 
lacking  hair-like  feathers.  Adult  Female  in  Summer. — Head,  neck 
and  breast  grayish  buff,  a  band  of  chestnut  separating  it  from  the 


Birds  of  Indiana.  583 

belly;  neck  with  a  few  whitish  feathers;  rest  of  plumage  black.  Adult 
Female  in  Winter. — Similar,  but  lacking  the  whitish  feathers  on  the 
neck.    Immature. — Similar  to  the  last,  but  lighter. 

Length,  32.25-36.00;  wing,  14.00;  tail,  11.00;  bill,  3.25. 

Eange. — Tropical  and  subtropical  America,  north  to  North  Caro- 
lina and  southern  Illinois;  casually  to  Indiana  and  northern  Michigan. 
Breeds  in  the  southern  part  of  its  United  States  range. 

Nest,  in  bushes  or  trees,  over  water.  Eggs,  3-5;  bluish-  or  greenish- 
white;  2.15  by  1.35. 

The  Anhinga  can  only  be  counted  as  an  accidental  visitor  in  In- 
diana. Mr.  Eobert  Ridgway  says:  ^Tt  appears  to  be  a  regular  summer 
resident  in  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  Illinois,'^  referring  partic- 
ularly to  the  vicinity  of  Cairo.  (Birds  of  Illinois,  Vol.  II,  209.)  There 
are  but  two  records  for  this  State.  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley,  of  Lebanon, 
Ind*.,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Indianapolis,  informs  me  that  he 
killed  a  pair  of  Anhingas  on  the  *^'Broad  Cut"  of  the  canal,  just  north 
of  the  latter  city,  in  1858.  Mr.  Fletcher  M.  Noe,  of  Indianapolis, 
says  he  received  a  male  which  was  killed  some  two  miles  south  of  that 
city,  on  A^Hiite  River.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  noted  Mr.  Noe's  report 
of  this  in  the  "American  Naturalist,"  March,  1887,  p.  291.  Mr.  Charles 
Dury,  of  Avondale,  Cincinati,  0.,  informs  me  that  he  has  in  his  collec- 
tion an  Anhinga  brought  from  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.,  by  Mr.  Roach, 
who  obtained  it  from  the  man  who  shot  it.  This  is  indeed  very  much 
out  of  its  range. 

VIL     Family  PHALACROCORACIDJE.     Cormorants. 

Character  same  as  family.  Phalacrocorax.     10 

10.    Gknus  PHALACROCORAX  Brisson. 

a^.  Tail  feathers  12;  breeding  plniiiage  with  supercilliary  crests  black. 

b\  Length  30.00  or  more.  P.  dilophus  (Sw.  &  Rich.).     21 

/)2.  Length  less  than  30.00.  P.  dilophus  floridanus  And.     22 

Subgenus  PHALACR^^oKAx. 

21,     (120.)     Phalacrocorax  dilophus  (Sw.  &  Rich.). 

Double-crested  Cormorant. 

Adult. — "Tail  of  twelve  feathers;  gular  sac  convex  or  nearly  straight 
edged  behind.  Glossy  greenish-black;  feathers  of  the  back  and  wings 
coppery-gray,  black  shafted,  black  edged;"  curly  black  crests  on  side  of 
head.  ''In  the  breeding  season  other  filamentous  white  ones  over 
the  eyes  and  along  the  sides  of  the  neck.    Gular  sac  and  lores  orange." 


584  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

Immature. — Above,  grayish-brown;  below,  brownish;  no  crests  or 
other  decorative  feathers  on  head.     (Eidgw.) 

Length,  29.00  to  33.50;  wing,  12.00-13.00;  bill,  2.25. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  the  Gnlf  of  Mexico  to  Man- 
itoba. Breeds  from  Dakota  and  Maine,  formerly  from  Ohio  and  Iowa, 
northward.    Winters  from  Maine  and  southern  Illinois  southward. 

Nest,  in  trees  or  on  cliffs,  of  sticks,  etc.  Eggs,  2-5,  pale  bluish-green, 
more  or  less  encrusted  with  chalky;  2.52  by  1.59. 

Eegular  migrant,  more  or  less  common  along  the  larger  streams. 
Doubtless  occasionally  winter  resident  in  southern  part  of  the  State. 
It  must  be  that  most  of  the  cormorants  reported  from  our  State  belong 
to  this  species.  While  but  few  of  the  specimens  reported  have  been 
preserved,  and  consequently  are  not  accessible  for  verification,  those 
examined  have  generally  proven  to  belong  to  this  species.  At  Brook- 
ville  I  have  noted  it  as  early  as  February  2  (1883)  and  as  late  as  A^ril 
16  (1881)  in  spring,  and  from  September  (1879)  to  Nov.  19  (1880)  in 
fall.  (Langdon  Journ.Cin.Soc.  Nat.  Hist,  July,  1880,  p.  127.)  They  are 
most  numerous  with  us  in  the  spring,  in  April,  and  in  the  fall,  in  Oc- 
tober. The  fall  of  1880  they  were  unusually  numerous  on  the  White- 
water Eiver.  One  flock  of  fourteen  was  seen,  from  which  several  were 
shot,  one  of  which  is  now  in  my  collection.  Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  also  se- 
cured others,  one  of  which  he  placed  in  the  collection  of  Dr.  F.  W. 
Langdon.  Farther  northward  in  the  State  they  remain  later  in  spring 
than  they  do  with  us.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  noted  it  from  Lowell,  Ind., 
in  April,  1883,  and  Mr.  B.  T.  Gault  from  English  Lake,  May  30,  1880. 
Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  took  one  at  Indianapolis,  May  8,  1858.  Prof.  Cooke 
notes  that  Dr.  Ezra  S.  Holmes,  of  Grand  Eapids,  Mich.,  has  a  male 
which  he  took  in  northern  Indiana,  near  the  Michigan  line  (Birds  of 
Michigan,  p.  36).  In  the  fall  I  have  no  Indiana  record  earlier  than 
September.  Prof.  Cooke  (loc.  cit.)  records  it  from  Pine  Lake,  Michi- 
gan, in  August,  1893.  Messrs.  Ulrey  and  Wallace  note  a  male  and  fe- 
male taken  at  Long  Lake,  Ind.,  Nov.  15,  1890  (Proc.  Ind.  Acad.  Sci., 
1895,  p.  149),  and  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  informs  me  of  one  shot  Nov.  28, 
1895,  on  Big  Walnut  Creek,  Putnam  County,  Ind.  Mr.  Euthven 
Deane  reports  seeing  a  Cormorant  of  this  species  at  English  Lake, 
June  5,  1892.  In  November,  1896,  Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  made  a  trip 
down  the  Wabash  Eiver.  November  3  he  took  a  female  four  miles  be- 
low Wabash.  He  saw  others  at  the  following  points:  One  near  Logans- 
port,  one  near  Vincennes,  and  one  near  Mt.  Carmel,  111. 

I  do  not  know  that  it  ever  breeds  in  Indiana,  but  Dr.  Wheaton 
(Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  544)  says  it  is  said  to  have  nested  years  ago  at  the 
Licking  Eeservoir.    In  the  Ohio  Valley  they  are   known  as  "Water 


Birds  of  Indiana.  585 

Turkeys,"  and  in  the  Northwest  Territory  they  are  called  by  the  na- 
tives "Crow  Duck."  Although  a  sea  bird,  and  breeding  along  the 
shores  of  the  Atlantic  from  the  southern  borders  of  the  British  pos- 
sessions on  the  west  side,  they  nevertheless  breed  at  some  places  in 
the  interior  of  America.  Formerly  they  were  known  to  breed  in 
Iowa,  but  perhaps  none  now  nest  south  of  some  favorite  lakes  in 
Minnesota  and  Dakota.  Prof.  Macoun  notes  them  as  breeding  abun- 
dantly in  northwestern  Canada,  at  Lake  Winnepegosis,  in  1881 
(Thompson,  Birds  of  Manitoba,  p.  473).  The  food  of  Cormorants  is 
fish.  They  may  be  seen  along  watercourses  and  about  lakes  during  the 
migration,  often  singly,  but  many  times  from  ten  to  a  dozen  together. 
To  one  unacquainted  with  them  they  appear  as  ducks  with  a  peculiar 
manner  of  flight,  but  when  they  are  seen  to  alight  on  the  projecting 
limb  of  some  tree  that  overhangs  the  water,  it  at  once  becomes  ap- 
parent that  the  bird  is  something  else. 


22.     (120«.)    Phalacrocorax  dilophus  floridanus  (Aud.). 

Florida  Cormorant. 

Similar  to  the  last  species,  but  smaller.  Length,  21.25-30.00;  wing, 
12.00;  bill,  2.10. 

Eange. — Southeastern  United  States  north  to  North  Carolina, 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.    Breeds  north  to  Ohio. 

Nest  and  Eggs. — Similar  to  those  of  last  species. 

The  Florida  Cormorant  is  a  migrant  and  perhaps  a  rare  summer 
resident  in  southern  Indiana.  A  few  may  remain  through  the  winter, 
when  the  weather  is  not  too  severe.  Some  years  ago  it  was  thought 
the  Cormorant  most  commonly  seen  in  the  Ohio  Valley  was  this 
species.  In  later  years  examination  of  specimens  shows  that  the  ma- 
jority of  occurrences  are  of  the  Double-crested  Cormorant.  Whether 
it  or  the  present  species  was  formerly  the  more  common,  I  have  no 
means  of  determining.  The  birds  have  been  largely  destroyed  or 
forced  to  withdraw  from  this  range.  Prof.  0.  P.  Jenkins  found  it  as 
far  up  the  "Wabash  Eiver  as  Terre  Haute.  Dr.  Stein  met  with  it  on 
the  Lower  Wabash.  Mr.  Eobert  Eidgway  notes  it  as  ranging  up  the 
Wabash  Eiver  as  far  as  Mt.  Carmel,  111.  He  thinks  it  is  a  summer  resi- 
dent and  probably  breeds  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties.  I  have  the 
skull  of  a  specimen  taken  near  Brookville  in  1877.  Dr.  F.  W.  Lang- 
don  notes  it  from  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  I,  1879,  p.  186).  The  same  gentleman,  in  his  observations  on 
Cincinnati  Birds,  gives  the  following  account,  by  Mr.  Chas.  Dury,  of 


586  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

their  former  abundance  at  St.  Mary^s  Reservoir,  in  Ohio,  which  is 
probably  not  over  twelve  miles  east  of  the  Indiana  line:  "On  the  south 
side  of  the  Eeservoir,  about  seven  miles  from  Celina,  was  the  'Water 
Turkey^  Rookery.  Here  I  used  to  shoot  them,  with  the  natives,  who 
wanted  them  for  their  feathers;  I  have  helped  kill  a  boat-load. 

"One  season  I  climbed  up  to  their  nests  and  got  a  cap  full  of  eggs. 
The  nests  were  made  of  sticks  and  built  in  the  forks  of  the  branches. 
The  trees  (which  were  all  dead)  were  mostly  oaks,  and  covered  with 
excrement.  I  found  from  two  to  four  eggs  or  young  to  a  nest.  The 
young  were  queer  little  creatures — looked  and  felt  like  India  rubber. 
The  old  birds  flew  around  in  clouds,  and  made  their  croaking  notes, 
indicative  of  their  displeasure  at  my  presence.  Some  oi  the  trees  had 
ten  or  twelve  nests  in  them.  As  the  timber  has  rotted  and  blown 
down,  the  birds  have  become  less  and  less  numerous. 

"The  above  circumstances  occurred  during  the  month  of  June,  1867, 
since  when,  as  Mr.  Dury  states,  these  birds  have  rapidly  decreased  in 
numbers.  The  many  specimens  examined  by  him  were,  without  ex- 
ception, var.  floridanus." 

Dr.  Langdon  found  a  single  specimen  floating  on  the  Reservoir  in 
October,  1874. 

VIII.     Family  PELECANID^.     P£Lica>8. 

Characters  same  as  family.  Pelecanus.     11 

11.    Grnus  PELECANUS  Linn.ots. 

o^.  Tail  feathers  24;  lower  jaw  densely  feathered.    Subgenus  Ci/rtopfkcanus.    Keich. 
6^.  Color,  white.  P.  erythrorhynchos  Gmel.     23 

23.     (1,25  )    Pelecanus  erythrorhynchos  Gmel. 

American  Wliite  Pelican. 

"White;  occiput  and  breast,  yellow;  primaries,  their  coverts,  bastard 
quills  and  many  secondaries,  black;  bill,  sac,  lores  and  feet,  yellow.'' 
(Wheaton.) 

Length,  53.50-64.00;  wing,  22.25-25.25;  bill,  11.30-15.00. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Guatemala  to  latitude  61  degrees 
north  in  the  interior.  Rare  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Breeds,  locally, 
from  Great  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  northward. 

Nest^  a  mound  of  earth  with  a  depression  in  the  top.  Eggs,  2-4; 
dull  chalky-white:  3.45  by  2.30. 

Rare  migrant.  Almost  every  year  one  or  more  are  noted  from  some 
place  in  the  State,  yet  few  are  the  persons  who  ever  saw  one  alive.  Dr. 
Rufus  Haymond  reported  it  from  Franklin  County.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chans- 
ler  writes  me  of  the  occurrence  of  these  birds  in  large  numbers  in 
Knox  County  in  1850.    One  was  killed  near  Swan  Pond  in  the  spring 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  587 

of  1890.  Mr.  Robert  Ridg^vay  has  also  observed  it  in  Knox  and  Gib- 
son counties.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge,  in  Allen  County;  Mr.  Charles 
Dury,  from  "Swan  Lake/'  and  Dr.  Vernon  Gould,  from  Fulton 
County.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  notes  its  occurrence  in  Montgomery 
County,  and  the  capture  of  a  specimen  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Black,  in  Carroll 
County,  in  the  spring  of  1881  (The  Auk,  October,  1888,  p.  346).  Mr. 
F.  M.  ISToe  gives  an  account  of  a  specimen  taken  at  New  Castle  May 
20,  1.892,  in  the  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  1892,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  123. 
A  AThite  Pelican  was  killed  May  25,  1892,  near  Bloomfield,  Greene 
County.  One  was  taken  on  the  Wabash  River,  near  Lafayette,  Sept. 
29,  1895  (L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test).  Mr.  W.  B.  Van  Gorder  reports  a 
specimen  taken  at  Rome  City  in  the  spring  of  1896.  It  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  William  Williams.  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  informs  me 
that  two  of  these  birds  were  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Miller^s  in  the  fall 
of  1896,  and  that  they  remained  there  several  days.  Mr.  F.  M.  "Toe 
wrote  me  that  he  received  a  White  Pelican  which  was  killed  near  Con- 
nersville.  May  3,  1897.  He  says  it  was  reported  to  havfe  been  seen  in 
that  vicinity  for  several  days.  Mr.  T.  H.  Ball  says  years  ago  they  were 
of  regular  occurrence  at  Cedar  Lake,  Lake  County.  They  are  usually 
seen  as  they  go  northward  in  the  spring,  in  May,  and  on  their  way 
southward,  in  September  or  October.  We  are  out  of  the  line  of  their 
migrations,  hence  see  comparatively  few  of  them,  and  those  observed 
are  generally  single  birds.  The  direct  line  of  movement  to  their  breed- 
ing grounds  is  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  There  they  mi- 
grate in  flocks,  and  are  much  more  often  seen.  Their  breeding  ground 
is  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States,  where  about  many  of  the  lakes 
of  British  America  they  breed,  as  they  also  do  on  the  islands  of  Great* 
Salt  Lake,  Utah.  Ordinarily  to  the  westward  of  the  Mississippi  River 
.the  greater  number  pass  north  in  April.  It  would  therefore  seem  that 
those  which  come  to  us  are  among  the  later  migrants. 

IX.     Famfly  FREGATIDJE.     Mano'-war  Birds 

Characters  same  as  family.  Freoata.     12 

12.    Genus  FREGATA  Brissox. 
a'.  Black;  shoulders  of  male  lustrous.  F.  aquila  Linn.     24 

24.     (128.)    Fregata  aquila  Linn. 

Man-o'-War  Bird. 

Adult  Male. — Tail  deeply  forked,  entirely  black,  more  or  less  glossy 
above.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  duller  and  browner;  breast  and 
sides  whitish.  Immature. — Head,  neck,  breast  and  belly,  white;  rest 
of  plumage  like  that  of  female. 


688  Kepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  37.50-41.00;  wing,  23.00-27.10;  tail,  14.25-19.25;  depth  of 
fork,  about  half  its  length;  bill,  4.25-5.15. 

Eange. — Tropical  and  sub-tropical  regions;  north  to  Florida,  Texas 
and  California;  accidentally  to  Nova  Scotia,  Indiana  and  Kansas. 

Nest,  of  sticks  in  bushes  or  on  rock  near  the  sea.  Egg,  1;  chalky- 
white;  2.62  by  1.75. 

Accidental  visitor.  This  graceful  bird  of  the  tropic  seas  rarely  wan- 
ders far  inland.  Along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  it  is  a  resident.  Only  once, 
so  far  as  we  know,  has  it  been  identified  in  Indiana.  In  the  fall  of 
1896  I  saw,  in  the  office  of  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley,  the  well-known  taxider- 
mist, at  Lebanon,  Ind.,  a  nicely  mounted  specimen  of  a  young  male  of 
this  species.  I  learned  it  was  killed  near  Shelbyville,  Ind.,  July  14, 
1896,  by  Mr.  "W.  S.  Patterson,  and  came  into  Mr.  Beasley's  hands 
for  preservation  the  next  day.  I  took  the  following  measurements  from 
the  mounted  specimen:  Length,  36.00;  wing,  24.00;  tail,  16.00; 
depth  of  fork,  7.00;  bill,  4.25.  There  is  only  one  other  record  for  the 
Ohio  Valley.  In  the  spring  of  1880  a  specimen  was  taken  in  Franklin 
County,  0.,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Df.  Eenshaw,  of  Sugar 
Grove,  0.  (Davie.,  ISTests  and  Eggs,  N.  A.  Birds,  pp.  59,  60).  There 
are  two  other  records  that  are  equally  remarkable  in  showing  the  in- 
land wanderings  of  this  species.  In  the  Milwaukee  Public  Museum 
is  one  of  these  birds,  which  was  killed  in  the  vicinity  of  Humboldt, 
Wis.,  a  few  miles  north  of  Milwaukee,  in  August,  1880.  In  the  same 
month  (August  16,  1880)  one  was  killed  with  a  stone  while  sitting  on 
a  tree  in  Osborne  County,  Kan.  It  was  mounted,  but  track  has  been 
lost  of  the  specimen.  However,  a  photograph  was  taken,  which  serves 
to  verify  the  record  (Bird  Migration  in  the  Miss.  Valley.  Cooke,  p. 
60). 


D.     Order  ANSERES.     Ducks  and  Geese. 
X.     Family  ANATIDJE.     Ducks  a?«d  Geese. 

a^.  Neck  shorter  than  body. 

an}.  Space  between  eye  and  bill  wholly  or  partly  naked.  Cairina.     18a 

aa"^.  Space  between  eye  and  bill  feathered. 

6^.  P""ront  of  tarsus  divided  into  more  or  less  square  plates;  its  length  less  than 
middle  toe  without  claw;  sexes  unlike, 
c^.  Bill  narrow,  long;  apparently  with  teeth.     Subfamily  Merging. 

d^ .  Processes  of  mandibles  conspicuously  tooth-like,  pointing  backwards  at 
tips.  Merganser.     13 

(Z^.  Processes  of  mandibles  short,  not  pointing  backwards  at  tips. 

LOPHODYTES.       14 


Birds  op  Indiana.  589 

;2.  Bill  broad;  lower  mandible  with  a  very  distinct'series  of  lamellae  along 
the  side,  besides  the  series  along  the  upper  edge. 

Subfamily  Anatin^.. 
e^.  Hind  toe  without  lobe  or  flap. 

p.  Bill  not  spoon  shaped;  scarcely  widened  towards  the  tip. 
^^.  Tail  feathers  narrow,  rather  pointed  ;  no  crest. 

h^ .  Tail  not  pointed,    its   middle  feathers  not  unusually  long  in 
male;  speculum  green,  violet  or  white.  Anas.     15 

/j2.  Tail  pointed ;    its   middle   feathers   much   lengthened    in   the 
male;  female  with  tail  much  shorter;  speculum  violet. 

Dafila.     17 
g'^.  Tail  feathers  broad,  rounded  at  tip ;  male  with  a  high  crest. 

Aix.     18 
p.  Bill  spoon  shaped,  narrow  at  base,  very  broad  towards  tip. 

Spatula.     16 
e^.  Hind  toe  with  a  broad  lobe  or  flap. 

1^.  Tail  feathers  with  bases  scarcely  concealed  by  short  coverts; 
tail  feathers  narrow  and  stiff. 

p.  Outer  toe  longer  than  middle  toe  ;  nail  of  bill  small,  bent 
backward  beneath  the  tip  of  upper  mandible. 

Erismatura.     24 
p.  Outer  toe  shorter  than  middle  toe;  mail  of  bill  normal. 

NOMONYX. 

i^.  Tail  feathers  with  their  bases  well  hidden  by  their  coverts. 
k^.  Feathering  on  lores  or  forehead  not  reaching  beyond  pos- 
terior border  of  nostril. 
/^.  Graduation  of  tail  less  than  length  of  bill  from  nostril. 

Aythya.     19 
/2.  Graduation  of  tail  more  than  length  of  bill  from  nostril, 
m^.  Bill  ordinary,  not  swollen;    having  no  appendage 
on  edge  at  ba'se  of  upper  mandible. 
n^.  Wing  less  than  seven  inches  long;  eyes  brown. 

Charitonetta.     21 
n^.  Wing  over  seven  inches  long. 

o\  Nostril  in    middle  of   bill,  or  nearer  tip  than 

base;  eyes  yellow.  Glaucionetta.     20 

.  0^.  Nostril  nearer  the  base  than  tip  of  bill;  male 

with  long  tail.  Clangula.     22 

m^.  Bill  not  ordinary,  swollen  or  else  appendaged    at 

base,  or  on  sides. 

p^.  Bill  swollen  at  base.  Oidemia.     23 

/>2.  Bill  not  swollen  at  base,  but  appendaged. 
q^.  Bill  appendaged  with  a  lobe  on  each  side 
near  base;  speculum  violet. 

HiSTRIONICUS. 

q^.  Bill  with  a  leathery  expansion  on  sides  of 
upper  mandible ;  cheeks  bristly  ;  speculum 
white.  Camptolaimus. 

k^.  Feathering  on  forehead  or  lores  extending  to  or  beyond 
nostril;  bill  swollen  at  base.  Somateria. 


590  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

b'^.  Tarsus  marked  with  a  network  of  lines  over  its  whole  surface;  meshes 
slightly  larger  in  front;  its  length  not  less  than  that  of  middle  toe  without 
claw ;  sexes  alike. 

r'.  Cutting  edge  of  upper  mandible  nearly 
straight ;  its  serrations  scarcely  visible 
from  side,  except  near  angle  of  mouth ; 
head,  bill  and  feet  mostly  black. 

Branta.     27 

r'.  Cutting  edge  of  upper  mandible  concave 

or  sinuate ;  its  serrations  plainly  visible 

from  side  for   nearly   its  whole  length; 

bill  and  feet  pale. 

-s'.  Bill  very  stout ;  its  depth  at  base  more 

than  half  the  length  of  upper  mandible  ; 

color  largely  white.  Chen.     25 

s-.  Bill  smaller,  more  depressed;  its  depth 

at  base  not  half  the  length  of   upper 

mandible;  color  not  white. 

Anser.     26 
a^.  Neck  as  long  as  or  longer  than  body;  lores  partly  naked. 

Subfamily  Cygnin^  Swans. 
t^.  Color  white;  bill  and  feet  black,  in 
adult ;  grayish,  head  and  neck  brown- 
ish ;  bill  and  feet  light,  in  young. 

Olor.     28 

Subfamily  MERGJN^E.     Mergansers. 

13.    Genus  MERGANSER  Brisson. 

a^  Nostril  nearer  middle  of  bill  than  base.  M.  americanus  (Cass.).     25 

0-.  Nostril  near  base  of  bill.  M.  serrator  (  Linn.).     26 

25.     (129.)    Merganser  americanus  (Cass.). 

American  Merganser. 
Synonyms,  Fish  Duck,  Goosander. 

Nostrils  situated  near  the  middle  of  the  upper  mandible;  frontal 
feathers  extending  farther  forward  than  those  on  lateral  base  of  bill. 
Adult  Male. — Head  and  most  of  neck,  greenish-black;  head  slightly 
crested;  chest  and  other  lower  parts,  creamy  white  or  pale  salmon-color. 
Adult  Female. — Head  and  neck,  reddish  (chin  and  throat  white),  the 
occiput  with  a  full  crest  of  leligthened  feathers;  above,  chiefly  bluish- 
gray. 

Male;  length,  about  27.00;  wing,  10.50-11.25;  bill,  1.90-2.20;  tarsus, 
1.90-2.00.    Female  smaller. 

Eange.— North  America  generally.  Breeds  from  latitude  of  Min- 
nesota and  Michigan  northward;  winters  from  Kansas,  Indiana  and 
Maine  southward. 


BiRDg  OF  Indiana.  591 

Nest,  in  holes  in  trees  and  cliffs.  Eggs,  6-10;  creamy  buff;  2.65  by 
1.75. 

Common  migrant  and  winter  resident.  They  vary  in  numbers  with 
the  winters.  The  more  open  the  winter  the  greater  the  number.  Even 
in  the  coldest  winters  they  may  be  found  where  the  water  is  not 
frozen.  On- Lake  Michigan  it  is  one  of  the  commonest  ducks  during 
the  winter  months.  At  Miller^s,  Ind.,  they  were  common  Dec.  17, 
1895.  Jan.  14,  1897,  four  were  seen  (J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.).  In  1891, 
Feb.  14  and  15,  there  were  a  few  flocks  and  pairs  seen  at  English 
Lake,  Ind.  On  Feb.  12  some  200  were  seen,  and  five  were  shot.  They 
were  about  more  or  less  all  winter.  February  27  and  28,  1892,  there 
were  many  flocks  on  the  river  (Kankakee).  Several  were  shot.  They 
were  observed  during  the  winter  whenever  they  could  find  open  water. 
(Euthven  Deane.) 

The  winter  of  1889-90  they  remained  on  the  "Whitewater  all  winter 
and  were  noticed  commonly  from  Feb.  11  on.  The  winter  of  1896-7 
they  were  found  at  Brookville,  Dec.  6,  and,  from  reports,  were  seen  off 
and  on  all  winter. 

In  the  early  spring  this  is  the  most  common  duck  upon  the  creeks 
and  smaller  streams.  They  increase  in  numbers  noticeably  in  Feb- 
ruary or  March,  and,  as  the  weather  becomes  warmer,  begin  to  pass 
on  north,  usually  the  middle  of  March.  Most  have  gone  by  the  middle 
or  last  of  April.  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  notes  one  at  Greencastle,  May  7, 
1892,  an  unusually  late  date  for  southern  Indiana.  Occasionally  some 
may  spend  the  summer  among  our  northern  lakes,  but  I  do  not  know 
that  they  breed  with  us.  They  breed,  however,  in  northern  Michigan, 
and  from  that  latitude  northward  throughout  Manitoba  and  adjacent 
parts  of  Canada.  It  is  rare  on  Alaskan  coasts.  In  Manitoba,  Mr.  E. 
E.  Thompson  says  they  frequent  only  running  water.  This  duck  feeds 
almost,  if  not  altogether,  on  fish;  therefore  its  flesh  is  fishy  and  unpala- 
table. In  the  fall  they  return  to  us  in  October  and  November,  but  are 
not  nearly  so  common  or  so  noticeable  as  in  the  spring. 

26.     (130.)    Merganser  serrator  (Linn.). 

Red-breasted  Merganser. 

Nostrils  situated  near  the  base  of  the  maxilla;  feathers  on  lateral 
base  of  bill  extending  farther  forward  than  those  on  the  forehead. 
Adult  Male. — Head,  dull  greenish-black,  the  occiput  with  a  long, 
pointed  crest  of  narrow  feathers;  neck  and  sides  of  the  chesty  dull  buff, 
or  light  cinnamon,  streaked  with  black;  other  lower  parts  mainly  white. 
Adult  Female. — Very  similar  in  color  to  last  species. 


592  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  about  20.00-25.00;  wing,  8.60-9.00;  culmen,  2.50;  tarsus, 
1.80-1.90. 

Range. — Northern  portions  of  northern  hemisphere;  in  America, 
it  breeds  from  northern  Illinois,  Michigan  and  that  latitude  north- 
ward.   It  winters  from  its  southern  breeding  limit  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  beneath  projecting  rock  or  other  object,  of  moss 
or  leaves,  lined  with  down.  Eggs,  6-12;  yellowish  or  reddish-drab; 
2.67  by  1.73. 

Migrant  and  winter  resident  throughout  the  State.  Generally  rare, 
but  occasionally,  on  the  larger  bodies  of  water,  rather  common.  Mr. 
J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  notes  that  it  is  an  occasional  winter  visitor  on  Lake 
Michigan.     Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  says  they  remain  at  English  Lake, 


Head  of  a  Red-breasted  Merganser,  with  outline  of  bill  from  above.    Natural  size. 

Ind.,  as  long  as  there  is  open  water.  On  the  22d  of  November,  1891, 
he  found  them  abundant  there.  Over  the  southern  part  of  the  State 
they  are  found  in  winter,  as  is  the  last  species,  except  that  they 
are  much  fewer  in  number.  They  go  northward  as  the  rivers  are 
freed  from  ice  in  early  spring.  The  records  generally  show  them 
moving  in  March.  During  that  month  they  may  be  found  on  the 
streams  of  southern  and  middle  Indiana;  and  in  March  and  April 
they  frequent  the  marshes  of  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  They 
go  northward  earlier  than  the  last  mentioned  species,  or.  at  least 
they  do  not  seem  to  linger  as  does  that  form.  They  are  by  far 
the  rarest  of  the  fish  ducks  with  us.  Returning  from  their  breed- 
ing places,  they  are  found  about  the  marshes  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State,  sometimes  quite  abundantly,  but  generally  they  are 
rare.  In  October  or  November,  usually,  they  occur  in  small 
numbers,  one  or  two  to  four  or  five  together,  but  sometimes  quite 
large  flocks  are  met  with.  Mr.  Parker  informs  me  that  April  10, 
1897,  a  beautiful  male  Red-breasted  Merganser  was  killed  on  the  Kan- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  593 

kakee  Eiver,  near  Kouts,  Ind.  This  he  found  hanging  on  the  side  of 
a  hunter's  cabin  on  April  15.  That  day  another  hunter  brought  to 
him  a  female,  which  he  thought  was  the  mate  of  the  one  previously 
killed. 

It  has  not  been  found  breeding  in  Indiana.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson 
(Birds  of  N.  E.  Illinois,  p.  144)  notes  it  as  a  rare  summer  resident, 
and  says  it  frequents  small,  reedy  lakes,  and  nests  upon  old  muskrat 
houses.  Mr.  C.  L.  Cass  informs  me  that  he  found  nests  of  this  Mer- 
ganser near  Cross  Village,  Mich,  (where  it  breeds  commonly),  in  the 
summers  of  1896  and  1897,  and  adds  that  Mr.  Ed.  Van  Winkle,  of 
Van's  Harbor,  has  also  found  this  duck  breeding.  Mr.  S.  L.  White 
reports  having  found  a  nest  on  Eound  Island,  near  Mackinac  Island. 
It  was  located  under  a  low  cedar  near  the  water's  edge,  and  contained 
nine  eggs  (Cook,  Birds  of  Michigan,  p.  38). 

Prof.  Macoun  says,  in  Manitoba,  where  this  duck  commonly  breeds, 
both  it  and  the  Hooded  Merganser  feed  largely  on  vegetable  food,  and 
are  quite  edible  (E.  E.  Thompson,  Birds  of  Manitoba,  p.  474). 

15.    Genus  LOPHODYTES  Rbichrnbach. 
a^.  Speculum  white,  with  two  dark  bars.  L.  cucullatus  (Linn.).     27 

*27.     (131.)    Lophodytes  cucullatus  (Linn.). 

Hooded  Merganser. 

Nostrils  near  the  base  of  the  maxilla;  frontal  feathers,  reaching  be- 
yond those  on  sides  of  bill;  a  compact,  erect  semi-circular,  laterally 
compressed  crest  in  the  male.  Smaller  and  less  rounded  in  the  female. 
Male. — Black,  including  two  crescents  in  front  of  wing,  and  bar  across 
speculum;  under  parts,  center  of  crest,  speculum,  and  stripes  on  ter- 
tials,  white;  sides,  chestnut,  black-barred.  Female. — Smaller;  head 
and  neck,  brown;  chin  whitish;  back  and  sides,  dark-brown,  the 
feathers  with  paler  edges;  white  on  the  wing  less;  bill,  reddish  at  base 
below. 

Length,  17.50-19.00;  wing,  7.50-7.90;  culmen,  1.50;  tarsus,  1.25- 
1.30. 

Eange. — North  America,  generally,  south  to  Mexico  and  Cuba, 
breeding  nearly  throughout  its  range. 

Nest,  in  hollow  trees  or  stumps,  made  of  leaves  or  grasses,  lined  with 
down.    Eggs,  6-18;  pearly-white;  2.15  by  1.72. 

Very  abundant  migrant,  less  common  winter  resident,  and  locally 
resident  in  some  numbers.  Throughout  the  State  the  Hooded  Mer- 
ganser may  be  found  in  winter,  the  more  numerous  the  more  open  the 
38— Geol. 


594  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

winters,  and  always  attracted  to  the  open  water,  so  that  in  the  most 
severe  winters  they  are  most  to  be  observed  on  the  rapid  streams  of 
southern  Indiana,  where  ripples  and  rapids  are  about  the  only  places 
the  J  can  find  at  which  to  congregate.  Perhaps  they  are  most  nu- 
merous on  Lake  Michigan  at  this  season,  but  at  English  Lake,  Ind., 
and  other  large  lakes  they  remain  until  the  water  freezes  over.  In  the 
latter  part  of  February  in  some  years,  and  always  by  early  March,  their 
numbers  begin  to  increase,  and  the  spring  migration  has  begun.  They 
pass  northward  rapidly,  and  most  of  them  are  gone  by  the  latter  part 
of  March.  But  few  records  are  made  for  April,  except  in  breeding 
localities;  occasionally,  however,  there  are  belated  migrants  noted  as 
late  as  May.    Through  April  they  pair  and  seek  a  home. 

They  breed  in  suitable  localities  throughout  the  State.  Owing  to 
the  scarcity  of  such  localities  in  southern  Indiana  but  few  have  been 
reported  from  that  section.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  found  them  more 
numerous  than  the  Wood  Duck,  and  breeding  in  hollow  trees,  in  Mon- 
teur^s  Pond,  Knox  County,  in  the  spring  of  1881  (Bull.  Nutt.  Orn. 
Club.,  Vol.. VII,  Jan.  1,  1882,  p.  22).  I  feel  quite  confident  that  it 
formerly  bred  in  a  swamp  in  which  there  was  much  timber,  on  the 
west  fork  of  Whitewater  River,  about  four  miles  from  Brookville. 
Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann,  in  1888,  informed  me  of  its  breeding  in  Vigo 
County,  and  the  same  authority  notes  its  breeding  in  Carroll  County, 
where  he  saw  young  in  July  (The  Auk,  October,  1888,  p.  346).  Mr. 
F.  E.  Bell  informs  me  of  its  breeding  in  Wabash  County.  Mr.  C.  E. 
Aiken  says  it  breeds  commonly  on  the  Kankakee  River,  and  Mr.  J.  Gr. 
Parker,  Jr.,  has  recently  MTitten  me  that  quite  a  few  breed  on  that 
river  in  the  vicinity  of  Kouts,  Ind. 

The  migrants  return  in  October  and  November,  and  linger  as  long 
as  the  waters  are  open  and  food  is  abundant.  The  first  "freeze  up" 
starts  them  southward. 


Subfamily  ANATIN.E      River  Ducks. 

15.    (tRnus  AXAS  Lihn.f.us. 

^  Culmen  longer  than  middle  toe  without  claw. 
h^.  Wing  over  8,  speculum  violet,  bordered  with  black.     Subgenus  Anas. 

<\  With  white  on   the   outer  surface  of  wing;  sexes  unlike  ;    colors  of  male 

varied  and  brilliant;  female  plainer.  A,  boschas  Linn.     28 

C-.  No  white  on  outer   surface  of  wing,   but  linings  of    wing  white;  sexes 

alike  ;  colors  plain.  A,  obscura  Gmel.     29 

h-.  Wir\g  less  than  8,  speculum  green.     Subgenus  Qiien/tiedula  Stephens. 

({^.  Wing  coverts  sky-blue. 

.   «'.  Wing  7.  or  more.  A.  discors  Linn.     34 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  595 

d-.  Wing  with  no  blue;  bill  very  narrow.     Subgenus  Nettion  Kaup. 
/■'.  White  crescent  on  side  of  body  in  front  of  wing. 

A.  carolinensis  Gniel.     33 
Culmen  shorter  than  middle  toe  without  claw. 

(j^.  Bill  not  shorter  than  head.     Subgenus  ('haiilelai<mits  Bonaparte. 

//^  Speculum  white.  A.  strepera  Lino.      30 

;/-.  Bill  shorter  than  head;  crown  and  belly  white. 

Subgenus  Mareca  Stephens. 


i^ .  Head  and  neck  plain  rufous.  A.  penelope  Linn.     31 

V- .  Head  and  neck  grayish;  sides  of  head  with   broad  patch  of 

green.  A.  americana  Gmel.     32 

*28.     (132.)     Anas  boschas  Linn. 

Mallard, 

Adult  Male. — Four  middle  tail  feathers  strongly  recurved;  head  and 
neck  brilliant  velvety-green;  chest,  rich  chestnut,  with  a  white  collar 
between  it  and  the  green  of  the  neck;  speculum,  rich  metallic  violet, 
bounded  anteriorly  by  a  black  bar,  this  preceded  by  a  white  one,  and 
posteriorly  by  a  black  subterminal  and  white  terminal  band.  Adult 
Female  and  Male  in  Breeding  Season. — Wings  as  in  the  above;  else- 
where variegated  with  dusky  and  ochraceous,  the  former  on  the  centers 
of  the  feathers,  and  predominating  on  the  upper  parts;  the  latter  on 
the  borders,  and  prevailing  beneath. 

Length,  about  20.00-21.50;  wing,  10.25-11.50;  culmen,  2.00-2.35; 
tarsus,  1.50-1.80. 

Eange. — Northern  hemisphere;  in  North  America,  generally  dis- 
tributed; in  the  interior  breeding  from  Indiana,  Iowa,  and,  on  the 
coast,  from  Labrador,  northward.  Winters  from  Indiana,  Iowa,  and 
Delaware  southward  to  Panama  and  Cuba. 

Nest,  generally  on  ground.  JBggs,  6-12;  pale,  dull  green,  or  greenish 
white;  2.25  by  1.60. 

Abundant  migrant;  winter  resident  in  varying  numbers,  and  locally, 
particularly  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  resident  in  some 
numbers. 

Some  winters,  when  the  weatjier  is  severe  and  the  waters  are  mostly 
frozen  over,  the  Mallard  is  scarce  in  Indiana.  Occasionally  two  or 
more  such  winters  succeed  each  other,  and  then  for  more  than 
one  winter  these  ducks  are  rare.  Often,  however,  they  remain,  and, 
upon  the  larger  streams,  may  be  found  in  some  numbers  through  the 
entire  severe  season.  Open  water  and  food  are  the  only  requirements 
to  make  them  winter  residents. 

Their  spring  movements  vary  with  conditions.  If  the  season  opens 
early,  they  begin  to  migrate  early  in  February.    On  the  contrary,  some 


696  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

seasons,  when  the  winter  holds  late,  there  is  no  apparent  movement 
until  the  middle  of  March.  The  migrants  do  not  remain  long.  Out- 
side of  breeding  localities,  they  are  not  often  reported  after  early 
April.    A  few,  however,  seem  to  linger  well  through  the  month. 

Sometimes,  in  the  midst  of  the  migration,  the  unexpected  happens. 
A  cold  snap  comes  down  suddenly  upon  the  waters  alive  with  wild 
fowl,  and  they  are  forced  to  change  their  habits.  From  swimmers  they 
become  skaters.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  informs  me  that  March  13,  1892, 
a  rough,  cold  day,  when  boatmen  were  compelled  to  break  ice  over  a 
mile  to  get  their  boat  through,  boat,  paddles,  and  men  were  coated 
with  ice,  and  English  Lake  marshes  were  mostly  ice  bound,  there  were 
thousands  of  ducks  and  geese  sitting  around  in  droves  on  the  ice.  The 
same  gentleman  has  kindly  furnished  me  with  the  following  data  from 
the  records  of  some  of  the  shooting  clubs  at  that  lake.  In  1881,  first 
Mallard  shot,  February  10;  in  1886,  first  shot,  March  14;  in  1887,  first 
shot,  March  6;  1892,  January  1.  The  last  Mallard  shot  each  of  the 
following  years  is  also  given:  1881,  December  7;  1886,  December  11; 
1886,  November  25;  1889,  December  24. 

They  pair  early.  Even  in  February  they  are  often  noticed  mated,  and 
by  the  middle  of  March  some  years,  seem  mostly  paired.  Soon  after 
pairing  they  seek  a  nesting  place.  The  nest  is  usually  placed  on  the 
ground,  or  in  the  grass,  drift,  or  accumulated  vegetation,  though  in- 
stances are  reported  where  they  have  been  found  in  hollow  trees.  Late 
in  April  the  nests  may  begin  to  be  found,  with  a  complement  of  fresh 
eggs.  Through  May  and  into  early  June  nests  of  eggs  are  to  be  seen, 
but  the  later  ones  are  well  incubated,  and  most  of  the  birds  have  young 
by  June  15.  Mr.  Deane  informs  me  of  one  nest  containing  eleven  eggs 
at  English  Lake,  the  week  ending  May  4,  1890,  which  was  placed  on 
a  tussock  of  grass  in  an  open  meadow,  and  of  another  found  the  same 
week  placed  on  the  top  of  a  large  haycock.  They  were  very  numerous 
at  English  Lake,  August  8,  1897.  Evidently  had  bred  in  that  vicinity. 
(Deane.)  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  informs  me  of  having  seen  a  brood  of 
twelve  at  Davis^  Station,  Starke  County,  June  1,  1884.  He  caught 
several  young  the  same  day,  ranging  from  one  day  to  several  days  old. 
They  have  been  reported  as  breeding  in  the  following  counties:  Lake 
County  (L.  T.  Meyer,  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  C.  E.  Aiken);  Starke  (Ruthven 
Deane,  Charles  Dury,  H.  K.  Coale);  Knox  (Robert  Ridgway);  Dekalb 
(H.  W.  McBride);  Steuben  (C.  L.  Cass);  Laporte  (C.  L.  Barber); 
Wabash  (Ulrey  and  Wallace). 

After  breeding,  the  Mallards  gather  into  small  flocks,  which  unite  as 
the  numbers  increase  from  the  daily  additions  of  old  and  young  from 
the  meadows  and  swamps.    Then  they  keep  in  the  marshes  and  more 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  597 

quiet  waterways  until  the  young  know  how  to  fly.  By  the  middle  of 
July  or  first  of  August  these  flocks  sometimes  number  200  ducks. 
About  the  middle  of  August  most  of  the-  ducks  that  breed  with  us 
disappear.  Mr.  Deane  says  some  gunners  are  satisfied  that  they  move 
north,  and  then  return  with  others  of  their  species  a  month  later.  I 
myself  can  not  believe  they  go  south  so  early,  and  we  know  that  they 
leave  our  grounds. 

The  fall  migrations  begin  soon  after  the  middle  of  September.  By 
the  25th,  usually,  many  small  flocks  are  observed.  Frequently  good 
Mallard  shooting  may  be  had  in  September,  but  the  main  flight  is 
during  October.  Large  numbers,  however,  remain  until  severe 
weather  begins,  and  then  suddenly  leave. 

Mr.  Parker  informs  me  that  thousands  are  shot  every  year  about  the 
lakes  in  Lake  County.  Their  numbers  are  rapidly  diminishing  as. 
swamps  are  drained,  marshes  reclaimed,  and  lakes  reduced  in  size. 
Cities  are  built  upon  the  shores  of  their  choicest  resting  places, 
and  the  city  people  seek  their  favorite  breeding  grounds  for  pleasure 
or  for  rest.  The  dry  summers  which  have  prevailed  during  the  past 
six  or  eight  years  have  in  many  ways  had  an  effect  upon  both  plant  and 
animal  life.  The  effect  upon  birds  has  been  noticeable  in  many  ways. 
The  lack  of  rain  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1891  was  very  unusual. 
Small  water  courses,  swamps,  ponds,  and  much  of  the  area  of  some  of 
our  lakes  became  dry.  Writing  under  date  of  November  9, 
1891,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  says,  at  English  Lake,  the  greater  part 
of  the  Lake  is  an  exposed  mud  flat.  I  have  seen  Pintails  and  Mallards 
alight  in  the  soft  mud  and  wallow  around  like  so  many  gulls. 

The  Mallard  is  the  ancestor  of  the  common  domestic  duck.  Some- 
times there  are  found  hybrids  between  the  Mallard  and  the  Pintail. 
Mr.  Deane  writes  me  of  a  fine  specimen  of  this  kind  taken  several  years 
ago  at  English  Lake.  He  says  he  has  seen  many  of  these  hybrids,  and 
as  a  rule  the  plumage  is  quite  evenly  divided. 


29.     (133.)    Anas  obscura  Gmbl. 

Black  Duck. 
Synonym,  Dusky  Duck. 

Male. — Prevailing  color  dusky,  the  feathers  bordered  with  dull 
ochraceous;  head  and  neck,  dull  buff,  everywhere  streaked  with  dusky; 
no  black  at  base  of  the  bill;  speculum  usually  deep  violet,  resembling 
female  Mallard,  but  distinguished  from  it  by  the  absence  of  white  on 
wing.    Female. — Smaller;  similar. 


59S  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  about  20.00-21.50;  wing,  10.25-11.50;  culmen,  2.00-2.35; 
tarsus,  1.50-1.80. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  Mississippi  Valley,  north 
to  Labrador,  breeding  southward  to  the  northern  parts  of  the  LTnited 
States,- northern  Illinois  and  Iowa.    Winters  south  to  Greater  Antilles. 

Nest,  usually  on  ground.  Eggs,  6-12;  buff  or  greenish  buff;  2.30 
by  1.70. 

Xot  common  migrant;  occasional  winter  and  rare  summer  resident. 

This  is  an  eastern  species  which  reaches  in  Indiana,  almost  the 
western  limit  of  its  range.  It  has  been  noted  by  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr., 
at  Kouts,  Ind.,  December  10,  1896.  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  reported 
it  from  English  Lake,  February  14  and  15,  1891.  The  greatest  num- 
bers are  reported  in  March,  while  migrating.  It  is  rare  in  Franklin 
jCounty,  and  has  been  reported  in  the  following  counties:  Carroll 
(Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann);  Lake  (Meyer,  Parker,  Aiken);  Starke  (Dury, 
Deane);  Laporte  (J.  W.  Byrkit);  Allen  (C.  A.  Stockbridge);  Dekalb 
(Mrs.  J.  D.  Hine);  Putnam  (J.  F.  Clearwaters);  Decatur  (Prof.  W.  P. 
Shannon);  Kouts  (J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.):  Wabash  (Ulrey  and  Wallace). 

Mr.  Parker  has  found  them  at  Kouts  on  the  Kankakee  River,  appa- 
rently paired,  April  15,  1892,  and  Mr.  Deane  noted  a  pair  in  the 
marsh  at  English  Lake  as  late  as  May  10,  1891.  They  are  usually 
paired  by  the  latter  part  of  March.  While  I  have  no  account  of  its 
breeding  in  Indiana,  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  found  to  do  so.  Mr. 
E.  W.  Nelson  found  one  or  two  'pairs  nesting  on  the  Calumet  marshes 
(Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  p.  159).  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  says  it  prob- 
ably breeds  in  Lake  County,  and  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  reports  it  a  sum- 
mer resident  in  Dekalb  County. 


30.     (135.)    Anas  strepera  LT^^N. 

Gadwall. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  neck  pale  brownish  or  whitish,  thickly 
speckled  with  black;  top  of  head  sometimes  plain  light  brown;  crop 
varied  with  crescentic  bars  of  white  and  black,  the  latter  predominat- 
ing; sides,  back,  and  scapulars  finely  undulated  with  slate  color  and 
white;  middle  wing  coverts,  chestnut;  greater  coverts,  black;  speculum, 
white;  crissum  and  upper  tail  coverts,  velvety  black. 

Adult  Male  in  Breeding  Season. — Similar  to  the  winter  male,  but 
colors  duller;  crown  dusky;  rump  and  breast  tinged  with  rusty,  and 
under  parts  more  spotted  with  dusky.  Adult  Female. — Colors  chiefly 
brownish  dusky  and  brownish  white,  in  longitudinal  streaks  on  head 


Bteds  of  Indiana.  599 

and  neck,  and  in  irregular  transverse  spots,  and  bars  on  other  portions, 
the  dusky  predominating  above,  the  white  below. 

Length,  19.25-21.75;  wing,  10.25-11.00;  culmen,  1.60-1.75;  tarsus, 
1.75-1.80.    Female  smaller. 

Range. — Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In  North  America,  breeds  chiefly 
within  the  United  States.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois  and  Virginia 
south  to  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Nest,  on  ground.    Eggs.  8-12,  pale  buff;  2.09  by  1.57. 

Rare  migrant.  There  are  but  few  records  of  its  occurrence  in  In- 
diana. Dr.  Rufus  Haymond  and  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  note  it  from  Frank- 
lin County,  and  May  4,  1890,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  informed  me  that 
several  pairs  were  seen  at  English  Lake.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  in- 
forms me  that  several  years  ago  he  collected  one  in  a  "pond  hole"  on 
the  east  side  of  Calumet  Lake,  Cook  County,  Illinois,  in  September. 

Dr.  F.  Stein  identified  it  in  the  Lower  Wabash  Valley.  It  sometimes 
remains  in  Illinois  in  mild  winters  (Cook,  Bird  Migration  in  Missis- 
sippi A^alley).    The  Gadwall  breeds  throughout  its  range. 

Subgenus  Mareca  Stephens. 

31.     (136 )     Anas  penelope  Linn. 

Widgeon. 

Synonym,  European  Widgeon. 

Adult  Male. — Forehead  white;  posterior  half  of  middle  wing  covert 
region  white,  forming  a  large  patch  of  this  color;  abdomen  immaculate 
white;  speculum  velvety  black,  with  or  without  green;  head  and  neck 
plain  rufous;  ground  color  of  dorsal  region,  sides  and  flanks  whitish. 
Adult  Female. — Head  and  neck  pale  rusty,  speckled  and  barred  with 
dusky,  especially  on  crown;  upper  parts  dusky  brown,  the  feathers 
edged  and  more  or  less  barred  with  pale  brown  and  whitish;  white 
patch  on  wing  cOverts,  merely  indicated  by  white  tips  to  feathers;  spec- 
ulum grayish  brown  and  dull  rufous,  or  fulvous;  rest  of  lower  parts 
white,  the  lower  tail  coverts  barred  with  brown. 

Length,  18.00-20.00;  wing,  10.00-11.00;  culmen,  1.35-1.45;  tarsus, 
1.45-1.65. 

Range. — Northern  part  of  the  old  world,  frequent  in  Alaska.  In 
^N'orth  America,  breeds  in  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  occurs  frequently 
in  the  eastern  Fnited  States,  west  to  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Wisconsin, 
and  occasionally  in  California. 

Eggs,  5-8;  pale  buff;  2.23  by  1.53. 

Accidental  visitor. 


600  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  European  Widgeon  has  been  taken  in  a  number  of  places  in 
North  America.  Two  records  of  its  occurrence  in  Illinois  are  given 
by  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson,  and  the  late  Dr.  P.  R.  Hoy  reported  one  in- 
stance in  Wisconsin.  To  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  belongs  the  credit  of 
obtaining  four  records  of  its  capture  in  Indiana.  All  were  taken  at 
English  Lake.  The  first  specmen  in  order  of  time  known  to  have  been 
taken  in  the  State  is  in  the  collection  of  Dr.  Nicholas  Rowe,  of 
"The  American  Field/'  Chicago,  111.  It  was  killed  at  English  Lake  in 
1881  or  1882.  (The  Auk,  XII,  1895,  p.  292.)  April  13,  1893,  Mr. 
Landon  Hoyt,  of  Chicago,  111.,  took  a  specimen  on  the  Kankakee  River 
at  English  Lake,  which  is  now  in  his  possession.  It  was  in  company 
with  a  flock  of  Baldpates  (Anas  americana.)  The  Auk,  XII, 
1895,  p.  179.)  April  7,  1895,  Mr.  J.  F.  Barrell  shot  a  young  male  from 
a  flock  of  Baldpates  in  the  same  vicinity.  It  is  now  in  Mr.  Deaae's 
collection.  (The  Auk,  XII,  1895,  p.  292.)  The  fourth  specimen, 
a  fine  adult  male,  was  killed  at  English  Lake  by  Mr.  John  E.  Earle, 
of  Hinsdale,  111.,  March  23,  1896.  It  was  flying  with  a  small  flock  of 
Baldpates  when  shot.  The  specimen  is  in  Mr.  Earless  collection.  This 
is  the  eighth  record  for  the  interior  of  North  America.  (The  Auk, 
XIII,"  1896,  p.  255.)  The  above  records  are  all  for  the  spring, 
and,  so  far  as  noted,  they  were  in  company  with  their  American  rela- 
tive, the  Baldpate. 


*32.     (137.)    Anas  americana  Gmel. 

Baldpate. 
Synonym,  American  Widgeon. 

Adult  Male. — Forehead  white;  head  and  neck  whitish,  speckled  with 
black,  and  with  a  dark  metallic  green  space  on  the  side  of  the  occiput 
(sometimes  continued  down  the  nape);  posterior  half  of  the  middle 
wing  covert  region  white,  forming  a  large  patch  of  this  color;  abdomen 
immaculate  white;  speculum  velvety-black,  with  or  without  green; 
ground  color  of  the  dorsal  region,  sides,  and  flanks  vinaceous  or  pink- 
ish cinnamon.  Adult  Female. — Head  and  neck  dull  whitish,  streaked 
with  dusky;  crop,  sides  and  flanks  dull  vinaceous;  upper  parts  dusky 
grayish-brown,  irregularly  and  coarsely  barred  with  dull  white  or 
buffy;  smaller  wing  coverts,  dull  dark  grayish,  tipped  and  edged  with 
white. 

Length,  18.00-22.00;  wing,  10.25-11.00;  bill,  1.30-1.50;  tarsus, 
1.45-1.65. 


•  Birds  of  Indiana.  601 

Eange. — North  America,  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  south,  in  winter, 
to  Guatemala  and  Cuba.  Breeds  chiefly  nori;h  of  the  United  States; 
occasionally  breeding  from  Indiana  and  Minnesota  north,  and  rarely 
as  far  south  as  Texas. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  marshes.    Eggs,  8-13;  pale  buff;  2.06  by  1.48. 

Common  migrant,  and  rare  summer  resident  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  State  they  pass  rapidly  through  during 
the  migrations.  Sometimes  the  advance  guard  is  seen  as  early  as  the 
latter  part  of  February,  but  generally  they  are  not  seen  until  the  early 
part  to  the  middle  of  March.  I  have  never  observed  it  at  Brookville 
later  than  March  21  (1888).  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  has  noted  it  in 
Vigo  County  as  late  as  March  26  (1888).  About  the  middle  of  March 
they  appear  upon  the  rivers,  lakes,  and  marshes  of  the  northern  part 
of  the  State.  Occasionally  they  are  seen  earlier.  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride 
noted  two  in  Dekalb  County,  February  26,  1890.  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane 
informs  me  that  the  first  Baldpate  was  shot  at  English  Lake,  March  15, 
1886,  and  March  12,  1887.  Generally  they  are  seen  in  small  flocks  of 
four  to  a  dozen  the  latter  part  of  March  and  until  late  in  April,  when 
the  greater  number  leave  for  the. north.  Mr.  Deane  noted  a  number 
at  English  Lake  May  4,  1890,  and  saw  a  male  at  the  same  place  May 
10,  1891.  It  breeds  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  H.  W. 
McBride  saw  a  female  Widgeon  with  thirteen  young  just  hatched  at 
Hogback  Lake,  Steuben  County,  in  May  1889.  When  he  pursued  her 
in  a  boat  all  the  young  ones  got  on  her  back,  and  she  swam  away 
with  them.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  writes  me  that  a  female  Widgeon, 
accompanied  by  thirteen  young,  was  seen  at  English  Lake  the  summer 
of  1897.  He  thinks  it  was  probably  crippled,  and  unable  to  go  farther 
north.  Most  of  them,  however,  breed  farther  northward,  and  return  in 
October,  though  quite  a  number  were  seen  at  English  Lake,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1889  (Deane).  Through  October  they  are  quite  common, 
passing  southward  at  the  end  of  the  month  or  early  in  November. 
The  Baldpate  is  a  good  table  duck,  and  is  usually  in  good  condition. 
Therefore,  it  is  esteemed  by  the  sportsman.  It  is  not  a  diver,  like  the 
Canvasback.  So  it  is  said  in  water  where  wild  celery  abounds  the 
Baldpate  awaits  its  rising  with  the  choice  root  in  its  mouth,  when  it 
rushes  forward  and  seizes  the  celery  for  itself.  Mr.  E.  E.  Thompson 
notes  its  breeding  at  Selkirk  Settlements,  Lake  Manitoba,  and  Qu' 
Appelle  (Birds  of  Manitoba,  p.  476).  In  Alaska  it  is  not  common,  but 
breeds  in  the  marshy  flats  bordering  Bering  Sea  (Nelson,  Nat.  His. 
Coll.  in  Alaska,  p.  68). 


602  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Subgenus  Nkttion  Kaup. 

33.     (139)     Anas  carolinensis  Gmkl. 

Green-winged  Teal. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  upper  neck  chestnut,  with  a  broad,  glossy 
green  band  on  each  side,  uniting  and  blackening  on  the  nape;  under 
parts  white  or  whitish,  the  fore-breast  with  circular  black  spots;  upper 
parts  and  flanks  closely  waved  with  blackish  and  white;  a  white  cres- 
cent in  front  of  the  wing;  crissum  black,  varied  with  white  or  creamy; 
speculum  rich  green,  bordered  in  front  with  buffy  tips  of  the  greater 
coverts,  behind  with  light  tips  of  secondaries;  no  blue  on  the  wing; 
bill,  black;  feet,  gray.    Female. — Differs  in  the  head  markings. 

Length,  12.50-15.00;  wing,  6.25-7.40;  bill,  1.40-1.60;  tarsus,  1.25. 

Range. — In  North  America  it  breeds  from  Michigan  and  Minnesota 
north.  Winters  from  Kansas,  Indiana  and  that  latitude  south  to  Cuba 
and  Honduras. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  grass.  Eggs,  6-12  (16-18,  Dall.);  buff  or  green- 
ish; 1.75  by  1.30. 

Common  migrant;  also,  winter  resident;  may  be  locally  a  rare  sum- 
mer resident  in  northern  part  of  the  State. 

Some  winters  the  Green-winged  Teal  remains  on  Lake  Michigan  and 
the  larger  streams.  With  the  first  bird  wave,  usually  in  February,  they 
may  be  noted  returning  from  the  south.  In  1887  they  were  reported 
from  Terre  Haute,  January  30,  and  next,  February  5  (Evermann). 
From  Vincennes  in  1888,  March  5;  in  1889,  February  20.  They  pass 
northward  as  the  ice  melts,  but  sometimes  they  reach  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  while  the  streams  and  lakes  are  still  locked  in  ice. 
Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  informs  me  the  first  were  shot  at  English  Lake 
March  18,  1886.  Six  were  shot  there  March  17,  1889.  A  small  flock 
seen  February  27  and  28,  1892.  Noted  March  11,  1894.  They  do  not 
linger  long  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  and  most  of  them  must 
have  left  our  northern  marshes  before  April  1.  I  have  taken  it  at 
Brookville  April  3  (1883).  It  has  been  taken  in  Carroll  County  April 
8  (1885,  Evermann),  and  at  Kouts  April  12,  1895  (Parker). 

It  is  not  known  to  breed  in  the  State.  It  formerly  did  to  a  limited 
extent  in  Illinois  (Nelson's  Birds  N.  E.  111.,  p.  140),  and  is  reported 
as  breeding  at  St.  Clair  Flats  and  St.  Joseph,  Mich.  (Cook,  Birds  of 
Mich.,  p.  39).  Although  Kennicott  found  it  to  be  very  rare 
on  the  Yukon,  its  breeding  range  extends  far  north.  Turner 
found  it  common  in  Alaska  and  among  the  Aleutian  Islands,  where 
it  is  resident  (Contr.  to  Nat.  Hist,  of  Alaska,  p.  132).     Breeds  com- 


Btbds  of  Indiana.  603 

monly  in  the  vicinity  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  in  Greenland.  It  nests 
on  the  ground,  often  at  some  distance  from  the  water.  Toward  the 
latter  part  of  September  they  begin  to  return  from  the  north.  They 
W€re  abundant  on  the  marshes  at  English  Lake  September  25,  1889. 
Mr.  C.  L.  Cass  noted  them  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  September  19,  1894. 
They  are  usually  much  less  numerous  in  fall  than  they  are  in  spring. 
The  fall  of  1892  they  were  unusually  abundant.  They  remain  among 
the  marshes  and  lakes  until  November,  and  often  until  the  water  is 
closed  by  ice.  They  are  often  seen  when  all  other  marsh  ducks  have 
left. 

In  winter  it  is  common  in  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley,  and  in  the 
Gulf  States.  In  the  winter  of  1879-80,  I  found  it  to  be  very  abundant 
on  the  lakes  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico. 

Subgenus  Querql'EDi  la  Stephens. 

*34.     (140).    Anas  discors  Linn. 

Blue-wing  Teal. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  neck  blackish;  darkest  on  the  crown,  usu- 
ally with  purplish  iridescence;  a  white  crescent  in  front  of  the  eye; 
imder  parts  thickly  dark  spotted;  wing  coverts  .sky  blue,  the  greater 
white  tipped;  speculum  green,  white  tipped;  axillars  and  most  under 
wing  coverts  white;  scapulars  striped  with  tawny  and  blue,  or  dark 
green;  fore-back  barred;  rump  and  tail  dark,  plain;  crissum  black;  bill 
black;  feet,  dusky  yellow.  Adult  Female. — With  head  and  neck  alto- 
gether different;  under  parts  much  paler  and  obscurely  spotted,  but 
known  by  the  wing  marks. 

Length,  14.50-16.00;  wing,  7.00-7.50;  bill,  1.40-1.65;  tarsus,  1.20- 
1.30 

Eange. — North  x^merica  chiefly,  east  of  the  Kocky  Mountains.  It 
breeds  in  southern  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Ohio.  Winters  in  southern 
Illinois  and  Virginia,  southward  to  Ecuador. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  grass.  Eggs.  6-14;  white  or  buffy;  size,  variable, 
average,  1.90  by  1.30. 

Common  misrrant,  and  locally  summer  resident.  In  many  respects 
the  habits  of  this  duck  are  directly  the  opposite  of  the  last  mentioned 
species-.  It  is  most  abundant  in  spring;  this  one  is  not  common 
at  that  season.  It  arrives  in  spring  exceedingly  early;  this  one 
very  late.  In  fall  it  remains  late;  this  species  arrives  early,  and 
the  bulk  does  not  remain.  It  breeds  far  northward,  and  rarely 
within  the  United  States.     This  species  does  not  go  so  far  north- 


604  .         Report  op  State  Geologist. 

ward  to  breed,  and  it  nests  in  some  numbers  as  far  southward 
as  northern  Indiana.  Both  it  and  the  Green-wing  Teal 
often  nest  at  quite  a  distance  from  the  water.  The  nest  of  both 
Teals  is  made  upon  the  ground  of  grass  and  reeds,  lined  with  down 
and  feathers.  It  is  said  that  the  female  covers  the  eggs  with  down 
when  she  leaves  the  nest. 

Usually  the  Blue- wing  Teal  is  not  seen  in  spring  until  after  the  first 
of  April.  Ridgway  notes  it  as  being  found  in  Illinois  all  the  year. 
Prof.  Cooke  says  it  winters  in  southern  Illinois.  The  earliest  date 
at  which  I  have  seen  it  at  Brookville  is  April  9  (1887).  Occasionally, 
however,  they  appear  earlier.  The  spring  of  1892  seems  to  have  been 
such  a  season.  Some  were  shot  on  English  Lake  March  24  (Deane). 
Mr.  Jerome  Trombley  reported  two  that  year  at  Petersburg,  Mich., 
March  20.  Several  others  were  noted  in  southern  Michigan  within  the 
succeeding  ten  days.    This  date  is  earlier  than  any  I  have  in  Indiana. 

Through  the  latter  part  of  April  they  may  be  seen  in  suitable  places 
in  some  numbers.  Then  they  go  north,  where  most  of  them  breed. 
I  have  seen  them  at  Brookville  May  1  (1884). 

Mr.  Deane  says  they  were  abundant  on  English  Lake  May  4,  1890, 
and  Prof.  Evermann  notes  them  as  common  on  Lake  Maxinkuckee 
May  11,  1885  (B.  N.  0.  C,  Oct.,  1888,  p.  346).  After  May  1  they  may 
usually  be  noted  in  pairs,  and  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  and 
in  June,  nests  with  eggs  may  be  found.  A  good  many  of  these  ducks 
remain  through  the  summer  on  the  Kankakee  River,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  it  breeds  there  much  more  commonly  than  we  know,  yet 
the  numbers  are  growing  less  and  less  each  year.  In  1890,  Mr.  Deane 
tells  me,  a  good  many  remained  at  English  Lake  and  bred.  Several 
nests  were  found.  They  were  quite  numerous  at  the  same  place  August 
8, 1897.  Evidently  they  were  birds  bred  in  that  vicinity  (Deane).  Mr.  J. 
G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says  a  few  pairs  breed  every  year  at  Kouts,  Porter  County, 
and  Liverpool,  Lake  County.  It  is  reported  as  breeding  in  Lake 
County  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  informs  me  of  its 
breeding  in  Knox  County  and  Gibson  County.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  notes 
a  nest  of  this  species,  found  in  Cook  County,  111.,  containing  fourteen 
eggs  (Birds  of  N".  E.  111.,  p.  140).  In  July  they  begin  to  collect  into 
flocks  of  twenty  to  thirty  individuals.  During  the  early  part  of  Sep- 
tember they  begin  to  return  from  the  north.  The  numbers  increase 
as  the  month  wears  awa}^,  until  they  become  very  numerous.  They 
then  afford  good  shooting,  as  many  as  75  to  100  being  killed  by  a 
party  in  a  day.  Late  in  September  and  early  in  October  they  leave 
the  region  of  the  Kankakee  for  the  south.  In  1886  the  last  of  this 
species  was  killed  at  English  Lake,  on  October  20.    We  expect  them 


Birds  of  Indiana.  605 

in  the  Whitewater  Valley  about  the  first  to  the  middle  of  the  latter 
month,  when  they  may  be  seen  in  flocks  of  20  to  40.  I  have  never 
observed  them  in  Franklin  County  earlier  than  October  4, 1884.  They 
fly  with  the  flock  bunched  close  together,  and  the  rapidity  of  their 
flight  and  their  rapid  manoeuvers,  when  the  whole  flock  turns  or 
whirls,  as  one  bird,  reminds  me  of  the  Wild  Pigeon.  When  they  alight 
they  sit  or  swim  very  close  to  each  other.  For  this  reason  the  shooter, 
when  they  are  very  numerous,  is  enabled  to  make  large  bags  of  game. 
They  are  usually  at  that  season  in  fine  condition,  and  make  excellent 
eating. 

16.    Genus  SPATULA  Boik. 
a^.  Speculum  green,  bordered  by  black  and  white.  S.  clypeata  Linn.     35 

*35.    (142.)     Spatula  clypeata  Linn. 

Shoveller. 

Synonym,  Spoonbill. 

Adult  Male. — Bill  much  longer  than  head  or  foot,  widening  rapidly 
to  the  end,  where  it  is  twice  as  wide  as  at  the  base,  with  very  numerous 
and  prominent  laminae;  head  and  neck  green;  fore-breast  white;  belly 
purplish-chestnut;  wing  coverts  blue;  speculum  green,  bordered  with 
black  and  white;  some  scapulars  blue,  others  green,  all  white  striped; 
bill  blackish;  feet  red.    Adult  Female. — Known  by  bill  and  wings. 

Length,  17.00-21.00;  wing,  9.00-10.00;  bill,  2.60-2.90;  width  of  bill 
at  end,  1.10-1.20;  at  base,  .60;  tarsus,  1.40-1.50. 

Eange. — Northern  hemisphere.  In  North  America,  breeding  from 
Alaska  to  Texas;  not  abundant  on  the  Atlantic  coast  north  of  the 
Carolinas.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois  to  Guatemala  and  West 
Indies. 

Nest,  on  ground.    Eggs.  6-10;  greenish-gray,  2.12  by  1.48. 

Migrant;  not  uncommon;  rare  summer  resident;  possibly  winter 
resident;  some  winters  southward. 

Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  says  this  duck  winters  from  southern  Illinois 
southward.  It  may  be  found  at  that  season,  mild  winters,  in  southern 
Indiana. 

In  1887,  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  found  a  single  specimen  at  Terre 
Haute,  February  26.  That  is  the  earliest  record  reported  from  the 
State.  Usually  they  appear  upon  the  Ohio  and  the  rivers  of  southern 
Indiana  by  the  first  week  in  March.  Decatur  County,  March  3,  1888 
(E.  L.  Guthrie).    About  the  middle  of  March  they  may  be  looked  for 


606 


Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  The  first  shot  at  English  Lake  in 
1886  was  March  16.  March  17,  1889,  a  number  were  seen.  They  were 
"unusually  fat  for  spring  birds  (Deane).  Five  or  six  were  seen  at 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  12,  1893^  and  it  was  again  noted  March  14 
(Jerome  Trombley).  They  begin  to  pair  about  the  25th  of  March. 
The  flocks  dissolve,  and  the  number  of  pairs  increase  throughout  the 


Shoveller. 


early  part  of  April.  At  that  time  they  pass  on  to  the  northward  in 
some  numbers.  Some  remain  until  late  April  and  even  early  May  be- 
fore leaving,  and  others  remain  to  breed.  Mr.  Deane  says,  in  1889, 
Shovellers  remained  at  English  Lake  until  the  first  week  in  June. 

They  have  been  reported  as  breeding  in  Lake  County  (C.  E.  Aiken), 
and  Starke  County  (Ruthven  Deane).  Mr.  Deane  tells  me  that  May  4, 
1890,  Pearl  Taylor  found  a  nest  of  this  duck  at  English  Lake  in  a 
clump  of  willows,  low  down  near  the  edge  of  a  meadoA\'.  The  nest  con- 
tained nine  fresh  eggs,  which  are  now  in  Mr.  Deane's  collection. 

They  have  several  times  been  reported  late  in  May  and  through 
June.  Therefore,  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  it  will  be  found 
breeding  more  commonly  than  we  suppose.    Three  or  four  were  seen 


Birds  of  Indiana.  607 

by  Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley  near  Harrodsburg,  May  8,  1896,  an 
unusually  late  date  for  southern  Indiana.  The  opening  of  the 
shooting  season,  September  1,  1889,  several  Shovellers  were  killed  at 
Water  Valley.  They  came  to  the  decoys,  and  their  weight  attracted 
so  much  attention  that  several  were  weighed  and  found  as  heavy  as  two 
pounds  each.  Those  who  have  handled  spoonbills  in  the  spring  will 
appreciate  the  weight  given,  as  they  are  then  usually  merely  a  bunch  of 
feathers.  They  return  from  the  north  through  September  and,  more 
numerously,  in  October.  In  the  latter  month  most  of  them  pass  on 
southward.    Earely  may  one  remain  till  the  middle  of  November. 

17.    Genus  DAFILA  Stepheks.   . 
-a^  Speculum  violet,  with  black,  white,  and  bufFy.  D.  acuta  Linn.     36 

36.     (148.)    Dafila  acuta  Linn. 

Pintail. 
Synonym,  Sprigtail. 

Adult  Male. — Tail  cuneate,  when  fully  developed  the  central  feath- 
ers projecting  and  nearly  equaling  the  wing;  bill,  black  and  blue;  feet, 
grayish-blue;  head  and  upper  neck,  dark  brown,  with  green  and  pur- 
ple gloss;  sides  of  neck,  with  a  long  white  stripe;  lower  neck  and 
under  parts,  white;  dorsal  line  of  neck,  black,  passing  into  the 
gray  of  the  back,  which  like  the  sides,  is  vermiculated  with  black; 
speculum,  greenish-purple  anteriorly  bordered  by  buff  tips  of  the 
greater  coverts,  elsewhere  by  black  and  white;  tertials  and  scapulars, 
black  and  silvery.  Adult  Female. — Tail  much  shorter  and  not  so  nar- 
row; the  whole  head  and  neck  speckled  or  finely  streaked  with  dark 
brown  and  grayish  or  yellowish-brown;  below,  dusky  freckled; 
above,  blackish;  all  the  feathers  pale-edged;  only  a  trace  of  the  specu- 
lum between  the  white  or  whitish  tips  of  the  greater  coverts  and  sec- 
ondaries. 

Length,  about  26.00-30.00;  wing,  10.25-11.20;  middle  tail  feathers, 
7.25-9.50;  bill,  1.85-2.15;  tarsus,  1.55-1.85.    Female  smaller. 

Eange. — Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America  it  breeds  from 
north  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  northward  to  Arctic  regions,  but  mostly 
far  north.    Winters  from  southern  Illinois  south  to  Cuba  and  Panama. 

Nest,  on  the  ground  or  in  tuft  of  grass.  Fggs,  6-12;  buff  or  grayish- 
green;  2.21  by  1.47. 

Abundant  migrant  in  spring;  not  common  migrant  in  fall.  Per- 
haps occasionally  winters.  The  winter  of  1884-5  a  few  ducks  of  this 
species  spent  most  of  that  season  at  Shawneetown,  111.    This  is  but  a 


608  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  River.  The  only  report 
of  their  wintering  farther  north  than  Shawneetown  was  from  Mr.  W. 
B.  Hull,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Mr.  Hull  says:  "For  about  a  week  the 
whole  bay  was  frozen  over  with  ice  from  two  to  fourteen  inches  thick. 
During  this  time  the  pot-hunter  butchered  numbers  of  Pintail  Ducks. 
The  ducks  were  half  starved,  and  would  allow  a  man  to  approach 
within  20  feet  of  them.  Icemen  were  cutting  ice  close  to  the  shoi-e, 
and  ducks  came  right  among  them  to  get  to  the  open  water.  A  friend 
who  was  on  the  ship  Oneida  during  her  25  days  in  the  ice,  said  that 
the  ducks  (Pintails  mostly,  but  a  few  "northern^^  ducks  he  did  not  rec- 
ognize) were  "frozen  in."  When  walking  on  the  ice  near  the  boat,  he 


Head  of  Female  Pintail. 

saw  hundreds  of  ducks  in  a  solid  casing  of  ice.  In  the  winter  of 
1873-74  they  were  killed  in  the  same  way.  (Cooke,  Bird  Migration  in 
Mississippi  Valley,  pp.  68,  69.) 

These  are,  with  the  Mallards  and  Ring-necks,  the  earliest  river 
ducks  to  move  northward.  They  begin  to  migrate  the  first  open 
weather.  This  may  occur  any  time  from  the  middle  of  February  to 
the  middle  of  March.  The  following  dates  will  give  the  records  of  the 
first  reports  for  the  State  for  the  years  mentioned: 

1885.  Mar.  13.— BrookviUe. 

1886.  Feb.  26. — Blooraington  (Evermann). 
1889  <'  ^^^"  ^^" — Frankfort  (Ghere). 

•^  Feb  20. — Vincennes  (Balmer).     Dncks  by  thousands — first  bird  wave. 

1891.     Feb.  14.— English  Lake  (T)eane). 

1892  /Feb.  6. — Liverpool  (Parker). 

■  I  Feb.  27.— English  Lake  (Deane). 

1894.  Mar.  IL— English  Lake  (Deane). 

1895.  Mar.  15.— Liverpool  (Parker). 
1896  /Feb.  6. — Liverpool  (Parker). 

*-  Mar.    4. — BrookviUe. 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  609 

In  the  spring  they  are  very  numerous  in  March  for  a  few  days, 
or  possibly  for  two  or  three  weeks,  depending  upon  the  weather.  Then 
they  pass  north.  When  they  are  present  in  any  numbers  m  the  spring 
they  are  found  by  thousands.  I  have  a  few  records  of  March  20-25, 
when  they  were  abundant.  The  latest  records  when  they  were  found 
in  numbers  is  from  English  Lake,  March  26,  1892.  Seldom  are  indi- 
viduals noted  after  that.  May  4,  1890,  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  noted  sev- 
eral Pintails,  mostly  in  pairs,  at  English  Lake.  May  10,  1891,  he 
caught  a  crippled  male,  whose  broken  wing  had  healed,  at  the  same 
place.  In  1889  they  remained  until  the  first  week  in  May.  These  are 
unusually  late  dates  for  this  species. 

They  begin  to  return  in  September.  In  1889  Mr.  Deane  reported 
quite  a  number  at  English  Lake,  September  21.  Their  numbers  in 
fall  are  but  a  small  fraction  of  those  which  go  north  in  the  spring. 
Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  gives  as  the  result  of  his  observations  for  a 
number  of  years,  that  there  is  not  one  Pintail  in  the  fall  where  there 
are  ten  in  the  spring.  They  remain,  however,  until  the  ice  covers  the 
water  and  drives  them  further  south.  November  22,  1891,  Mr.  Deane 
reported  most  ducks  had  left  English  Lake,  but  a  few  Pintails  still 
remained.  The  year  1891  was  one  of  several  very  dry  years.  In 
the  fall  the  marshes  were  dry  and  the  bulk  of  English  Lake 
an  exposed  mud  bank.  The  ducks,  among  which  the  Pin-tails  were 
conspicuous,  seemed  greatly  to  enjoy  taking  a  mud  bath  in  the  oozy 
mud. 

They  have  been  reported  nesting  in  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  and 
northward  through  Manitoba  and  the  Northwest  Territory.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Eobert  Kennicott,  the  breeding  range  of  the  Pintail  extends 
into  the  Arctic  regions,  farther  than  any  of  the  fresh-water  ducks, 
comparatively  few  breeding  south  of  Great  Slave  Lake.  Both  Mr. 
E.  W.  Nelson  and  Mr.  L.  M.  Turner,  report  it  very  abundant  along 
the  Yukon  and  the  Alaskan  coast.  It  is  one  of  the  first  water  fowl 
to  begin  nesting.  The  nest  is  made  upon  the  dry  ground  or  in  a  tuft 
of  grass.  Mr.  Nelson  notes  that  in  summer  the  Pintail  has  a  low, 
mellow  whistle,  which  is  used  to  call  its  mate,  in  addition  to  a  loud 
"quack,^^  much  like,  but  less  sonorous,  than  that  of  the  Mallard.  (Nat. 
Hist.  Coll.  in  Alaska,  p.  70.) 


39— Geol. 


610        •   Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

18.    (tRNUS  AIX  Boie. 
a^.  Speculum  green.  A.  sponsa  (Linn.).     37 

*37.     (144).     Aix  sponsa  (Linn.). 

Wood  Duck. 
Synonyms,  Tree  Duck,  Summer  Duck.  • 

Adult  Male. — Head  crested,  metallic  green  and  purple;  line  above 
and  behind  the  eye,  white;  above,  coppery  black,  with  a  gloss  of  green 
and  purple;  beneath,  white;  upper  part  of  the  breast,  chestnut;  sides, 
buffy,  very  finely  variegated  with  black;  the  shoulder  bordered  also 


Wood  Duck. 

with  black;  covert  and  quills,  with  more  or  fewer  tips  and  shades  of 
white  and  purple.  Adult  Female. — Chestnut  of  the  neck  detached  and 
dull;  sides,  not  striped;  head  and  neck,  dull;  bill,  reddish;  edges  dusky; 
legs  and  feet,  yellowish  inside. 

Length,  about  19.00-20.50;  wing,  9.00-9.50;  bill,  1.40. 

Range. — Temperate  North  America,  l^reeding  throughout  its  range. 
Cuba.  Accidental  in  Europe.  Winters  from  southern  Indiana  and 
Illinois  southward. 

Nest,  of  grass  and  leaves  in  a  hole  in  tree.  Eggs,  8-14;  pale  buff; 
2.00  by  1.50. 

Migrant  and  summer  resident  in  some  numbers.  Some  winters  it 
may  be  found  in  southern  part  of  the  State.  Breeds  in  suitable 
localities  throughout  the  State.  It  is  known  also  as  Tree  Duck 
and  Summer  Duck.     They  begin  their  northward  journey  with  the 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  611 

first  bird  wave  in  the  spring.  In  1888  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  re- 
ported a  female,  from  Terre  Haute,  February  29.  In  1890  Mr.  S. 
A.  Warner  noted  two,  the  first  of  the  season,  at  St.  Clair  Flats, 
Mich.,  March  11,  and  in  1897  Mr.  Jerome  Trombley  noted  two  at 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  3.  It  is  not  often,  however,  that  the  move- 
ment is  so  early. 

Usually  they  are  observed  going  north  after  March  15  in  this  State, 
and  correspondingly  later,  northward. 

Mr.  John  S.  Elliott  informs  me  it  is  a  permanent  resident  in  Posey 
County,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  State. 

Often  they  are  paired  when  migrating,  and  through  April  most  of 
them  are  mated,  and  begin  looking  for  nesting  sites.  The  nests  are 
generally  placed  in  a  cavity  or  hollow  tree  near  water.  The  earliest 
young  are  ready  to  leave  the  nest  the  latter  part  of  May.  May  25  is 
the  earliest  I  have  ever  known  them  to  be  out. 

Under  date  of  July  29,  1889,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  writes  the  follow- 
ing concerning  the  Wood  Duck  at  English  Lake:  ^*I  saw  perhaps 
seventy-five  Wood  Ducks  during  the  day — some  single  ones,  many 
pairs  and  some  flocks  of  ten  to  fifteen.  During  the  hot  days  they  like 
to  stay  in  shady  nooks,  under  brush  piles  on  the  edge  of  the  river. 
Yet  many  content  themselves  by  basking  in  the  sun,  sitting  on  some 
dead  log  on  the  river,  and  in  most  cases,  just  at  a  bend,  where  they 
can  keep  an  eye  open  for  intruders  who  may  be  coming  up  or  down. 
The  young  are  now  well  grown,  and  while  many  do  not  get  off  the 
water  with  the  agility  of  adults,  yet  they  are  strong  on  the  wing  when 
they  get"  a  little  headway."  Mr.  Deane  informs  me  they  were  un- 
usually numerous  for  the  time  of  year  at  English  Lake  August  8,  1897. 

I  am  informed  that  they  are  reported  to  have  been  found  breeding 
in  trees,  on  the  scrub  oak  ridges,  as  much  as  a  mile  and  a  half  or 
two  miles  back  from  the  Kankakee  River  and  away  from  all  bodies  of 
water.  The  young,  soon  after  being  hatched,  are  said  to  be  carried  to 
the  river  by  the  parent  birds,  x^udubon  and  Wilson  both  speak  of  the 
parents  carrying  the  young  to  water,  but  I  do  not  know  that  anyone 
heretofore  has  reported  an  instance  of  their  breeding  at  such  a  distance 
from  water,  requiring  such  a  journey  to  convey  the  young  to  it. 

As  the  broods  hatch  they  are  led  to  the  more  retired  waters  and 
taught  all  that  is  necessary  to  know  about  feeding,  diving  and  flying, 
together  with  all  the  necessary  finer  accomplishments.  When  they 
are  deemed  ready  to  care  for  themselves,  they  all  come  out  upon  the 
more  open  stream.  In  some  favored  localities,  quite  a  num- 
ber could  formerly  be  seen  by  September  1.  They  afford  the 
principal  early  duck  shooting.    They  have  been  noted  in  recent  years 


612  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

as  summer  residents  and  breeding  in  the  following  counties:  Posey, 
Knox,  Gibson,  Vigo,  Monroe,  Carroll,  Wabash,  Tippecanoe,  Starke, 
Newton,  Lake,  Laporte,  Dekalb,  Steuben,  and  Lagrange.  In  none  of 
them  are  they  found  in  such  numbers  as  they  were  fifteen  or  twenty 
years  ago,  and  in  some  of  them  in  which  they  were  the  most  common 
duck,  they  are  not  now  seen  in  summer.  I  do  not  know  that  a  Wood 
Duck  has  bred  in  Franklin  County  in  fifteen  years.  Before  that  time 
there  were  places  where  they  were  known  to  rear  their  young  each 
season.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  says  it  was  formerly  one  of  the  most  abundant 
summer  residents,  but  now  only  seen  occasionally.  During  several 
trips  to  Water  Valley  (on  the  Kankakee  River),  in  1886,  '87  and  '88, 
in  April  and  May,  he  saw  only  two  or  three  pairs.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker, 
Jr.,  says  they  breed  in  the  woods  bordering  our  rivers  and  lakes.  Until 
late  years  the  Kankakee  River  region  afforded  excellent  Wood  Duck 
shooting.  The  Burr  Oak  bottoms  along  that  river  have  been  favorite 
nesting  places.  In  1888  B.  W.  Evermann,  writing  of  the  ducks  of 
Carroll  County,  says:  "Formerly  a  common  summer  resident,  but  now 
one  of  the  rarest  ducks  of  this  region."  (The  Auk,  October,  1888, 
p.  346.) 

The  common  note  of  the  drake  is  peet-peet,  but  the  alarm  note  is  not 
unlike  the  first  attempts  of  a  young  cock  to  crow.  It  may  be  expressed 
by  the  syllables  "oe-eek.'^ 

19.     Genus  CAIRIXA  Flkming. 

38.     ( — )    Cairina  moschata  (Linn.). 

Muscovy  Duck. 

Adult  Male. — Head,  neck  and  lower  parts  uniform  glossy  brownish- 
black;  upper  parts  brilliant  metallic  blackish-green,  glossed  with  pur- 
ple anteriorly  and  on  rump;  wing  coverts  and  above  and  below  entirely 
pure  white;  caruncles  along  sides  of  forehead,  etc.,  bright  pinkish-red 
or  rose  red  in  life;  bill  varied  with  blackish  and  pinkish  white  or  light 
rose-color.  Adult  Female. — Entirely  brownish-black,  except  some  of  the 
upper  greater  wing  coverts,  which  are  white;  upper  parts  glossed  with 
metallic  green  and  purple. 

Length  of  male,  nearly  36.00;  wing,  about  16.00;  tail,  9.00;  tarsus, 
2.00  or  more.     Female  smaller. 

Range. — Tropical  America,  from  Paraguay  and  southern  Brazil  to 
Mexico  and  Louisiana. 

A  specimen  of  this  beautiful  duck  was  shot  near  the  mouth  of  Big 
Miami  River,  in  Indiana,  in  January,  1890,  and  is  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  J.  M.  Bauer,  of  Lawrenceburg,  Ind.    Mr.  Robert  Ridgway 


Birds  of  Indiana.  613 

thinks  this  may  be  an  escaped  hybrid  between  a  Muscovy  and  a  tame 
duck.  Such  hybrids  are  known,  and  it  is  not  definitely  known  that 
any  authentic  examples  of  this  tropical  duck  have  been  taken  in  the 
United  States,  though  it  is  known  to  occur  in  Mexico. 

Subfamily  FULIGULIN^. 

20.    Genus  AYTHYA  Boie. 

a^.  Culmen  longer  than  inner  toe  with  claw;  bill  not  wider  toward  end  than  at 
base ;  male  with  head  and  neck  reddish. 
b^.  Bill  much  shorter  than  middle  toe  without  claw  ;  nail  decidedly  hooked. 

Subgenus  Aytkya. 
r^.  Bill  2.00  or  under,  its  color  dull  blue,  with  blackish  band  at  end  ;  head 
and  upper  neck  rich  rufous  in  male.  A.  americana  (Eyt.).     39 

/>^.  Bill   as  long  as  middle  toe  without  claw,  flattened   at  tip;  the  nail  very 
slightly  hooked.     Subgenus  Aristonetta  Baird. 

d^.  Bill  over  2.00,  blackish  in  color,  no  band  at  end  ;  head   and   neck  red- 
dish brown;  top  of  head  blackish  in  male.  A.  vallisneria    (Wils.).    40 
a^.  Culmen  as  long  as  outer  toe  with  claw;    bill  wider  toward  end  than  at  base; 
male  with  head  and  neck  black.     Subgenus  Fuligida  Stephens. 
e^.  Speculum  white,  tipped  with  black. 
/^.  Flanks  white,  unspotted. 

g^.  Length  18.00  or  over.  A.  marila  nearctica  (Stejn.).     41 

f^.  Flanks  white,  zigzagged  with  blackish. 

h^.  Length  under  17.00.  A.  affinis  (Eyt.).     42 

e^.  Speculum  bluish-gray. 

i}.  Wing  8.00  or  under.  A.  coUaris  (Donov.).     43 

39.     (146.)    Aythya  americana  (Eyt.). 

Kedhead. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  upper  half  of  neck  rich  chestnut  red, 
glossed  with  reddish-purple;  lower  neck,  chest,  upper  back,  rump  and 
tail  coverts  (above  and  below)  black;  back,  scapulars,  sides,  and  flanks 
waved  or  vermiculated  with  white  and  black  in  nearly  equal  propor- 
tion; belly  immaculate  white.  Adult  Female. — Head  and  neck  gray- 
ish-brown; darker  above;  the  fore  part  of  the  former  light;  almost 
white  on  chin  and  upper  throat;  back,  scapulars,  chest,  sides  and  flanks 
dull  grayish-brown,  the  feathers  tipped  with  paler  or  fulvous. 

Length,  17.00-21.00;  wing,  8.50-9.25;  bill,  2.05-2.25;  greatest  width 
of  bill,  .75-.85. 

Range. -^North  America,  breeding  from  California,  southern  Mich- 
igan and  Maine'  northward  to  Fur  Countries.  Winters  from  Virginia 
to  Cuba  and  Central  America. 

Nest,  on  ground,  often  on  drift  like  a  Coot's.  Eggs,  7-14;  creamy 
white;  2.42  by  1.73. 


614  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Cominoii  migrant  in  suitable  localities.  It  may  occasionally  remain 
through  the  summer  and  breed.  A  male  was  taken  June  28,  1879, 
near  Sandusky,  0.  (Langdon,  Summer  Birds  of  N.  0.,  Marsh,  p.  228.) 
Mr.  W.  H.  Collins  found  it  breeding  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.  (Bull. 
Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  1880,  pp.  61,  62.) 

The  Eed-head  spends  the  winter  south  of  us,  being  very  common 
along  the  gulf  coast.  They  vary  in  the  time  of  their  northward  migra« 
tion  with  the  weather.  Usually  it  does  not  appear  in  Indiana  until 
some  time  in  March,  but  Mr.  Stephen  A.  Warnie  reported  six  seen  at 
St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.,  February  13,  1890.  No  more  were  observed 
until  March  8.  Mr.  Warnie  reports  a  few  breeding  then.  In  1886  the 
first  was  killed  at  English  Lake,  Ind.,  March  17;  1887  the  first  was 
killed,  March  4.  A  few  were  seen  March  6,  1892.  (Deane.)  In  1888 
Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  reported  the  first  noted  in  the  State  at  Terre 
Haute,  March  9. 

Some  years  many  of  them  pass  north  early  in  April;  other  years  they 
remain  well  through  the  month.  At  English  Lake,  May  3,  1891,  a 
number  were  seen.  But  on  the  10th  a  single  one  was  noted  with  Scaup 
Ducks.    (Deane.) 

The  Eedhead  breeds  from  the  northern  ITnited  States  northward 
through  Manitoba,  Assiniboia,  Alberta,  and  the  Northwest  Territory^ 
but  apparently  does  not  reach  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

The  following  account  of  a  nest  obtained  by  Mr.  Collins,  above  re- 
ferred to,  is  of  interest:  "The  past  season  I  had  the  good  fortune  to 
find  two  nests  of  the  Redhead  Duck  (Aythya  americana),  containing 
respectively,  seven  and  eight  eggs.  The  first  was  placed  on  some 
drifted  rushes  on  a  sunken  log,  and  was  composed  of  flags  and  rushes, 
evidently  taken  from  the  pile  of  drift  upon  the  log,  as  they  were  short 
pieces,  so  short,  in  fact,  that  the  nest,  when  lifted  with  the  hands, 
fell  in  pieces.  The  nest  was  about  four  inches  deep  and  lined  with 
down  from  the  female.  This  nest  contained  seven  fresh  eggs  of  a 
creamy  color,  and  varied  in  measurements  from  2.30  by  1.75  to  2.22  by 
1.66  inches,  and  were  of  a  uniform  oval  shape,  very  little  smaller  at 
one  end.  The  other  nest  was  built  similar  to  a  Coot^s  nest;  that  is, 
of  flags  and  grass  interwoven  at  the  base  of  a  bunch  of  flags  growing  in 
water  three  or  four  feet  deep.  It  was  built  in  such  a  way  that  the 
nest  would  rise  and  fall  with  the  water.  This  nest  also  contained 
down  and  eight  fresh  eggs,  uniform  in  size,  shape  and  color  with  the 
others.  The  birds,  male  and  female,  were  flying  around,  and  often 
came  close  to  me.  The  cry  of  the  female  resembles  the  cry  of  the 
Mallard  so  nearly  that  had  I  heard  and  not  seen  it  I  should  have  sup- 
posed it  to  have  been  the  Mallard.^' 


Birds  of  Indiana.  615 

The  greater  number  of  persons,  perhaps,  cannot  distinguish  between 
the  Eedhead  and  the  much-esteemed  Canvas-back.  While  their  habits 
are  quite  similar  in  certain  respects,  they  like  the  same  food,  have  sub- 
stantially the  same  range  and  in  some  ways  resemble  each  other,  it 
requires  but  little  instruction  to  teach  one  to  discriminate.  The  long, 
flat  bill  with  slightly  hooked  nail  of  the  Canvas-back  will  distinguish  it 
in  any  plumage  from  the  shorter,  less  flattened  bill,  with  decidedly 
hooked  nail  of  the  Eedhead. 

Both  of  these  ducks  are  found  in  wild  celery,  and  being  great  divers, 
are  enabled  to  secure  its  roots  for  themselves.  When  feeding  upon 
this  favorite  food,  the  famed  Canvas-back  is  said  to  be  no  better  than 
the  Eedhead.  In  fact,  some  persons  who  claim  to  have  a  right,  by 
reason  of  their  experience  in  gastronomy,  to  speak  with  authority,  say 
the  latter  is  the  superior  bird.  It  is  further  said,  in  some  hotels,  where 
the  price  of  the  two  ducks  is  quite  far  apart,  they  are  both  served  from 
the  same  vessel,  which,  had  one  noted  carefully  what  went  into  it, 
would  have  been  found  to  be  filled  with  Bedheads. 

In  fall  these  ducks  return  in  September,  usually  toward  the  latter 
part.  Often  they  leave  Yery  soon.  At  other  times  they  remain  past 
the  middle  of  October,  and  occasionally  a  few  may  remain  later.  In 
1881  the  last  Eedhead  was  killed  at  English  Lake,  September  21.  In 
1889  these  ducks  were  seen  in  small  flocks  September  25,  and  in  1895 
they  were  noted  at  Liverpool,  Ind.,  October  18. 

40.     (147.)     Aythya  vallisneria  (Wils  ) 

Canvas-back. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  neck  reddish-brown,  the  former  blackish  on 
top;  chest,  upper  back,  lower  rump  and  upper  and  under  tail  coverts 
black;  rest  of  plumage  (except  quills,  etc.)  white,  the  upper  parts, 
sides  and  flanks  and  ventral  region  finely  waved  or  vi^rmiculated  with 
dusky.  Adult  Female. — Head,  neck,  chest,  and  upper  back  raw- 
umber  brown;  the  fore  part  of  the  head  and  foreneck  whitish;  scapu- 
lars, sides  and  flanks  similar,  but  tips  of  the  feathers  vCrmiculated  with 
whitish. 

Length,  about  20.00-23.50;  wing,  8.75-9.25;  bill,  2.10-2.50;  greatest 
depth  of  bill,  .75-.80. 

Eange. — North  America,  breeding  in  interior  from  Minnesota 
north  to  Alaska.  Winters  from  Southern  States  southward  to  Guate- 
mala. 

Nest,  on  ground,  of  grass  and  weeds,  lined  with  feathers.  Eggs, 
6-10;  grayish-drab  or  greenish-buff;  2.48  by  1.76. 


616  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Eegular  migrant;  some  years  not  common,  even  in  the  lake  district. 
Throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  State  quite  rare. 

It  winters  south  of  us.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  our  lakes  do  not  afford 
"wild  celery/^  or  "water  celery/'  as  it  is  sometimes  called  (Vallisneria 
spiralis),  we  do  not  furnish  a  very  attractive  field  for  the  Canvas- 
back.  Although  it  is  much  scarcer  in  the  interior  than  along  the  At- 
lantic Coast,  it  is  found  in  some  numbers  where  its  favorite  food  grows. 
It  is  quite  abundant  at  Fox  Lake,  fifty  miles  north  of  Chicago,  and  at 
Lake  Koshkonong,  in  Southern  Wisconsin,  at  both  of  which  places 
Vallisneria  grows. 

This  is  the  famed  Canvas-back,  the  game  bird,  which,  with  the 
equally  well-known  Diamond-back,  the  much-sought  terrapin  of  the 
tide-water  marshes,  has  made  the  Chesapeake  region  famous.  There  is 
much  in  a  name.  To  some  people  apparel  looks  well  if  it  costs  much; 
likewise,  the  cost  of  a  meal  determines  its  flavor.  The  Canvas-back  is 
good,  splendid  eating,  but  there  are  half  a  dozen  other  ducks  which  sell 
for  much  less  money  that  are  equally  as  good. 

The  Canvas-back  has  been  known  to  winter  in  southern  Illinois. 
(Cooke,  Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p.  70.)  Its  movements  correspond 
with  those  of  the  last  mentioned  species,  which  is  much  more  common 
than  this. 

In  1896  a  large  flock  was  observed  by  Mr.  J.  Gr.  Parker,  Jr.,  at  Liver- 
pool, February  28.  This  is  the  earliest  record  for  the  State.  In  1886 
the  first  was  shot  at  English  Lake  March  21.  At  that  place  it  is  not 
abundant,  and  but  very  few  are  killed  each  year.  (Deane.)  It  departs 
for  the  north  early  in  April.  Mrs.  Hine  reports  it  from  Sedun,  Dekalb 
County,  April  12,  1894.  In  the  fall  I  observe  but  few  notes  of  its  oc- 
currence. It  remains  into  November,  however,  as  Mrs.  Hine  reports 
it  from  Dekalb  County  November  5,  1894.  It  was  observed  in  Frank- 
lin County  by  Dr.  E.  Haymond,  and  some  years  ago  I  saw  a  fine  male, 
killed  by  Mr,  S.  S.  Harrell  near  Brookville. 

The  Canvas-back  breeds  in  the  interior  very  far  to  the  northward, 
a  few  breed  in  Minnesota  and  Manitoba,  and  it  has  been  reported 
breeding  commonly,  but  at  one  place — Ft.  Yukon — by  Mr.  Dall. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  617 

Subgenus  Fuligula  Stephens. 

41.     (148).    Aythya  marila  nearctica  (Stejn.). 

American  Scaup  Duck. 
Synonyms,  Big  Black-head,  Blue-bill,  Broad-bill,  Eaft-duck. 

Adult  Male. — Head,  neck  and  chest  uniform  black,  the  first  with 
greenish  gloss;  back  and  scapulars  grayish-white,  zigzagged  with  black 
and  yellow;  speculum  white,  tipped  with  black;  bill  dull  blue  with 
black  nail;  legs  plumbeous.  Female. — Space  about  base  of  bill,  white; 
rest  of  head  and  anterior  parts  brown;  and  other  black  parts  of  the 
male  rather  brownish;  speculum  and  belly  white. 

Length,  18.00-20.00;  wing,  8.25-9.00  (8.63);  bill,  1.85-2.20  (2.03); 
greatest  width  of  bill,  .85-1.05  (.97);  least  width,  .70-.90  (.79). 

Eange. — North  America.  Breeds  in  Minnesota  and  Manitoba  and 
northward  through  Alaska.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois  and  Long 
Island  to  Central  America  and  "West  Indies. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  grassy  or  marshy  places  about  open  lakes.  Eggs, 
6-10;  buffy,  olive-gray;  2.54  by  1.71. 

Rare  migrant;  most  often  noted  in  the  Wabash  Valley.  Quite  rare 
in  fall. 

Some  years  they  begin  the  spring  migration  by  March  1  and  occa- 
sionally remain  until  April  10.  It  has  been  noted  in  Ejiox  County  by 
Angus  Gaines.  Vigo  County,  about  March  1,  1886,  (Prof.  0.  P.  Jen- 
kins.) March  26, 1887,  several  seen;  a  male  killed.  (Prof.  B.  W.  Ever- 
mann.)  Also, by  Dr.  J.  T.  Scovell.  Monroe  County,  March  4,  1886,  one 
(B.  W.  Evermann).  Dekalb  County,  by  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride,  and  by  Mr. 
J.  T.  Feagler  April  5  and  10, 1896.  Allen  County,  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Stock- 
bridge.  Lake  County,  by  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  and  April  9,  1887,  by 
Mr.  Graham  Davis.  In  Franklin  County  Dr.  Rufus  Haymond  noted 
it,  and  I  recorded  it  March  4,  1896.  I  have  no  fall  record.  It  is  not 
noted  in  the  interior  as  commonly  in  fall  as  in  spring. 

While  Mr.  W.  H.  Collins  has  observed  it  breeding  at  St.  Clair  Flats, 
Mich.  (B.  N.  0.  C.  V.,  p.  61),  and  its  nesting  has  been  noted  in  Minne- 
sota, it  usually  breeds  from  Manitoba  northward  to  the  Alaskan  Coast 
and  Greenland.  In  one's  mind  birds,  especially  ducks,  are  recalled  by 
association.  I  think  of  this  species  being  noticeably  so  much  rarer 
than  its  miniature  and  relative,  the  Lesser  Scaup  Duck,  and  recall  that 
the  Canvas-back  is  likewise  rarer  than  that  for  which  it  is  sometimes 
taken,  the  Redhead,  and  the  Black  Duck  is  proportionately  rarer  than 
its  near  relative,  the  Mallard. 


618  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

^^42.     (149).    Aythya  affinis  (Evt.). 

Lesser  Scaup  Duck. 
Synonyms,  Little  Black-head,  Little  Blue-bill. 

Similar  to  last  species  (A.  marila  nearctica),  but  smaller  and  flanks 
waved  or  zigzagged  with  blackish. 

Adult  Male. — With  head  glossed  with  purplish  instead  of  green. 

Length,  15.00-16.50;  wing,  7.50-8.25  (7.81);  bill,  1.58-1.90  (1.75); 
greatest  width  of  bill,  .80-.95  (.89);  least  width,  .60-.78  (.69). 

Range. — North  America,  breeding  chiefly  north  of  United  States, 
rarely  south  of  central  Michigan,  Towa  and  Indiana.  Winters  from 
A^irginia  and  Gulf  coast  south  to  Guatemala  and  West  Indies. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  swampy  places,  similar  to  last.  Eggs,  6-10;  color 
same  as  last;  2.25  by  1.58. 

Very  abundant  migrant  and  rare  summer  resident. 

This  is  the  most  common  of  all  our  ducks.  In  April,  October  and 
November  the  open  lakes  of  northern  Indiana  are  literally  covered 
with  them.  On  Wolf  Lake,  Indiana,  and  Calumet  Lake,  Illinois,  and 
other  small  lakes  of  that  vicinity  at  those  seasons  of  the  year,  and 
sometimes  as  early  as  March  20  (1886),  in  spring,  they  congregate  by 
thousands.  They  form  the  principal  duck  shooting  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chicago, 

These  ducks  form  a  part  of  the  second  early  migrants.  They  are 
not  so  early  as  the  Mallards  and  some  other  kinds,  but  follow  promptly 
after  them.  Some  years  they  are  noted  the  first  week  in  March  and 
others  the  middle  of  that  month.  They  remain  through  April,  some 
years  into  May,  occasionally  are  seen  in  June.  The  following  dates 
will  give  some  idea  of  its  occurrence:  At  English  Lake,  first  one 
killed,  1886,  March  14;  1887,  March  9;  1889,  March  14;  1892,  March 
6,  first  noted.     (Deane.) 

In  1886,  March  20,  there  were  thousands  at  Wolf  Lake.  In  1896, 
March  20,  three  were  observed  at  Kouts.    (Parker.) 

I  have  observed  them  at  Brookville  May  6  (1883),  and  Professors 
Evermann  and  Blatchley  noted  it  at  Gosport,  May  8,  1886. 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  informs  me  upon  good  authority  that  a  pair  of 
Lesser  Scaup  Ducks,  followed  by  a  brood  of  young,  were  seen  at  English 
Lake  in  June,  1886.  One  or  both  of  them  were  supposed  to  be 
"cripples."  Mr.  W.  H.  Collins  found  a  nest  of  this  species  at  St.  Clair 
Flats,  Mich.    (B.  N.  0.  C;  V.,  p.  61.) 

They  seem-  to  pair  late.  Early  in  May  they  begin  to  be  observed  in 
pairs,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  month  most  of  those  that  are  found 


Birds  of  Indiana.  619 

with  lis  are  paired.  Some,  however,  remain  in  flocks,  and  it  is  notice- 
able that  those  are  principally  males  and  become  very  tame,  permitting 
one  to  approach  at  times  within  sixty  yards.  The  following  dates  from 
Mr.  Deane  will  show  how  late  they  are  found  at  English  Lake: 

1888.     May     6.-Flocks  of  200;  May  20,  a  Hock  of  20;  June  5,  flock  of  13. 

1890.  May     4. — Saw  many;  May  11,  many  still  remain. 

1891.  May  10, — Abundant;  flock  of  200  on  the  Lake,  on  river  mostly  paired; 

May  31,  flock  of  25. 

1892.  June  6.— Saw  one  "cripple." 

This  duck  returns  from  its  summer  home  late  in  September  or  early 
in  October.  Mr.  Deane  notes  the  first  at  English  Lake  September  22, 
1889,  and  in  1886  the  last  of  the  season  was  shot  October  20.  Usually 
between  these  dates,  it  would  appear,  the  bulk  are  noted.  Often,  how- 
ever, its  stay  is  lengthened  into  November;  in  fact,  some  years  its 
disappearance  depends  upon  the  closing  of  the  streams  by  ice.  In 
1890  L^lrey  and  Wallace  noted  a  specimen  taken  at  Long  Lake  Novem- 
ber 15,  and  in  1891  Mr.  Deane  reported  the  Kankakee  Eiver  at  Eng- 
lish Lake  all  open,  December  21,  and  four  Lesser  Scaup  Ducks  shot, 
and  added,  several  flocks  of  these  Scaup  Ducks  were  observed  Decem- 
ber 19.  From  this  it  will  not  be  unexpected  to  have  them  winter  in 
this  State  mild  winters.  This  was  formerly  the  most  abundant  duck 
on  our  western  rivers,  and  wintered  along  the  lower  Mississippi.  There 
it  occurred  in  such  flocks  that  Audubon  said  it  was  known  as  the 
^Tlocking  Fowl." 

43.     (150).    Aythya  coUaris  (Donov.). 

Bing-necked  Duck. 
Synonym,  Ring-bill. 

Adult  Male. — Head,  neck,  chest,  undertail  coverts  and  upper  parts 
black,  the  head  with  a  violet-purple  gloss  and  middle  of  neck  with  a 
more  or  less  distinct  collar  of  chestnut;  chin  with  a  triangular  white 
spot;  bill  transversely  banded  with  black;  grayish-white  and  plumbe- 
ous. Adult  Female. — Top  of  head  and  back  of  neck, dark  brown;  rest  of 
head  and  neck  paler,  becoming  nearly  or  quite  white  anteriorly  and  on 
throat;  chest,  §ides  and  flanks  deep  fulvous  brown;  the  speculum 
bluish-gray,  as  in  the  male.  Female  much  resembles  female  Eedhead, 
but  is  smaller. 

Length,  15.50-18.00;  bill,  1.75-2.00;  tarsus,  1.30-1.45;  wing,  7.60. 

Eange. — North  America,  breeding  from  Iowa,  southern  Wisconsin 
and  Maine  northward.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois  southward  to 
Guatemala  and  West  Indies. 


620  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  on  ground  among  reeds  and  grass  about  marshy  lakes  and 
ponds.    Eggs,  6-12;  color  similar  to  foregoing  species;  2.27  by  1.63. 

Tolerably  common  migrant;  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
it  is  common  in  the  spring  and  fall.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  notes 
that  it  often  passes  the  winter  in  the  southern  portion  of  Illinois. 
(Birds  of  Illinois,  Vol.  II,  p.  165.)  The  habits  of  these  ducks  are 
substantially  those  of  the  last  species.  This  and  both  the  Scaup 
Ducks  are  known  as  '^Black-heads.'' 

March  8,  1879,  a  Ring-bill  was  killed  by  Mr.  W.  M.  McCleery  at 
Brookville.  In  1888  I  noted  it  March  10,  and  the  same  year  Mr.  E.  R. 
Quick  reported  a  male  and  female  March  31. 

The  earliest  spring  record  of  this  species  also  comes  from  English 
Lake,  where  it  was  taken  February  27, 1892.  In  1892  it  was  abundant 
March  6.  That  year  a  cold  wave  came  on  in  March,  and  on  the  13th 
the  lakes  were  frozen  over,  and  Ring-necks,  Mallards  and  Pintails  sat 
in  droves  on  the  ice.    (Deane.) 

At  the  same  station  the  first  was  shot  March  14,  1886,  and  March  6, 
1887.  In  1889  it  was  first  noted  there  March  14,  and  was  abundant 
March  17. 

Thus  it  would  appear  they  may  be  expected  when  the  waters  are 
open,  which  may  be  late  in  February  some  years  and  the  middle  of 
March  others. 

They  leave  the  latter  part  of  April.  The  latest  I  know  them  ta 
have  remained  was  May  11  (1890).  This  duck  has  been  noted  breed- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  its  breeding  range  is 
from  that  locality  and  Iowa  northward,  in  the  interior.  It  is  rare  in 
Alaska.  In  the  fall  they  sometimes  reappear  early  in  September. 
Other  years  they  are  not  common  the  latter  part  of  that  month.  Th^y 
remain  into  November,  sometimes  quite  late.  Mr.  Deane  informs  me 
that  a  few  were  still  at  English  Lake  November  22,  1891,  and  Mr. 
Charles  L.  Cass  says  they  remained  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  until  Novem- 
ber 26,  1894. 


Birds  or  Indiana.  621 

20.    Genus  GLAUCIONETTA  Stejmegeb. 

a^.  Wing  with  uninterrupted  white  patch;  head  puffy,  it  and  throat  glossy  green 
in  male ;  head  and  upper  neck  grayish  brown,  head  scarcely  puffy  iii  female. 

G.  clangula  americana  (Bonap.).     44 

o^.  Wing  with  white  patch  crossed  with  blackish  band;  head  somewhat  crested; 
it  and  neck  steel  blue  in  male;  in  female,  head  not  crested,  it  and  upper  neck 
snuff"  brown.  G.  islandica  (Gmel.).     45 

44.     (151).   Glaucionetta  clangula  americana  (Bonap.). 

American  Golden-eye. 
Synonyms,  Whistler,  Whistle-wing. 

Adult  Male. — With  the  head  and  upper  neck  glossy  green  and  a 
white  oval  or  rounded  loral  spot,  not  touching  the  base  of  the  bill 
throughout;  lower  neck  all  round,  lower  parts,  including  sides,  most  of 
the  scapulars,  wing  coverts  and  secondaries,  white;  the  white  of  outer 
surface  of  wings  continuous;  lining  of  wings  and  axillars  dark;  most  of 
upper  parts  black;  no  waving  on  the  back  or  sides;  bill  black,  with 
pale  or  yellow  end,  nostrils  in  anterior  half;  feet  orange;  webs 
dusky;  eyes  yellow;  head  uniformly  puffy.  Female. — With  head  snuff 
brown,  no  white  patch  in  front  of  eye  and  white  of  wings  not  always 
continuous. 

Length,  about  18.00;  wing,  8.00-9.00  (8.52);  bill  from  tip  to  extrem- 
ity of  frontal  angle,  1.65-1.80  (1.73);  depth  of  bill  at  base,  .95-1.06 
(.99);  width,  .70-.75  (.74);  width  of  nail,  .18-.20;  tarsus,  1.30-1.55 
(1.43).    Female  smaller. 

Eange. — North  America,  breeding  from  Maine  and  British  Prov- 
inces northward.  In  winter  from  Great  Lakes  southward  to  Cuba  and 
Mexico. 

Nest,  in  hollow  tree,  of  grass,  leaves,  moss,  etc.,  lined  with  down. 
Uggs,  6-10;  ashy-green;  2.40  by  1.75. 

Common  migrant  and  winter  resident.  On  southern  Lake  Michi- 
gan this  is  the  common  winter  duck,  stajring  all  winter.  On  Lake  Erie 
it  is  also  found  at  that  season.  They  may  be  observed  throughout  the 
State  in  winter  wherever  there  is  open  water. 

They  begin  to  go  north  with  the  first  thaws,  and  those  from  the 
South  continue  passing  until  near  the  middle  of  April,  in  which  month 
they  are  sometimes  very  common.  The  latest  date  for  the  State  is  April 
17  (1885),  when  I  found  it  at  Brookville.  Severe  winters  they  are 
fewer  in  numbers  and  less  generally  distributed.  Over  much  of  the 
more  level  part  of  the  State,  when  the  quiet  waters  are  frozen,  they 
are  not  found.  Mr.  Deane  informs  me  they  remained  on  the  Kankakee 
Hiver  all  winter,  1890. 


622  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

In  1893,  February  27,  they  were  more  abundant  than  any  other 
species,  generally  in  flocks  of  15  or  20.  The  first  was  shot  in  1886, 
March  14,  and  the  first  noted  about  March  8, 1894.  It  breeds  from  the 
northern  limits  of  the  United  States  northward  to  Hudson  Bay  and 
Alaska,  and  Mr.  Nelson  reports,  upon  Mr.  DalFs  authority,  that  it  is 
a  winter  resident  in  the  Aleutian  Islands.  They  arrive  in  the  fall, 
generally  in  November. 

They  are  usually  quite  shy  and  difficult  to  approach.  Often  the 
hunter  will  try  to  approach  a  bunch  of  ducks,  and  suddenly,  a  few 
Golden-eyes  will  arise  from  the  flock,  their  whistling  wings  giving  the 
alarm  to  the  rest  of  the  company  and  telling  the  enemy  of  the  game 
that  has  flowb.  The  whistling  note  made  by  their  wings  is  characteris- 
tic, and  has  given  them  the  name  "Whistler"  and  "Whistle-wing." 
They  are  expert  divers,  and  often,  even  after  they  are  wounded,  escape 
by  diving. 

45.    (152).    Glaucionetta  islandica  (Gmel.). 

Barrow's  Golden-eye. 

Adult  Male. — Very  similar  to  the  preceding,  differing  chiefly  in  be- 
ing larger  in  size;  gloss  of  the  head,  purple  and  violet;  loral  spot 
larger;  white  on  the  wing,  divided  by  a  dark  bar;  feathers  on  the  hind- 
head  lengthened  into  a  crest;  bill  blotched  with  red.  Female. — Can 
probably  not  be  distinguished  from  that  of  the  preceding. 

Length,  21.00-23.00;  wing,  9.00-9.40  (9.17);  bill  from  tip  to  frontal 
angle,  1.65-1.80  (1.75);  depth  at  base,  .95-110  (1.03);  width,  .75-.85 
(.81);  width  of  nail,  .35;  tarsus,  1.50-1.60  (1.57).    Female  smaller. 

Eange. — ^North  America;  breeds  from  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to 
Greenland  and  Alaska,  and  south  in  Eocky  Mountains.  Colorado. 
South  in  Winter  to  southern  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  that  latitude. 

Nest  and  JEJggs,  similar  to  the  last  species. 

Rare  visitor  from  the  north  in  winter  and  spring.  It  has  twice,  at 
least,  been  taken  in  this  State.  Dr.  F.  Stein  took  it  on  the  lower 
Wabash  River  in  Gibson  County  in  1874.  (Bull.  Nuttall.  Om.  Club, 
July,  1876,  p.  41.)  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  shot  a  female  on  Deer 
Creek,  near  Camden,  Carroll  County,  March  19,  1885.  (The  Auk,  Oc- 
tober, 1888,  p.  347.)  Dr.  Brayton  says  it  is  a  "winter  resident  on  Lake 
Michigan."  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  informs  me  that  he  shot  two  speci- 
mens off  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago^  on  Lake  Michigan,  December  11, 
1896,  and  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  has  a  specimen  taken  at  Fox  Lake, 
Illinois,  January  2,  1889.  We  are  about  at  the  southeastern  limit  of 
its  range. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  623 

Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  while  the  males 
of  this  species  and  the  last  may  readily  be  distinguished,  aecerding  to 
the  characters  specified,  it  is  difficult  to  give  constant  characters  by 
■vfhieh  the  females  of  these  two  species  can  be  infallibly  determined.  He 
says:  "The  examples,  which  are  known  to  represent  0.  islandica  differ 
from  the  positively  determined  females  of  G.  clangula  americana  in 
the  following  respects:  (1)  The  color  of  the  head  and  upper  half  of 
the  neck  is  considerably  darker,  being  a  rich  sepia  or  snuff-brown, 
rather  than  a  grayish  brown;  (2)  the  greater  wing  coverts  are  distinctly 
tipped  with  black,  forming  a  conspicuous  dusky  stripe  between  the 
tw^o  larger  white  areas  of  the  wing,  which  in  G.  clangula  americana  axe 
(usually  at  least)  merged  into  one  continuous  space. 

"Further  than  this  we  find  no  distinction,  while  indeed  some  exam- 
pies  are  decidedly  intermediate  in  both  respects,  as  to  render  it  quite 
uncertain  to  which  species  they  belong  of  the  two  characters  named. 
However,  the  color  of  the  head  seems  for  the  most  constant,  and  may, 
perhaps,  be  found  quite  distinctive."  (Birds  of  Hlinois,  Vol.  II,  pp. 
169,  170.) 

21.    Genus  CHARITONETTA  Stejnegeb. 

a^.  Nostril  nearer  base  than  tip  of  bill;  more  or  less  white  behind  the  eye,  none 
in  front;  head  of  male  very  puflfy,  C.  albeola  (Linn.).     46 

46.    (153).    Charitonetta  albeola  (Linn.). 

Buffle-head. 
Synonyms,  Butter  Duck,  Butter  Ball,  Spirit  Duck. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  upper  neck  glossy  green,  bronze  and  purple; 
a  band  of  white  extending  from  eye  to  eye  across  the  back  of  head; 
lower  neck,  lower  parts,  speculum,  wing,  coverts,  and  outer  scapulars 
pure  white;  rest  of  upper  parts  black.  Adult  Female. — Head,  neck  and 
upper  parts  generally,  dusky  grayish-brown;  a  spot  behind  each  eye, 
speculum  and  lower  parts,  white. 

Length,  14.25-15.25;  wing,  6.75-6.90;  bill,  1.10-1.15;  female, 
smaller, 

Bange. — North  America,  breeding  in  Iowa  and  Maine  and  that  lati- 
tude, through  the  fur  countries,  and  northward  to  Alaska.  Winters 
from  Michigan  to  Cuba  and  Mexico. 

Nest,  in  hollow  tree.    Eggs,  6-14;  dull  light  buff;  1.98  by  1.46. 

Common  migrant  and  winter  resident.  Some  winters  they  are  pres- 
ent throughout  the  entire  State;  others  when  the  northern  streams  and 
lakes  are  ice  bound  they  are  only  found  along  the  southern  border. 


624 


Keport  of  State  Geologist. 


Throughout  the  southern  part  of  the  State  this  little  duck  is  better 
known  than  the  Golden-eye.  Although  it  is  found  in  some  numbers 
on  Lake  Michigan,  it  prefers  the  smaller  lakes  and  streams,  often  asso- 
ciating with  the  Lesser  Scaup  Duck  in  bunches  of  three  or  four.  It 
arrives  and  departs  with  the  latter  duck. 

In  1888  Prof.  Evermann  took  a  female  at  Terre  Haute,  February  29. 
In  1889,  Mr.  J.  A.  Balmer  reported  small  numbers  at  Vincennes,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  while  they  were  not  observed  at  English  Lake  until, March 


Buffle-Head. 


17.  In  1892,  Mr.  Deane  reported  a  few  pairs  seen  at  English  Lake, 
February  27.  In  1886  the  first  was  killed  at  English  Lake,  March  19, 
and  in  1892  they  were  first  observed  there,  March  6. 

Usually  the  migration  is  principally  in  March,  the  birds  remaining, 
in  the  north  of  the  State,  from  the  first  to  the  middle  of  April. 
Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  reports  several  at  Kouts,  Ind.,  April  15,  1892, 
and  Mr.  Deane  saw  a  few  at  English  Lake  May  4,  1890.  That  same 
year  they  remained  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.,  until  May  9.    (Warnie.) 

They  have  been  observed  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  however,  in  summer, 
and  it  is  said  to  breed  there  (Mcll wraith.  Birds  of  Ontario,  p.  84). 
Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  reports  it  also  in  summer  from  near  Sandusky,  0. 
(Summer  Birds  of  N.  Ohio,  Marsh,  J.  C.  S.  N.  H.,  Vol.  Ill,  1880,  p. 
229). 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  625 

It  breeds  from  Iowa  northward  throughout  Manitoba  to  the  Alaskan 
coast. 

This  duck  is  well  known  to  sportsmen  as  a  diver.  Often  it  escapes 
by  diving  rather  than  by  flying. 

22.    Genus  CLANGULA  Leach. 

a^.  Feathers  at  base  of  bill  reaching  farthest  forward  on  the  forehead. 

C.  hyemalis  (Linn.).     47 

47.     (lo4).    Clangula  hyemalis  (Linn.). 

Old  Squaw. 
Synonyms,  Old  Wife,  South  Southerly,  Long-tailed  Duck. 

Adult  Male  in  Winter. — Sides  of  head  light  smoke  gray;  the  eyelids 
and  rest  of  head  and  neck,  upper  part  of  chest  and  upper  back,  white; 
a  dusky  patch  on  each  side  of  neck;  breast  and  most. of  upper  parts 
black;  the  scapulars  pale  pearl-gray  or  grayish- white;  lower  parts 
white,  the  sides  tinged  with  pearl-gray.  Adult  Male  in  Summer. — 
Fore  part  of  head  pale  grayish;  eyelids  and  space  behind  eye  white; 
rest  of  head  and  neck,  with  upper  parts  generally,  sooty  blackish,  or 
dark  sooty  brown;  the  upper  back  varied  with  fulvous  and  scapulars 
edged  with  same;  breast  and  upper  belly  dark  sooty-grayish;  remaining 
lower  parts  white,  shaded  on  sides  with  pale  pearl-gray.  Adult  Female 
in  Winter. — Head,  neck,  and  lower  parts  chiefly  white;  top  of  head 
dusky;  chest  grayish;  upper  parts  dusky  brown,  the  scapulars  bordered 
with  light  brownish,  sometimes  tipped  with  grayish.  Adult  Female  in 
Summer. — Head  and  neck,  dark  grayish-brown,  with  a  whitish  space 
surrounding  the  eye,  and  another  on  each  side  of  neck;  otherwise' 
much  as  in  the  winter  plumage,  but  scapulars  chiefly  light  brown  or 
fulvous,  with  dusky  centers.  ^ 

Length  (of  male),  20.75-23.00;  wing,  8.50-9.00;  middle  tail  feathers, 
8.00-8.50;  bill,  1.10;  the  female  smaller  (about  15.00-16.00  long),  with 
middle  tail  feathers  not  conspicuously  lengthened. 

Eange. — Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America,  south  to  the 
Potomac  and  the  Ohio  (more  rarely  to  Florida  and  Texas)  and  Cali- 
fornia; breeds  far  northward. 

Nest,  on  margins  of  lakes  or  ponds,  among  grass  or  bushes.  Eggs, 
6-12;  drab,  shaded  with  green;  2.05  by  1.49. 

Very  common  winter  resident  on  Lake  Michigan.    Away  from  that 
lake  it  is  an  exceedingly  rare  winter  visitor,  although  it  has  been  re- 
ported from  a  number  of  localities  throughout  the  State. 
40— Geol. 


&26  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Dr.  F.  Stein  observed  it  on  the  lower  Wabash  River  (Bull.  Nuttalt 
Orn.  Club,  July,  1876,  }:>.  44).  A  specimen  was  taken  by  Mr.  T.  J.  Baum 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  River  (Dearborn  County,  Indiana) 
February  24,  1880.  (Journal  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  December,  1881,  p. 
341). 

Mr.  Charles  Dury  informs  me  there  is  a  male  in  the  collection  of  the 
Cuvier  Club,  Cincinnati,  0.,  that  was  taken  on  the  Whitewater  River 
in  March.  There  is  a  male  in  my  collection  taken  by  Mr.  R.  Williams 
at  Metamora,  Franklin  County,  Indiana,  about  1882.  Mr.  J.  E.  Beas- 
ley  reports  having  mounted  a  specimen  killed  near  Thorntown  in' 
1889.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge  reports  one  specimen  from  Allen  County^ 
and  Dr.  Vernon  Gould  reported  it  from  Rochester,  March  7,  1892. 

They  come  from  the  north  very  late.  The  earliest  date  given  for 
their  arrival  is  that  given  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Byrkit,  who  reported  it  very 
abundant  on  Lake  Michigan,  off  Michigan  City,  December  12,  1887. 

They  are  great  divers.  The  depth  to  which  they  dive  may  be  known 
by  the  fact  that  they  are  often  caught  in  that  vicinity  in  abundance 
in  gill  nets  in  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms  of  water. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  and  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  both  report  it  very 
abundant  on  Lake  Michigan  the  winter  of  1894-5,  and  quite  common 
the  winter  of  1896-7.  The  first  mentioned  winter,  Mr.  Parker  tells 
me,  during  January  and  February,  many  of  these  ducks  were  shot  off 
tho  government  pier  at  the  entrance  to  Chicago  harbor.  January  14^ 
1897,  both  the  gentlemen  mentioned  reported  it  from  Millers,  Ind. 
February  1  following  Mr.  Parker  reported  it  very  abundant  at  that 
same  place.     He  saw  several  enormous  flocks. 

They  usually  pass  north  in  February.  The  latest  record  I  have  i& 
one  given  by  Mr.  Stewart  E.  White,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  where  he 
observed  three  April  2, 1891.  This  duck  is  a  great  gabbler.  To  this  fact 
it  owes  several  of  its  names,  among 'them  "Old  Wife,^^  "Old  Squaw,"^ 
and  "Scolder."  Its  notes  are  different  from  those  of  any  other  duck. 
Undoubtedly  the  name  by  which  it  is  called  some  places,  south-south- 
erly, comes  from  the  interpretation  of  these  notes  into  south-south- 
southerly.  Its  call  consists  of  five  notes,  which  may  be  interpreted 
into  several  fanciful  sayings. 

Mr.  Nelson  speaks  of  its  harmonious  notes  during  the  breeding  sea- 
son, when  it  is  very  abundant  in  Alaska,  and  says  the  fur  traders  of 
Fpper  Yukon  have  given  it  the  well  merited  name  Organ  Duck. 
Breeds  far  north.  It  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  summer  residents  on 
the  Alaskan  coast. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  627 

23.    Gbnus  OIDEMIA  Flbmisg. 

a^.  Wing  with  large  white  patch;  frontal  feathers  not  reaching  farther  forward 
than  those  on  sides  of  culmen.     Subgenus  Melanitta  Boie. 

O.  deglandi  Bonap.     48 
a'^.  Wing  with  no  white  patch;  frontal  feathers  reaching  nearly  or  quite  to  nostrils, 
none  on  sides  of  culmen.     Subgenus  Pelionetta  Kaup. 

O.  perspicillata  (Linn.).     49 

Subgenus  Melanitta  Boie. 

48.     (165).    Oidemia  deglandi  Bonap. 

Velvet  Scoter. 
Synonym,  White-winged  Scoter. 

Adult  Male. — Black;  speculum  and  patch  under  eye,  white;  feet, 
orange  red,  with  dusky  webs;  bill,  black,  broadly  tipped  with  orange. 
Female. — Sooty  brown,  grayish  below;  whitish  about  head;  speculum, 
white. 

Length,  about  21.00;  wing,  10.65-11.40;  bill,  1.40-1.-70;  depth  of 
upper  mandible  at  base,  1.10-1.30;  tarsus,  1.80-2.10. 

Eange. — Northern  North  America.  Breeds  from  Labrador  and 
Manitoba  to  Alaska  and  Arctic  coasts;  south  in  winter  to  Chesapeake 
Bay,  southern  Indiana  and  southern  Illinois. 

Nest,  on  ground,  near  fresh  water;  of  twigs,  mosses,  etc.  JEggs, 
usually  6;  pale  buff,  varying  to  green;  2.68  by  1.83. 

Eare  winter  visitor.    More  numerous  on  Lake  Michigan. 

Dr.  Haymond  records  it  from  Franklin  County  "as  numerous  in 
winter"  (Lid.  Geol.  Kept.,  1869,  p.  223).  Mr.  Ruthven  DeaJie  in- 
forms me  that  a  bird  of  this  species  was  talven  at  English  Lake  the 
latter  part  of  October  or  early  part  of  November,  1889.  Two  more 
were  killed  there  early  in  November,  1890,  after  a  heavy  blow  off  Lake 
Michigan.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says  it  is  found  on  Lake  Michigan 
during  the  winter  months,  but  is  rare.  This  duck  has  been  taken  on 
the  Illinois  Eiver  (Nelson);  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  (Allen);  on  the  Scioto 
Eiver,  near  Columbus,  0.;  at  Licking  Reservoir;  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cleveland  and  Sandusky  Bay.  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton,  Birds  of  Ohio,  p. 
538.) 

Subgenus  Prlioitbtta  Kaup. 

49.     (166).    Oidemia  perspicillata  (Linn.). 

Surf  Scoter. 
Synonym,  Surf  Duck. 

Adult  Male. — Black,  with  patch  of  white  on  the  forehead  and  an- 
other on  the  nape;  none  on  the  wing;  bill,  orange  red,  whitish  on  the 
sides,  with  a  large  circular  black  base.  Female. — Smaller;  sooty  brown; 


628  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

below,  silvery  gray;  whitish  patches  on  each  side  of  the  head;  bill, 
black;  feet,  dark,  tinged  with  reddish;  webs,  black. 

Length,  about  20.00-22.00;  wing,  9.25-9.75;  bill,  1.30-1.60;  tarsus, 
1.55-1.85. 

Eange. — North  America.  Breeds  northward  from  Labrador 
through  British  America  and  Alaska;  south  in  winter  in  interior  to 
southern  Indiana;  on  coasts  to  Florida  and  Jamaica,  and  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  grass,  near  water.  Eggs,  5;  pale  buff,  or  pale 
creamy  buff;  2.47  by  1.70. 

Eare  winter  resident  on  Lake  Michigan;  of  occasional  occurrence 
elsewhere. 

An  immature  specimen  was  taken  by  Dr.  F.  Stein  on  the  lower  Wa- 
bash Eiver,  near  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  in  October,  1875.  That  same  fall 
Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says  quite  a  number  of  specimens  were  taken  on  the 
Calumet  marshes,  and  many  others  seen.  (Birds  of  N.  E.  111.,  p.  143.) 
That  is  the  only  year  for  which  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  records.  It 
is,  however,  given  by  Mr.  H.  Nehrling  as  not  uncommon  on  Lake 
Michigan.  Mr.  N.  A.  Eddy  says  one  specimen  was  taken  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Saginaw  Eiver  in  1884.  It  is  often  quite  common  in  fall  mi- 
grations. It  is  frequently  taken  by  the  duck  hunter,  who  calls  it  the 
'TDOoby-duck.^'  They  regard  it  as  unfit  to  eat,  but  when  taken  in  fresh 
water  it  is  excellent  eating.    (Cook,  Birds  of  Michigan,  p.  45.) 

On  August  23, 1878, 1  visited  Stewart  Island,  about  ten  miles  to  the 
seaward  of  St.  Michaels.  As  I  neared  the  island  in  my  kyak,  I  found 
the  water  literally  black  with  the  males  of  this  species,  which  were 
united  in  an  enormous  flock,  forming  a  continuous  band  around  the 
outer  end  of  the  island  for  a  distance  of  about  ten  miles  in  length,  and 
from  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width.  As  the  boat  ap- 
proached them,  those  nearest  began  to  rise  heavily  by  aid  of  wings  and 
feet  from  the  glassy  surface  of  the  gently  undulating,  but  calm,  water. 
The  first  to  rise  communicated  the  alarm  to  those  beyond,  until  as  far 
as  could  be  seen  the  water  was  covered  with  flapping  wings,  and  the  air 
filled  with  a  roar  like  that  of  a  cataract.  The  rapid  vibrations  produced 
in  the  air  by  tens  of  thousands  of  wings  could  be  plainly  felt.  In  all 
my  northern  experience  among  the  water  fowl  which  flock  there  in 
summer,  I  never  saw  any  approach  to  the  number  of  large  birds  gath- 
ered here  in  one  flock,  nor  shall  I  soon  forget  the  grand  effect  pro- 
duced by  this  enormous  body  of  birds  as  they  took  wing  and  swept  to 
sea  in  a  great  black  cloud,  and  settled  again  a  mile  or  so  away.  (Nel- 
son's Eept.  N.  H.  Coll.  in  Alaska,  p.  81.) 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  629 

2A.    Genus  ERISMATURA  Bonaparte. 

o^.  Male,  side  of  head  below  eyes  white;  female,  side  of  head  and  neck  grayish- 
white,  with  darker  stripe  from  corner  of  mouth  to  ear  coverts. 

E.  rubida  (Wils.).     60 

50.     (167).    Erismatura  rubida  (Wils.). 

Ruddy  Duck. 
Synonyms,  Black  Jack,  Bristle-Tail,  Fool  Duck. 

Male  in  Full  Plumage. — Bill,  slaty  blue;  the  nail  black;  neck,  all 
around,  and  the  upper  parts,  bright  chestnut;  the  lower  parts,  silky 
white,  watered  with  dusky;  chin  and  sides  of  the  head,  white;  the 
crown  and  nape,  black.  Female. — Brown  above,  finely  dotted  and 
waved  with  dusky;  paler  and  duller  below,  with  sometimes .  a  slight 
tawny  tinge,  which  also  occurs  on  the  sides  of  the  head. 

Length,  about  13.50-16.00;  wing,  5.75-6.00;  bHl,  about  1.50-1.60. 

Eange. — North  America,  in  general  south  to  West  Indies  and  Co- 
lombia; breeds  throughout  its  range,  from  Granada  and  Guatemala 
north,  at  least  to  Great  Slave  Lake.  No  American  duck  has  so  ex- 
tensive a  breeding  range. 

Nest,  built  to  float  like  a  Grebe's  or  else  along  the  edge  of  reedy 
stream  or  lake,  or  on  drift.  Eggs,  5-11;  white  or  pale  huffy;  2A2  by 
1.75.    Migrant,  usually  not  common. 

Throughout  the  southern  part  of  the  State  it  appears  to  be  rare.  I 
have  one  specimen  taken  near  Brookville.  Dr.  F.  Stein  reports  it 
from  the  lower  Wabash  Yalley.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  notes  it  as  rare 
in  Monroe  and  Carroll  counties.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  tells  me  he  has  seen 
them  abundant  on  the  Calumet  Eiver  in  Indiana. 

Mr.  Chas.  Dury  tells  me  they  are  known  to  the  hunters  at  English 
Lake  as  "Black-Jacks." 

With  us  they  are  usually  found  singly  or  in  small  groups  by  them- 
selves or  with  the  Coots. 

This  is  quite  in  contrast  with  their  habits  in  the  Southern  States, 
where  they  congregate  in  great  flocks.  They  frequent  the  smaller 
lakes  and  more  sluggish  water  courses. 

They  return  from  the  south  late  in  the  spring,  usually  arriving  the 
latter  part  of  March,  and  remain  through  the  month. 

Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  noted  two  males  and  a  female  at  Tolleston,  Ind., 
May  9,  1877,  and  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  found  two  males  and  a  female 
in  the  red  spring  plumage  at  English  Lake  May  11,  1890. 

The  latter  records  indicate  that  they  mate  in  threes.  Is  this  a  case 
of  polyandry?  The  Euddy  Duck  may  be  found  to  breed  among  our 
marshes. 


630  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Mr.  Nelson  found  it  breeding  in  Illinois  (Birds  Northeast  Illinois,  pp. 
143,  144)  and  Prof.  Cook  says  the  late  Mr.  W.  H.  Collins  reported 
taking  its  eggs  (presumably  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.)  (Birds  of  Michi- 
gan, p.  45.)  The  stupidity  of  this  duck  is  well  known.  Persons  are  at 
times  permitted  to  row  up  to  it,  when  it  seems  apparently  dazed  or 
sleeping. 

In  the  fall  they  appear  about  the  first  of  October  and  depart  later  in 
that  month  or  in  November.  Dr.  Wheaton  says  at  this  season  they  are 
found  in  flocks  of  fifteen  or  twenty. 

Subfamily  ANSERINE.     Geese. 
25.    Genus  CHEN  Boie. 

a^.  Plumage  chiefly  grayish-brown ;  the  rump,  usually,  and  wing  covert-^,  bluish- 
gray.  C.  caerulescens  (Linn.).     53 
a^.  Plumage,   in  adult,   white;    primaries   black,  their  coverts  gray;    in  young, 
grayish  and  grayish-white. 
b^.  Wing  17.00  or  under.  C.  hyperborea  (Pall.).     61 
62.  Wing  over  17.00.                                    C.  hyperborea  nivalis  (Forst.).     52 

51.     (169).    Chen  hyperborea  (Pall.). 

Lesser  Snow  Goose. 
Synonyms,  Alaska  Goose,  White  Brant. 

Adult. — Uniform  pure  white,  the  head  often  stained  with  rusty; 
primaries  black;  their  bases  and  coverts  dark-gray.  Young. — Head, 
neck  and  upper  parts  pale  grayish,  the  feathers  of  the  latter  with 
whitish  edges  and  (especially  wing  coverts  and  tertials)  striped  med-' 
ially  with  darker;  rump,  upper  tail  coverts,  tail  and  lower  parts  plain 
white. 

Length,  about  23.00-28.00;  wing,  14.50-17.00  (16.36);  bill,  1.95- 
2.30  (2.15);  tarsus,  2.80-3.25  (3.01);  middle  toe,  2.00-2.50  (2.34). 

Eange. — Pacific  Coast  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  breeding  in 
Alaska;  south  in  winter  from  southern  Illinois  and  southern  Indiana 
to  gulf  coast;  southern  California.  Casually  to  New  England.  North- 
eastern Asia. 

Nest,  by  side  of  water  oh  ground,  of  grass  and  feathers.  Eggs, 
5-8;  yellowish-white;  3.13  by  2.12. 

Rare  migrant  throughout  the  State;  much  more  often  seen  in  spring. 

Mr.  Nelson  thought  that  this  species  and  the  next  were  found  in 
Illinois  in  about  equal  numbers. 

In  this  State  and  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  what  reports  I  have  re- 
ceived relate  principally  to  this  form.  The  two  birds  are  similar  in 
appearance,  except  in  size.  They  are  at  times  found  in  flocks  together 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  631 

or  with  other  geese;  again  each  kind  will  be  found  by  itself.  I  have 
had  them  reported  in  flocks  with  Blue  Geese,  Canada  Geese  and  Amer- 
ican White-fronted  Geese.  Reported  from  Dekalb  County  (E.  W. 
McBride),  Lake  County  (Meyer),  Starke  County  (Deane).  October  18, 
1881,  a  single  Lesser  Snow  Goose  was  seen  near  Brookville  with  a  flock 
of  tame  geese,  and  was  shot.  It  was  preserved  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick. 
In  spring  they  rarely  appear  late  in  February,  usually  not  until  the 
early  part  of  March,  and  scatter  along  through  that  month,  a  few  re- 
maining in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  occasionally  into  early  April. 

The  earliest  spring  record  I  have  is  from  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride,  at 
Waterloo — six  geese,  February  23,  1890.  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  reports 
a  flock  of  twenty  in  the  vicinity  of  Greensburg,  March  14,  1895,  from 
which  eight  were  Idlled.  All  were  immature.  The  next  day  a  flock  of 
thirty  was  seen.  The  latest  record  I  have  of  it  is  reported  by  Mr.  C.  L. 
Barber,  Laporte,  March  30,  1896,  and  the  same  year  Mr.  Eliot  Black- 
welder  saw  the  last  in  Cook  County,  Illinois,  April  4.  • 

They  are  always  conspicuous  objects  when  the  pure  white  adult 
plumage  contrasts  with  the  dense  black  primaries.  Whether  with  a 
flock  of  their  fellows  or  notable  examples  in  a  flock  of  darker  colored 
geese,  they  are  certain  to  be  observed. 

These,  together  with  their  larger  relatives  and  the  Blue  Goose,  are 
known  by  many  as  Alaska  Geese.  A  gentleman  one  day  showed  me 
an  Alaskan  bone  arrow  or  spear  point,  which  he  said  had  been  found 
in  northern  Indiana,  and  stated  that  for  some  time  he  had  been  puz- 
zled to  account  for  its  occurrence  there.  Then  he  showed  me  the 
sternum  of  an  Alaska  Goose,  possibly  this  species,  which  had  been  shot 
in  northern  Indiana,  through  which  a  similar  arrow  head  had  pierced 
and  remained  firmly  imbedded.  He  had  carefully  cleaned  the  sternum 
and  left  the  head  of  the  projectile  as  it  was  found.  Thus  was  solved 
the  problem  of  the  way  in  which  this  implement  was  transported  from 
the  borders  of  the  Arctic  Sea  to  the  rich  fields  of  northwestern  In- 
diana. 

52.     (l*'9a).    Chen  hyperborea  nivalis  (Forst  ). 

Greater  Snow  Goose. 
Synonyms,  Alaska  Goose,  White  Bbant. 

Same  colors  as  last. 

Length,  20.00-26.00;  wing,  13.75-15.50;  cuLmen,  1.50-1.70;  tarsus, 
2.30-3.00. 

Range. — North  America,  breeding  far  north  (east  of  Mackenzie 
Basin),  and  migrating  south  in  winter,  chiefly  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
to  Gulf  coast  and  Cuba. 


632   •  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Eggs,  unknown. 

Eare  migrant.  This  species  and  the  preceding  are  not  usually  dis- 
tinguished. Where  it  has  been  noted  it  would  seem  to  be  found  less 
often  than  the  smaller  form. 

Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  has  several  times  seen  Snow  Geese  in  Knox 
County,  which  he  referred  to  this  species.  About  1867  he  saw  a  flock 
of  eighteen.  October  25,  1896,  he  saw  a  single  specimen,  and  Decem- 
ber 12,  1896,  he  saw  another  Snow  Goose  flying  over  in  a  flock  of 
Hutchins'  Geese.  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  has  reported  this  goose  from  Chal- 
mers. In  the  spring  of  1897,  while  calling  upon  Mr.  Mortimer  Lever- 
ing, at  his  country  home  near  Lafayette,  my  attention  was  drawn  to 
three  geese,  one  of  which  was  a  Snow  Goose,  which  had  been  shot  from 
a  flock  near  Morocco  in  1892.  It  was  only  winged,  and  came  into  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Levering,  where  it  had  become  quite  tame. 

Sir  John  Richardson,  in  his  "Fauna  Boreali  Americana,^^  speaks  of 
the  abundance  of  these  birds  in  the  far  north,  where  they  breed.  The 
young  fly  in  August,  and  by  the  middle  of  September  all  have  departed 
southward. 

"The  Snow  Goose  feeds  on  rushes,  insects,  and  in  autumn  on  ber- 
ries, particularly  those  of  the  Empetrum  nigrum.  When  well  fed  it  is  a 
very  excellent  bird,  far  superior  to  the  Canada  Goose  in  juiciness  and 
flavor.  It  is  said  that  the  young  do  not  attain  their  full  plumage  be- 
fore the  fourth  year,  and  until  that  period  they  appear  to  keep  in 
separate  flocks.  They  are  numerous  at  Albany  Fort,  in  the  southern 
part  of  Hudson  Bay,  where  the  old  birds  are  rarely  seen,  and  on  the 
other  hand,  the  old  birds  in  their  migrations  visit  York  Factory  in 
great  abundance,  but  are  seldom  accompanied  by  the  young." 

Both  of  the  Snow  Geese  are  known  as  "White  Brant." 

53.    (169).    Chen  cserulescens  (Linn). 

Blue  Goose. 
Synonyms,  AiiASKA  Goose,  Blue- winged  Goose,  Blue  Brant. 

Head  and  upper  neck  and  sometimes  rump  and  back  part  of 
belly,  white;  back  of  neck  often  with  more  or  less  distinct  black  stripe 
lengthwise;  greater  wing  coverts  and  secondaries  (including  ter- 
tails)  edged  with  white;  rest  of  plumage  mostly  grayish-brown,  the 
rump  (usually)  and  wing  coverts,  bluish-gray. 

Young. — Similar  to  adult,  but  head  and  neck  uniform  deep  grayish- 
brown,  only  the  chin  being  white. 

Length,  26.50-30.00;  wing,  15.00-17.00;  culmen,  2.10-2.30;  tarsus, 
3.00-3.30. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  633 

Eange. — Interior  of  North  America,  east  of  Rocky  Mountains, 
breeding  on  the  eastern  shores  of  Hudson  Bay;  migrating  south  in 
winter  through  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  the  G-ulf  coast;  occasional  on 
Atlantic  Coast. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  unknown. 

Eare  migrant.  Dr.  Rufus  Haymond  first  identified  this  goose  in 
Indiana.  (Ind.  Geol.  Rept.,  1869,  p.  231.)  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann 
found  three  specimens  in  the  Terre  Haute  market  April  2,  1887, 
which  were  killed  about  eighteen  miles  south  of  that  city,  in  Sullivan 
County.  A  few  days  later  he  saw  another  of  these  geese  in  the  city 
market. 

Mr.  Chas.  Dury  reports  it  from  Chalmers  and  English  Lake.  Mr. 
J.  0.  Dunn  informs  me  that  there  is  a  mounted  specimen  in  the  Hyde 
Park  (Chicago)  High  School,  labeled  Wolf  Lake,  Indiana.  December 
18,  1884,  he  also  reports  seeing  twelve  specimens  in  South  Water 
Street  market,  Chicago,  March  29,  and  others  again  April  7,  1894,  all 
of  which  had  been  killed  in  Illinois.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  states  that  a 
taxidermist  at  Hudson,  Steuben  County,  has  a  Blue  Goose  that  he 
says  was  shot  early  in  the  spring. of  1891  in  a  swamp  not  far  from 
Stony  Lake,  Dekalb  County.  Mr.  Mortimer  Levering,  of  Lafayette, 
has  two  of  these  geese,  which  were  shot  and  crippled  from  a  flock  near 
Morocco,  Newton  County,  in  1892.  He  has  kept  them,  and  one  Snow 
Goose  taken  at  the  same  time,  for  five  years,  and  they  have  become 
quite  tame. 

Dr.  McChesney,  in  his  account  of  the  birds  of  northern  Dakota, 
says  they  are  found  there,  in  the  fall,  mixed  with  flocks  of  Snow  Geese, 
but  he  never  observed  them  in  the  spring.  As  the  above  references  will 
show,  most  of  those  noted  in  Indiana  and  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  have 
been  seen  in  the  spring. 

26.    Genus  AX-^ER  Brisson. 

a^.  Fore  part  of  liead  and  feathers  at  base  of  bill  white,  or  fore  part  of  head  dusky 
and  nail  of  bill,  black.  A.  albifrons  gambeli  (Hartl.)     54 

54.     (171a).    Anser  albifrons  gambeli  (IIartl). 

American  White-fronted  Goose. 
Synonynas,  Laughing  Goosf,  Gray  Brant. 

Adult. — Fore  part  of  head  and  forehead,  white,  bordered  behind  with 
blackish;  upper  tail  coverts,  sides  of  rump  and  crissnm,  white;  under 
parts  whitish  blotched  with  black;  rest  of  head  and  neck  grayish- 
brown,  shading  lighter  as  it  joins  the  breast;  back  dark  gray,  the  feath- 
ers tipped  with  brown;  greater  coverts  and  secondaries  bordered  with 


634  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

whitish;  primaries  and  coverts  edged  and  tipped  with  white;  bill  pink, 
pale  lake  or  carmine;  nails,  white;  feet,  yellow;  claws,  white. 

Length,  27.00-30.00;  wing,  14.25-17.50;  bill,  1.80-2.35;  depth  of 
upper  mandible  at  base,  .90-1.20;  width,  .85-1.05;  tarsus,  2.60-3.20. 

Kange. — North  America  (rare  on  the  Atlantic  Coast),  breeding  far 
northward;  in  winter  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas,  Mexico  and  Cuba. 

Nesi,  a  depression  in  the  sand  beside  fresh  water.  Eggs,  6-7;  green- 
fsh-yellow;  3.10  by  2.07. 

This  goose  is  a  rare  migrant  in  Indiana. 

There  is  a  male  in  the  collection  of  the  Cuvier  Club,  Cincinnati,  0., 
that  was  killed  in  the  spring  at  English  Lake.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane 
has  seen  it  at  the  same  place.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge  has  a  specimen 
in  his  collection,  taken  at  Davis,  Ind.,  in  1874.  A  goose  of  this  species 
was  killed  at  Peru,  April  17,  1891.  It  was  mounted  by  Mr.  J.  E. 
Beasley  for  Jos.  Andre,  of  that  city.  Mr.  Chas.  L.  Barber  saw  two  in 
the  market  at  Laporte  April  4,  1894.  They  were  killed  on  the  Kan- 
kakee River,  near  that  place.  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn  saw  some  in  the  Chicago 
market,  from  Illinois,  April  7,  1894. 

Dr.  Langdon  notes  its  occurrence  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  and 
it  has  been  noted  a  few  other  times  in  Ohio.  (Wheaton,  Birds  of  Ohio, 
pp.  517,  518.)  It  is  rare  in  Michigan.  (Cook,  Birdb  of  Michigan,  p. 
46.)  In  1876  Mr.  Nelson  gave  it  as  a  very  abundant  migrant,  occur- 
ring in  large  flocks  in  Illinois.  (Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  pp. 
136,  137.)  Mr.  Ridgway  says  nothing  of  its  being  even  common  in 
1895,  but  notes  that  it  frequents  open  prairies  or  wheat  fields,  where 
it  nibbles  the  young  and  tender  blades,  and  cornfields,  where  it  feeds 
upon  the  scattered  grains. 

"The  mating  season  is  quickly  ended,  and  on  May  27,  1879,  I 
found  their  eggs  at  the  Yukon  mouth.  From  this  date  on  until  the 
middle  of  June  fresh  eggs  may  be  found,  but  very  soon  after  that  date 
the  downy  young  begin  to  appear.  The  geese  choose  for  a  nesting  site 
the  grassy  border  of  a  small  lakelet,  a  knoll  grown  over  with  moss  and 
grass,  or  even  a  flat,  sparingly  covered  with  grass.  Along  the  Yukon, 
Dall  found  them  breeding  gregariouslj^,  depositing  their  eggs  in  a 
hollow  scooped  out  in  the  sand.  At  the  Yukon  mouth  and  St. 
Michaels  they  were  found  breeding,  scattered  in  paii's  over  the  flat 
country.  Every  one  of  the  nests  examined  by  me  in  these  places  had 
a  slight  lining  of  grass  or  moss,  gathered  by  the  parent,  and  upon  this 
the  first  eggs  were  laid.  As  the  complement  of  eggs  is  approached  the 
female  always  plucks  down  and  feathers  from  her  breast  until  the  eggs 
rest  in  a  warm,  soft  bed,  when  incubation  commences.  The  eggs  vary 
considerably  in  shape  and  size.    Some  are  decidedly  elongated;  others 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  635 

are  decidedly  oval.    In  color  they  are  a  dull  white,  but  ordinarily  pre- 
sent a  dirty  brown  appearance  from  being  stained  in  the  nest. 

The  young  are  pretty  little  objects,  and  are  guarded  with  the  great- 
est care  by  the  parents,  the  male  and  female  joining  in  conducting 
their  young  from  place  to  place  and  defending  them  from  danger.'* 
(Nelson,  Report  Nat.  Hist.  Coll.  in  Alaska.) 

27.    Genus  BRANTA  Scopoli. 

a^.  Head  black;  cheeks  and  throat  white. 

b^.  Larger;  length  35.00  or  over.  B.  canadensis  (Linn.).     55 

62.  Smaller;  length  under  35.00. 

B.  canadensis  hutchinsii  (Sw.  &  Rich.).     56 
a^.  Throat  black,  or  brownish  black;  white  streaks  or  spots  on  each  side  of  neck. 

B.  bernicla  (Linn.).     57 

*65.     (172).    Branta  canadensis  (Linn). 

Canada  Goose. 
Synonym,  Common  Wild  Goose. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  neck  black,  with  a  broad  white  patch  on 
throat,  extending  up  into  each  cheek;  tail  and  quills  black;  upper  tail 
coverts  white;  upper  parts  brownish,  the  feathers  with  lighter  tips;  be- 
low, light  brownish-gray,  almost  white  on  crissum,  all  the  feathers 
with  lighter  edges;  bill  and  feet,  deep  black. 

Length,  about  35.00-43.00;  wing,  15.60-21.00;  bill,  1.58-2.70;  tarsus, 
2.45-3.70. 

Eange. — JS'orth  America;  breeds  from  Indiana,  Illinois,  Tennessee 
northward  from  Mackenzie  Valley  to  Atlantic  Coast.  Winters  from 
southern  limit  of  breeding  range  south  to  Gulf  States  and  into  Mexico. 

Nest,  usually  in  a  hollow  in  the  sand,  lined  with  down,  and  a  few 
sticks  a]:ound  the  edge.  Along  the  upper  Missouri  it  breeds  in  trees. 
(Coues,  B.  N.  W.)    Eggs,  4-7;  pale  dull  greenish;  3.55  by  2.27. 

Common  migrant;  sometimes  winter  resident  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State;  resident  in  some  numbers.  They  often  breed.  Formerly 
these  geese  were  much  more  abundant  than  now,  but  they  are  still 
common  during  the  migrations  among  the  lakes  and  marshes  of  north- 
ern Indiana. 

This  is  the  common  Wild  Goose.  Almost  every  mild  winter  more  or 
less  of  them  remain  in  one  part,  if  not  another,  of  the  lower  Wabash 
Valley.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  says  a  few  years  ago  the  prairies  of  Knox 
County  were  covered  with  these  geese  many  days  during  the  winter. 
They  could  be  seen  by  thousands.  Now  they  are  seldom  met  with. 
The  winters  of  1886-7  and  1892-3  they  remained  in  the  valley  of  the 


636 


Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


Whitewater.  The  latter  winter  a  small  flock  remained  in  the  vicinity 
of  Brookville,  through  zero  weather,  until  the  last  were 
killed,  some  time  in  January.  The  winter  of  1888-89  they  remained 
in  some  numbers  on  the  Kankakee  all  winter. 

Often  they  begin  moving  with  the  January  thaw,  and  by  February, 
some  years,  if  the  waters  are  open,  are  to  be  found  throughout  the 
State. 


Canada   Goose. 


Their  forwardness  sometimes  brings  them  to  grief.  Occasionally 
cold  weather  follows  their  movements,  and  they  are  compelled  to  pass 
a  season  of  severity  while  in  the  midst  of  their  migrations.  March  9, 
1889,  and  February  14,  1891,  the  marshes  at  English  Lake  were  cov- 
ered with  ice,  and  the  geese  were  sitting  on  the  ice.  February  22, 
1894,  the  Tolleston  marshes  were  covered  with  ice,  and  geese  sat  on  the 
ice.    (Deane.) 

These  geese  are  among  the  first  birds  to  move.  They  do  not  follow 
the  course  of  streams,  but  go  over  wood  and  meadow,  river  and  town, 
attracting  the  watcher  by  the  flight,  in  single  file  or  two  lines,  meeting 
in  a  point,  and  calling  the  attention  of  the  inattentive  by  the  melo- 
dious lionk-honh  of  the  old  gander  who  leads  the  van.     Thus,  theirs 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  637 

becomes  the  most  notable  of  the  earlj'^  bird  movements,  and  they  are 
harbingers  of  spring.  Their  coming  and  going  is  the  wonder  of  all 
who  behold  them,  and  the  impression  they  make  upon  the  young  mind 
is  lasting. 

They  continue  the  spring  migration  through  March,  and  usually 
have  passed  the  southern  part  of  the  State  by  the  middle  of  that 
month,  though  Mr.  E:  J.  Chansler  has  noted  them  as  late  as  April  2 
(1897).  In  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan  they  often  continue  abund- 
ant up  to  that  date.  They  are  so  reported  April  2,  1893,  at  Kouts, 
Ind.,  and  common  April  2,  1885.  (Parker.)  About  this  time,  how- 
ever, the  migrants  leave,  and  only  those  who  remain  to  breed  are 
found.    In  years  gone  by  many  more  bred  with  us  than  do  now. 

Thirty  years  ago  it  was  not  uncommon  to  find  upon  the  upland 
meadows  of  Franklin  and  other  southern  counties,  where  great  flocks 
of  these  geose  had  stopped  during  the  March  migrations,  numbers  of 
eggs  that  had  been  dropped  by  them. 

They  still  breed  in  some  numbers  in  the  Kankakee  region  and 
less  frequently  in  other  favorable  localities,  notably  Dekalb  County 
(J.  0.  Snyder),  Steuben  County,  at  Twin  Lakes  of  the  Wood  (Mrs. 
J.  L.  Hine),  Laporte  County  (C.  L.  Barber).  They  evidently  begin 
nesting  between  April  15  and  May  1,  as  nests  with  the  full  comple- 
ment of  eggs  are  usually  found  from  the  first  to  third  week  in  May. 

These  geese  are  often  domesticated.  In  our  State  the  farmers  in  some 
localities  where  they  breed,  get  the  eggs  and  hatch  them  under  a  hen. 
Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  informs  me  of  one  farmer  in  Lake  County  who  found 
a  nest  containing  six  eggs,,  built  upon  a  muskrat  house.  He  took  the 
eggs,  and  the  hen  under  which  he  set  them  hatched  four  goslings. 
These  he  kept  for  a  number  of  years,  and  they  bred  every  year.  In 
this  connection  I  desire  to  refer  to  an  account  of  domesticated  Canada 
Geese  by  Mr.  Wm.  Dutcher,  in  the  Auk,  January,  1885,  p.  111.  The 
notes  are  given  from  the  experience  of  Capt.  Lane,  of  Shinnecock  Bay, 
Long  Island,  and  from  these  I  quote  the  following  concerning  their 
breeding  habits:  "They  make  their  nests  of  dried  grass,  raising  them 
about  twelve  inches  from  the  ground.  They  feather  them  when  they  be- 
gin to  lay,  which  is  about  May  1.  None  lay  until  three  years  old.  The 
first  season  four  eggs  are  laid,  five  the  second,  and  when  older,  six 
or  seven.  A  goose  never  has  more  than  one  mate,  but  while  the  goose 
is  sitting  the  gander  never  leaves  her,  though  he  never  sits  on  the  nest. 
The  time  of  incubation  is  four  weeks.  The  young  when  hatched  are 
strong  enough  to  take  care  of  themselves;  that  is,  they  eat  grass  and 
walk  and  swim  as  soon  as  they  get  dry.    They  will  eat  meal  on  the 


638  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

second  day.  They  are  in  the  down  four  weeks  and  are  fully  grown  in 
six  weeks.  AVhen  swimming,  the  gander  goes  ahead,  the  young  next 
and  the  goose  follows  invariably." 

The  following  records  taken  from  English  Lake,  are  given:  The  first 
was  killed  in  1881,  February  16;  1886,  March  17;  1887,  March  13; 
1889,  common  March  9,  had  been  present  several  days;  1891,  first  seen 
February  14;  1892,  February  27;  1894,  February  22  at  (Tolleston, 
Lake  County);  1896,  February  2. 

They  arrive  on  our  marshes  in  September,  but  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State  are  seldom  seen  until  after  the  middle  of  October.  They 
remain  until  the  first  cold  snap,  then  the  great  body  pushes  on  towards 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 


*56.     (172a).     Branta  canadensis  hutchinsii  (S|^.  &  Rich.). 

Hutchin's  Goose. 
Synonyms,  Lesser  Canada  Goose,  Little  Wild  Goose. 

Similar  to  last  species;  much  smaller  and  tail  feathers  usually  14 
or  16. 

Length,  about  25.00-34.00;  wing,  14.75-17.75;  bill,  1.20-1.90;  tar- 
sus, 2.25-3.20. 

Eange. — North  America;  breeds  in  xerotic  regions  and  Alaska, 
where  center  of  abundance  is  along  lower  Yukon,  and  thence  south  ta 
the  Kuskoquin.    (Nelson.)    Winters  in  southern  United  States. 

Nest,  similar  to  last.    Eggs,  4-6;  white;  3.18  by  2.10. 

Migrant  and  occasional  winter  resident;  formery  common;  now 
rarely  seen.    These  geese  are  commonly  called  by  hunters  "Brant." 

In  1879  Dr.  A.  W.  Bra}i;on  noted  it  as  common.  (Trans.  Ind.  Hort. 
Soc,  1879,  p.  178.)  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  informs  me  that  they  were 
formerly  common  in  Knox  County,  especially  in  the  fall.  In  1891  he 
saw  a  large  flock  of  them  in  Gibson  County.  They  were  quite  common 
the  winter  of  1893-4  and  the  fall  of  1896.  Mr.  Chansler  says  even 
when  they  are  not  near  enough  to  be  distinguished  by  their  smaller 
size,  they  can  be  recognizd  by  their  voices,  which  are  finer  and  more 
resembles  that  of  the  domestic  goose.  He  says  he  has  often  seen  them 
flying  with  Canada  Geese  and  with  Mallard  Ducks.  They  appear  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  State  in  September,  and  reach  the  lower 
Wabash  Valley  from  October  25  to  27,  and  the  length  of  their  stay 
depends  upon  the  weather. 

In  spring  they  go  north  in  March.  The  last  record  I  have  is  from. 
Knox  County,  March  18,  1897. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  639 

57.     (173).    Branta  bernicla  (Linn.). 

'  Brant. 

Head  entirely  black;  middle  of  neck  with  a  patch  of  white  streaks 
-on  each  side;  upper  parts  brownish-gray,  the  feathers  narrowly  tipped 
with  grayish- white;  lower  parts  pale  grayish,  in  conspicuous  contrast 
with  black  of  chest,  and  gradually  fading  into  the  white  of  anal  region 
4md  crissum. 

Length,  23.50-30.50;  wing,  12.30-13.60;  bill,  1.20-1.50;  tarsus,  2.10- 
2.40. 

Eange. — Northern  parts  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  Amer- 
ica chiefly  on  the  Atlantic  coast;  rare  in  the  interior  or  away  from  salt 
water.    Breeds  only  in  Arctic  Circle. 

Nesty  a  hollow  in  the  sand,  lined  wdth  feathers  and  down.  Eggs, 
4-6;  grayish  or  dirty  white;  2.92  by  2.02. 

Accidental  visitor. 

This  goose  prefers  the  sea,  and  does  not  wander  far  from  tide  water. 
It  is,  however,  occasionally  found  in  the  interior,  where  it  has  been 
Teported  from  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin. 

Dr.  Eufus  Haymond  reported  it  from  the  Whitewater  Valley.  (Proc. 
Phil.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  1856,  p.  296,  and  Ind.  Geol.  Eept.,  1869,  p.  232.) 
Mr.  0.  B.  Warren  informs  me  that  a  specimen  was  taken  at  Albion, 
Mich.,  by  E.  M.  Griffin  in  the  winter  of  1884,  and  is  now  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  college  there.  There  are  also  other  Michigan  records. 
(Cook,  Birds  of  Michigan,  p.  47.)  Prof.  Cooke  says  during  the  winter 
of  1883-4  this  species  was  represented  from  Illinois  southward  by  a 
few  rare  visitants.    (Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p.  78.) 

Subfamily  CYGNIN^E.     Swans. 
28.    Genus  OLOR  Wagler. 

-a^.  Bill  black  with  a  yellow  spot;  the  distance  from  the  eye  to  the  nostril  much 

greater  than  from  the  latter  point  to  the  tip  of  bill. 

•  O.  columbianus  (Ord.).     58 

-a^.  Bill  black,  no  yellow;    the  distance  from  the  eye  to  the  nostril  not  greater 

than  from  the  latter  point  to  tip  of  bill.  ^  O.  buccinator  (Kieh.).     59 

58.     (180)     Olor  columbianus  (Ord.). 

Whistling  Swan. 

Pure  white;  head  often  stained  with  rusty;  bill  and  lores,  black, 
usually  the  latter  with  small  yellow  spot;  iris,  dark  brown;  feet,  black. 

Length  about  54.00:  extent,  84.00;  wing,  21.00-22.00;  bill,  3.80- 
-4.20;  tarsus,  4.00-4.32. 


640  Eepobt  of  State  Geologist. 

Eange. — The  whole  of  North  America,  breeding  far  north;  Com- 
mander Islands,  Kamtchatka.  Accidental  in  Scotland.  Winters  in  In- 
diana and  Illinois  and  south  to  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Nest,  in  a  tussock  of  grass  near  the  water,  often  surrounded  by  it 
so  closely  that  the  bird  while  sitting  on  the  eggs  has  her  feet  sub- 
merged.   Eggs,  2-5;  white,  often  stained  with  brown;  4.19  by  2.72. 

Not  common  migrant  and  rare  winter  resident. 

They  spend  the  summer  far  to  the  north  of  the  United  States, 
breeding  at  least  south  to  a  line  from  Hudson  Bay  to  Alaska,  and  not 
in  the  United  States. 

They  migrate  late  in  the  fall;  ISTovember  seems  to  be  their  month, 
and  I  find  no  earlier  records  at  hand  for  the  Ohio  Valley  or  the  lower 
lake  region.  Nov.  15,  1894,  ^one  was  taken  at  Long  Lake,  Wabash 
County.    (Ulrey  and  Wallace,  Proc.  I.  A..  S.,  1895,  p.  150.) 

November  19,  1896,  Prof.  E.  L.  Mosely  reports  it  from  Sandusky, 
0.,  and  adds:  "It  is  said  to  have  been  seen  earlier." 

One  killed  at  Mason,  Mich.,  November  28,  1878:  It  has  also  been 
taken  in  Michigan  in  winter.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  informs  us  that  E.  A. 
Lockwood  took  two  in  the  month  of  December  at  South  Haven.  (Birds 
of  Michigan,  pp.  47,  48.)  My  friend,  Mr.  B.  T.  Gault,  informs  me 
he  saw  nine  swans,  species  unknown,  near  Thayer,  Newton  County, 
Indiana,  January  18,  1892.  Seven  swans  were  seen  on  Swan  Pond, 
Daviess  County,  in  the  spring  of  1897.    (Chansler.) 

The  return  journey  to  their  breeding  grounds  is  made  in  March  and 
early  April.  They  are  more  often  seen  in  spring  than  fall,  some- 
times being  not  uncommon  at  that  time  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Nelson  notes  that  they  were  unusually  numerous  in  the 
spring  of  1876  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago.  (Birds  N.  E.  Illinois, 
p.  136.) 

The  earliest' spring  record  is  that  of  a  specimen  in  my  collection, 
shot  by  Stephen  McKeown,  in  Franklin  County,  March  7,  1888. 

Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  reports  it  from  Lake  County  March  8,  1888;  Mr. 
Ruthven  Deane  saw  nine  at  English  Lake  March  11,  1894,  but  did 
not  identify  them. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Trouslot  informs  me  that  there  is  a  specimen  in  the  High 
School  at  Valparaiso  that  was  taken  in  Porter  County  March  22,  1887. 

Prof.  Evermann  says  that  it  is  more  often  seen  in  Carroll  County 
in  spring.  There  is  a  specimen  in  the  collection  of  Cuvier  Club,  Cin- 
cinnati, from  Indiana  (Dury);  also,  one  in  the  State  Geologist's  office 
at  Indianapolis  from  Decatur  County.  Mr.  Parker  saw  five  swans 
flying  over  Calumet  Lake,  Illinois,  and  about  fifty  on  the  Kankakee 
Eiver  at  Kouts,  Ind.,  March  31,  1894,  but    did    not  determine    the 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  641 

species.    The  latest  record  for  the  State  is  the  second  specimen  noted 
in  Dekalb  County,  April  1,  1890.    (H.  W.  McBride.) 

Formerly,  when  these  birds  were  more  abundant,  they  migrated  in 
flocks  of  twenty  or  thirty,  and  sometimes  as  many  as  fifty,  high  in  air  in 
two  converging  lines,  like  a  flock  of  Canada  Geese.  It  is  said  there  is 
not  the  noticeable  movement  of  the  wings  as  with  geese,  yet  when 
traveling  at  their  ordinary  gait,  with  the  wind  in  their  favor,  it  is  esti- 
mated they  travel  at  least  a  himdred  miles  an  hour.  Like  Wild  Geese, 
they  move  regardless  of  the  trend  of  water  courses.  In  winter  they  are 
said  to  be  very  common  some  years-  on  the  south  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
coasts.  Mr.  Dall  notes  that  they  reach  the  Yukon  about  May  1,  and 
says  they  descend  that  stream  instead  of  going  up  it,  as  most 
of  the  geese  do  at  this  season.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  notes  his  experience 
in  finding  a  nest  of  this  swan.  "On  June  14,  1880,  a  swan  was  seen 
flying  from  the  side  of  a  small  pond  on  the  marsh  near  St.  Michaels, 
and  a  close  search  finally  revealed  the  nest.  The  eggs  were  completely 
hidden  in  loose  moss,  which  covered  the  ground  about  the  spot  and  in 
which  the  bird  had  made  a  depression  by  plucking  up  the  moss  and 
arranging  it  for  the  purpose.  The  site  was  so  artfully  chosen  and 
prepared  that  I  passed  the  spot  in  m}^  search,  and  one  of  my  native 
hunters  coming  close  behind,  called  me  back,  and  thrusting  his  stick 
in  the  moss,  exposed  the  eggs."    (Nat.  Hist.  Coll.- in  Alaska,  p.  92.) 

^59.     (181).     Olor  buccinator  (Rich.). 

Trumpeter  Swan. 

Pure  white;  head,,  sometimes  neck  and  lower  parts,  stained  with 
rusty;  feet,  bill  and  lores,  black,  latter  without  yellow  spot. 

Length,  60.00-66.00;  extent,  96.00-near  120.00;  wing,  21.00-27.50; 
bill,  4.30-4.70;  tarsus,  4.54-4.95. 

Eange. — Chiefly  the  interior  of  North  America,  from  the  Gulf  coast 
to  the  fur  countries,  breeding  from  Iowa  and  the  Dakotas  (formerly 
Indiana)  northward;  west  to  the  Pacific  Coast;  rare  or  casual  on  the 
Atlantic. 

Nest,  on  high  dry  ground  near  water,  of  grass  and  feathers.  Eggs, 
2-6;  white;  4.46  by  2.92. 

Eare  migrant  and  probably  winter  resident;  not  seen  as  often  as  last 
species.    Formerly  summer  resident  and  bred. 

Its  breeding  range  extends  farther  south  than  the  last  mentioned 

swan,  reaching  into  t'he  United  States  as  far  as  Iowa  and  Minnesota, 

and  extending    from    northwestern    Hudson    Bay  (Hearne)  to    the 

Pacific  Coast  and  northward  to  Alaska  and  beyond  the  Arctic  Circle 

41— Geoi. 


©4®  Eepobt  OF 'State  Geologist. 

(Eichardson.)  Mr.  T.H. 'Ball  informs  me  that  formerly  swans  bred  in 
the  Kankakee  marshes  in  Lake  County. 

They  migrate 'almost  wholly  through  the  Mississippi  Valley.  In"  the 
i^ll' it  appears  sooner  thanthe  other  species.  Although  not  identified, 
the -swans  observed  by  Mt.  J.  Gr.  Parker,  Jr.,  at  Calumet  Lake,  111.,  in 
September,  1887,  were  probably  this  species.  It,  too,  is  less  frequently 
dbserred  in  fall,  and '  may  be  a  winter  resident.  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon 
notes-one  specimen  of  this  species  seen  on  the  Ohio  River  near  Cincin- 
nati,-in  December,  1876,  which  was  taken,  and  is  preserved  in  the  col- 
lection of  Max  Wocher,  in  that  city.  (Jour.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  I, 
1879,  p.  1'85.)  The*  swans  observed  by  Mr.  Gault  in  January  and  noted 
under  the  last  species  may  belong  to  this.  Prof.  Cooke  notes  that  it 
«ometim€s  winters  north  to  Illinois.  The  larger  part,  however,  pass 
laTtheT- south,  where  it  is  abundant  in  winter  along  the  Gulf  coast. 

The  earliest  migratory  record  in  the  spring  is  February  23,  1890. 
On' that' day  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  identified  a  fiock  of  eight  at  Waterloo, 
Dekalb 'County. 

The  same  date,  February  22,  in  1894,  a  gentleman  at  Valparaiso 
shot  one  out  of  a  flock  of  seven  as  they  were  "coming  in"  to  alight  in  a 
«pring  hole.  The  day  was  very  cold  and  much  snow  was  on  the 
ground.  The  bird  weighed  24^  pounds.  The  following  are  the  meas- 
urements: Length,  50.00;  extent,  83.00;  width,  21.00;  tail,  8.00;  tail 
of  24  feathers.  This  specimen  is  now  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Ruthven 
Deane,  Chicago.  Dr.  Vernon  Gould  informs  me  that  six  or  eight  were 
shot  near  Rochester  in  March,  1890.  He  dissected  one,  and  is  positive 
of  the  identification.  In  the  spring  of  1882  a  flock  of  eight  alighted  on 
Cedar  Lake,  Lake  County,  and  three  were  shot  with  a  rifle.  (L.  T. 
Mej^er.)  Three  were  noted  at  Laporte  March  24,  1896.  (Chas.  Bar- 
ber.) Mr.  J.  P.  Feagler  saw  two  at  Waterloo  March  18,  1897,  and 
saw  others  March  22.  Prof.  Evermann  notes  that  it  has  been  taken  in 
Carroll' County.    (The  Auk,  October,  18-88,  p.  346.) 

'It  is  a  grand  bird,  weighing  often  as  much  as  thirty  pounds  and 
sometimes  nearly  forty,  with  a  spread  of  wings  of  eight  to  nearly  ten 
feet — ^much  greater  than  any  other  American  bird,  excepting  only  the 
Condor  and  the  California  Vulture,  both  of  which  are  considerably 
inferior  in  weight.  Its  eggs,  averaging  about  4.46  by  nearly  3.00 
inches  in  size,  are  so  large  that  one  of  them  is  said  to  be  a  sufficient 
meal  for  a  moderate  man.  Although  so  large,  it  is  swift  of  wing,  and 
Hearne  states  that  in  his  opinion  it  is  more  difficult  to  shoot  when 
flying  than  any  other  bird. 

"The  name  Trumpeter  is  derived  from  its  ringing  note,  much  more 
'sonorous  than  that  of  the  common  species  (0.  columbianus),  and  said 


Birds  of  Indiana.  643 

to  resemble  a  blast  from  a  French  horn."    (Ridgway,  Birds  of  Illinois^. 
p.  1070 

The  extreme  length  of  the  trachea  (windpipe)  and  its  peculiar  fold- 
ings attract  the  attention  of  those  who  attempt  the  dissection  of  one  of 
theee  swans; 


E.     Order  HERODIOjN'ES.      Herons,  Storks, 
Ibises,  Etc. 

Suborder  IBIDES.     Spoonbills  and  Ibises. 

XL     Family  PLATALEID^.     Spoonbills. 

Characters  same  as  family.  Ajaja.     29" 

29.    Genus  AJAJA  Reich. 
a^.  Plumage  chiefly  white ;  back  and  wings  rose  pink.         A.  ajaja  (Linn.).     6.Q 

60.     (183).    Ajaja  ajaja  (Linn.). 

Boseate  Spoonbill. 

Adult. — Head  and  throat  bare;  neck,  back  and  breast,, white;  tail, 
orange-buff,  the  shafts  deep  pink;  rest  of  plumage,  pale  rose  pink; 
lesser  wing  coverts,  upper  and  uridertail  co vert s>  carmine;  Immature. — 
Similar,  but  without  carmine  on  wing  and  tail  coverts,  and  tail  pink- 
ish. Young. — Similar;  head  and  throat  feathered;  tail  and  carmine- 
colored  parts  pink. 

Length,  about  28.00-35.00;  wing,  14;10-15.30;  bill,  6.2.0^7.15;  great- 
est width  of  bill,  2.00-2.20;  tarsus,  3.75-4.65. 

Range. — America,  from  Patagonia  to  Illinois  and  Indiana;  most 
numerous  in  the  tropics.    Breeds  in  Louisiana  and  Elorida>  and  south. 

Nest,  on  trees  or  in  marshes,  in  tropics,  of  sticks.  Eggs',  3-4, 
rarely  7;  white  or  buffy  white;  2.57  by  1.73. 

Accidental  visitor. 

Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  writes  me  that  he  is  informed  by  Mr.  H.  M. 
Smith  that  in  the  spring  of  1856  Mr.  H.  Sones  shot  two  of  these 
beautiful  birds  in  a  swampy  place  a  few  miles  east  of  Vincennes  on  the 
line  of  the  B.  &  0.  S.-W.  E.  R.  Mr.  Sones  was  collecting  for  some 
eastern  or  foreign  institution,  and  was  living  with  Mr.  Smith  when 
he  obtained  these  specimens.  If  they  are  in  existence  it  would  be  in- 
teresting to  know  where  they  are.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann,  from  inves- 
tigations he  has  made,  is  satisfied  that  some  of  these  birds  were  seen 
and  one  killed  near  Terre  Haute  several  years  ago.    A  Roseate  Spoon- 


644  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

bill  was  killed  near  Portland,  Jay  County,  July  14,  1889.  Soon  after 
it  was  taken  its  capture  was  reported  to  me  by  Mr.  E.  E.  Kirkman,  of 
Richmond,  Ind.,  who  investigated  the  record.  He  informed  me  tliat 
the  specimen  was  preserved  and  was  in  possession  of  a  gentleman  at 
Bryant,  Ind.  It  is  possible  that  in  the  early  days  of  our  history  these 
birds  may  have  been  regular  summer  visitors,  or  possibly  summer  resi- 
dents.   Mr.  Ridgway  reports  them  from  southern  Illinois. 

XII.     Family  IBIDID^.     Ibises. 

a^.  Head  of  adult  wholly  naked  anteriorly;  no  crest;  claws  curved.     Guara.    30 

a^.  Head  of  adult  feathered  except  space  between  the  eye  and  bill;  crown  with  a 

short  crest;  claws  nearly  straight.  PLECiADis. 

30.    Genus  GUARA  Rktchrnbach. 
a^.  Plumage  white.  G.  alba  (Linn.).     61 

61.     (184).    Guara  alba  (Linn). 

White  Ibis. 

• 

Adult. — Pure  white  (sometimes  tinged  with  pink  in  the  breeding 
season  or  in  freshly  killed  specimens);  the  tips  of  longer  primaries 
glossy  greenish -black;  bill  bare,  skin  of  head,  legs  and  feet,  bright 
carmine  in  the  breeding  season,  at  other  times  paler  or  orange-red;  iris, 
fine  pearly  blue;  end  of  the  bill,  sometimes  blackish.  Zoi^w^.— Gray- 
ish-brown, the  rump,  tail  coverts,  base  of  tail^  and  under  parts,  white. 

Length,  21.50;  wing,  10.30-11.75;.  bill,  4.15-6.30;  tarsus,  3.10-4.00. 

Kange. — America  from  Brazil  and  West  Indies  to  North  Caro- 
lina, southern  Illinois,  southern  Indiana,  Great  Salt  Lake,  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. Casually  to  Long  Island,  Con'aecticut  and  South  Dakota. 
Breeds  from  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  south. 

Nest,  among  reeds  in  marshes,  of  sticks  and  reeds  compactly  woven 
together.  Eggs,  2-3;  ashy-blue,  irregularly  stained,  spotted  or  blotched 
with  yellowish,  reddish  and  brown;  2.24  by  1.48. 

Eare  summer  visitor. 

All  that  have  ever  been  reported  in  Indiana  have  been  observed 
in  Knox  County.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  says  an  imcle  of  his  killed 
one  of  these  birds  over  fifty  years  ago  in  that  county,  and  he  also  notes 
that  Dr.  Smith,  of  Bicknell,  killed  one  in  1864.  The  third  known 
account  of  their  occurrence  in  the  State  is  by  Mr.  Eobert  Ridgway. 
He  informs  me  that  he  and  Mr.  William  Brewster  saw  a'  considerable 
flock  on  the  Wabash  Eiver,  near  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  about  the  8th  of 
May,  1878.  They  flew  up  on  the  Indiana  side,  and  down  along  the 
Illinois  side  of  the  river.    At  that  time  they  should  have  been  not  far 


Birds  of  Indiana.  645 

from  their  breeding  grounds.  It  is  possible  they  may  have  been,  and 
possibly  still  are,  rare  summer  residents  of  the  cypress  swamps  of  that 
region.    (Bull.  Nuttall  Om.  Club,  Vol.  Ill,  1878,  p.  166.) 

Mr.  F.  M.  Noe  informs  me  that  among  the  collection  of  the  late 
Dr.  G.  M.  Levette  there  were  a  number  of  bird  skulls,  including  some 
of  the  Ibis.  He  has  kindly  sent  me  two,  which  he  says  were  marked 
"Indiana,  1874."  These,  he  thought,  might  be  the  Scarlet  Ibis.  I 
have  submitted  them  to  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway,  who  says  they  are  skulls 
of  the  White  Ibis. 

The  White  Ibis  and  the  Scarlet  Ibis  are  so  nearly  alike,  except  .in 
color,  that  from  other  characters  they  could  not  be  distinguished. 

Suborder  CICONI^.     Storks,  Etc. 

XIII.     Family  CICONIID^.    Storks  and  Wood  Ibises. 

Subfamily  TANTALIN'yE.     Wood  Ibises. 

a^.  Head  naked,  neck  partially  so  ;  bill  heavy,  curved  downward  at  end,  tip  blunt. 

Tantalus.    31 

31.    Genus  TANTALUS  Linn.eus. 

a^.  Plumage  white;  wings  and  tail  mostly  glossy  black. 

T.  loculator  (Linn.).     62 

62.     (188)     Tantalus  loculator  (Linn.). 

Wood  Ibis. 

Adult. — Head  and  neck  bare^  plumage  white,  except  primaries,  sec- 
ondaries and  tail,  which  are  black,  with  purple,  green  and  bronze  re- 
flections. Young. — Head  feathered,  except  in  front;  it  and  neck  cov- 
ered with  grayish-brown  downy  feathers;  plumage  like  adult,  some- 
times grayish;  the  black  parts  less  metallic. 

Length,  35.00-45.00;  wing,  17.60-19.50;  bill,  6.10-7.30;  tarsus,  7.00- 
8.60. 

Eange. — America,  from  xA.rgentine  Eepublic  and  Equador  north  to 
southern  United  States,  South  Carolina,  southern  Indiana,  Colorado, 
Utah  and  southern  California,  casually  to  New  York  and  Wisconsin. 
Breeds  from  Gulf  States  south. 

Nest,  in  trees,  of  sticks.  JEggs,  2-3;  chalk  white,  sometimes  spotted 
with  brown;  2.74  by  1.80. 

Summer  visitor  or  summer  resident,  more  or  less  irregular,  in  the 
lower  Wabash  Valley;  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  southern  two- 
thirds  of  the  State,  rare  summer  visitor.    All  the  records  which  have 


646  Eeport  or  State  Geologist. 

dates  .aecompanying  them  are  for  July,  August,  September  and  Octo- 
ber, the  earliest  bemg(  July  30  (1887)  and  the  latest  October  30  of  the 
same  year.  Dr.  Wheaton  mentions  one  being  taken  in  spring  ten  miles 
west  of  Cleveland.  (Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  497.)  The  first  account  of  the  oc- 
currence, of  these  birds  an  the  State  is  given  by  Dr.  Haymond  (Proc. 
Phila.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  1856,  p.  295),  in  which  he  says:  "The  first  day 
of  August,  1855,  a  large  flOck  of  these  birds  made  their  appearance  in 
this  neighborhood.  They  remained  along  the  river  and  the  White- 
water Canal  for  about  a  month  or  six  weeks.  A  son  of  one  of  my 
n-eighbors  broke  the  wing  of  one  of  them  and  caught  it.  After  keeping 
it  three  or  four  weeks,  feeding  it  upon  fish,  he. gave  it  to  me.  I  kept  it 
until  the  first  of  November,  when  it  fell  a  victim,  as  many  another  bi- 
ped has  done,  to  its  appetite.  Some  mackerel  had  been  placed  to  soak 
upon  a  table  in  the  back  yard,  one  of  which  he  stole  and  ate,  and  upon 
the  evening  of  the  next  day,  died  in  convulsions."  Dr.  Haymond  also 
refers  to  this  in  Indiana  Geological  Report,  1869,  p.  229. 

I  was  very  much  surprised  in  the  winter  of  1889-90,  to  have  brought 
to  me  by  my  friend,  Mr.  Edw.  Hughes,  the  skull  of  a  Wood  Ibis,  the 
name  of  which  he  desired  to  know.  He  said  it  was  the  skull  of  a  bird 
which  had  been  killed  about  three  miles  south  of  Brookville,  and  was 
preserved  as  a  curiosity  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  St.  John.  At  my  request 
he  inquired  the  date  and  facts  of  its  capture.  He  was  informed  that  it 
was  one  of  a  number  which  were  seen  along  the  river  in  the  summer 
of  1855  or  1856.  This  was  perhaps  one  of  the  same  flock  of  which  I 
have  before  spoken.  Dr.  F.  Stein  informs  me  that  he  saw  a  pair  of 
Wood  Ibises  at  "Little  Chain,"  about  ten  miles  west  of  Mt.  Vernon, 
about  1874or  1875.  One  was  shot  by  a  Mr:  Harmon  at  "Maple  Swamp," 
in  Carroll  County,  July  30,  1887.  Mr.  C.  E.  Newlin  informs  me  that 
the  specimen  is  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  0.  Ai  J.  Momson,  of  Middle 
Fork,  Ind.  Mr.  Ridgway  has  seen  it  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties  sev- 
eral times,  and,  concerning  its  occurrence  there,  remarks:  "The  Wood 
Ibis  occurs  numerously  every  summer  along  the  Wabash,  and  while  it 
may  not  breed,  I  think  that  it  does."  In  a  letter  to  Prof.  Evermann, 
he  says:  "I  remember,  years  ago,  seeing  these  birds  occasionally,  soar- 
ing in  circles,  high  in  air,  above  the  Wabash  River,  at  Mt.  Carmel,  the 
season,  I  think,  being  midsummer.  Again,  either  in  summer  or  early 
fall,  I  started  a  large  flock  which  had  been  perching  on  the  branches 
of 'a  large  dead  sycamore  tree  overhanging  the  bank  of  White  River 
Pond,  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  White  River^  but 'did  not  get  any 
specimens.  The  species,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  occurs  more  or  less 
plentifully,  at  times,  at  the  Cypress  Pond,  in  the  southwestern  corner 
of  Knox  County  (Indiana),  but,  owing  to  the  circumstances  that  I 


Birds  of  Indiana.  ^847 

am  so  little  in  that  part  of  the  country,  I  am  umable  to  state' whether 
they  occur  there  regularly  or  not.  1  believe  that  the  species  formerly 
bred  in  small  numbers  in  that  portion  of  the  Wabash  Valley,  though  I 
have  no  distinct  evidence  upon  which  to  base  this  ^supposition.  Most 
of  the  birds  now  seen  there,  however,  occur  late  in  summer  (August 
and  September),  a  considerable  portion  of  them,  perhaps  a  majority, 
being  young  birds  of  the  year." 

Mr.  Ridgway  further  says  that  he  saw  at  "Mtj  Carmelthe  dried  head 
of  one  that  was  killed  by  a  hunter  at  the  Cypress  Pond  in  ;Knox 
County,"  and  that  he  has  been  reliably  informed  of  others  having  been 
killed  there. 

Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  says:  "Last  September  (1888)  I  saw  'a 
mounted  specimen  in  a  store  window  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Ind., -aaid,  upon 
inquiry,  learned  that  it  was  shot  by  a  fisherman.  Dexter  Short,  about 
October  30,  1887,  at  Hovey's  Lake,  Posey  County,  ^Indiana.  There 
were  about  thirty-five  or  forty  in  the  flock,  ^the  first  ever  noticed  in  the 
county,'  according  to  the  fisherman.  They  remained  in- the  vicinity 
for  four  or  five  weeks,  and  then  disappeared.  Several  of  them  were 
killed,  but  I  could  learn  of  but  one  that  was  preserved.  It  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  John  C.  Leffel,  of  Mt.  Vernon.  On  September 
11,  1888,  while  engaged  for  the  United  States  Fish  Commission  in  ex- 
ploring the  Wabash  Eiver,  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  come  upon  a 
flock  of  nine  Wood  Ibises  at  Mackey's 'Ferry,  ten  miles  west  of 'Mt. 
Vernon.  They  were  sitting  in  the  tops  of  two  dead  trees,  just  across 
the  river  on  the  Illinois  side,  and  remained  there  during  the  entire 
time  of  our  stay  at  the  Ferry — from  about  8  to  11  a.  m.  In  addition 
to  these,  I  find  the  following  general  references  to  its  occurrence  in  In- 
diana: An  old  hunter  of  this  city  (Terre  Haute),  in  whom  I  have  con- 
fidence, tells  me  that  his  father  shot  a  Wood  Ibis  several  years' ago 
from  a  flock  of  several  at  the  old  reservoir  south  of  Terre  Haute.  From 
the  description  given  by  the  hunter,  I  am  quite  certain  that  he  was  not 
mistaken.  I  may  add  that  inquiry  among  people  in  Posey,  Gibson,  anid 
Knox  counties  seems  to  show  that  it  is  a  very  rare  bird  there — one  that 
is  not  often  seen,  except  by  those  fellows  who  are  wont  to  prowl  around 
secluded  ponds,  and  wade  cypress  swamps,  looking  for  the  unusual 
among  animate  things." 

Mr.  Fletcher  M.  Noe  informs  me  that  in  the  collection  of  the  late 
Dr.  G.  M.  Levette,  which  came  into  his  possession,  were  some  skulls  of 
Wood  Ibises  labeled  "Indiana,"  1872.  Mr.  H^oe  has  very  kindly  placed 
in  my  collection  a  skull  from  the  same  source,  which  he  assures  me 
was  labeled  "Indiana,  1874."  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  informs  me  that  Dr. 
Smith,  of  Bicknell,  spoke  to  him  of  a  "Bald  Ibis,"  which  may  have 


648  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

been  this  bird.  He  also  writes  that  Mr.  Balmer,  a  florist  and  taxider- 
mist at  Vincennes,  had  sent  to  him,  in  1892,  a  live  Wood  Ibis,  which 
had  been  caught  in  a  trap  on  Little  Swan  Pond,  Knox  County.  After 
a  day  or  two  it  escaped. 

"The  Wood  Ibis  is  a  remarkable  and  interesting  bird.  In  its  gen- 
eral size,  shape  and  color,  it  might  be  likened  to  a  crane,  being  about 
four  feet  long,  and  standing  still  higher  when  erect;  white  in  color, 
with  black-tipped  wings  and  back  tail.  The  head  is  peculiar,  being 
entirely  bald  in  the  adult  bird,  and  having  an  enormously  thick, 
heavy  bill,  tapering  and  a  little  decurved  at  the  end.  In  Florida  it  is 
sometimes  called  the  ^Gannet/  On  the  Colorado  it  is  known  as  the 
Water  Turkey.  The  carriage  of  the  Wood  Ibis  is  firm  and  sedate, 
almost  stately;  each  leg  is  slowly  lifted  and  planted  with  deliberate 
precision  before  the  other  is  moved,  when  the  birds  walk  unsuspicious 
of  danger.  I  never  saw  one  run  rapidly,  since  on  all  the  occasions, 
when  I  have  been  the  cause  of  alarm,  the  bird  took  wing  directly.  It 
springs  powerfully  from  the  ground,  bending  low  to  gather  strength, 
and  for  a  little  distance  flaps  hurriedly  .with  dangling  legs,  as  if  it  was 
much  exertion  to  lift  so  heavy  a  body.  But  fairly  on  wing,  clean  of  all 
obstacles,  the  flight  is  firm,  strong  and  direct,  performed  with  con- 
tinuous, moderately  rapid  beats  of  the  wing,  except  when  the  birds  are 
sailing  in  circles,  as  above  noted.  When  proceeding  in  a  straight  line 
the  feet  are  stretched  horizontally  backward,  but  the  head  is  not  drawn 
closely  in  upon  the  breast,  as  is  the  case  with  Herons,  so  that  the  bird 
presents  what  may  be  called  a  top-heavy  appearance,  increased  by  the 
thick,  large  bill. 

"The  eggs  of  the  Wood  Ibis  are  like  Herons^,  in  being  nearly  ellip- 
soidal, but  differ  frx)m  them,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Bay  Ibis,  in  color, 
which  is  uniform  dull  white,  without  markings.  The  shell  is  rather 
rough  to  the  touch,  with  a  coating  of  softish,  flaky,  calcareous  sub- 
stance. A  specimen  that  I  measured  was  exactly  2|  inches  in  length 
by  IJ  in  breadth.  Two  or  three  are  said  to  be  a  nest  complement. '^ 
(Dr.  Coues,  Birds  N.  W.,  p.  513.) 


Suborder  HERODIL     Herons,  Egrets,  Bitterns,  Etc. 
XIV.     Family  ARDEID^.     Herons,  Bitterns,  Etc. 

a^.  Tail  feathers,  10,  very  short;  outer  toe  shorter  than  inner. 

6^,  Wing  over  10.  Botaurus.     32 

fe2.  Wing  under  10.  Ardetta.     33 

a^.  Tail  feathers,  12,  rather  long;  outer  toe  not  shorter  than  inner. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  649 

c^.  Bill  long  and  slender,  at  least  five  times  as  long  as  its  depth  at  base. 

Ardea.     34 
C-.  Bill  rather  short  and  thick,  four  times  as  long  as  depth  at  base  or  less. 

Nycticorax.     35 

Subfamily  BOTAURIN^E.     Bitterns. 

32.    Genus  BOTAURUS  Heermann. 

a^.  Size,  large;  sexes  alike;  young  similar. 

6^.  Wing  over  9.50;  body  variegated  with  various  shades  of  brown. 

B.  lentiginosus  (Montag.).     63 

*63.     (190).    Botaurus  lentiginosus  (Montag.). 

American  Bittern. 


American  Bittern. 

Plumage  of  upper  parts,  singularly  freckled  with  brown  of  various 
shades,  blackish,  tawny,  and  whitish;  neck  and  under  parts,  ochery  or 
tawny- white,  each  feather  marked  with  a  brown,  dark-edged  stripe; 
the  throat  line,  white,  with  brown  streaks;  a  velvety-black  patch  on 
each  side  of  the  neck  above;  crown,  dull  brown,  with  buff  superciliary 
stripe;  tail,  brown;  quills,  greenish-black,  with  a  glaucous  shade,  brown 
tipped;  bill,  black  and  yellowish;  legs,  greenish;  soles,  yellow. 

Length,  24.00-34.00;  wing,  9.80-12.00;  bill,  2.50-3.20;  tarsus,  3.10- 
3.85. 

Eange. — Temperate  North  America  north  to  Hudson  Bay.  Breeds 
chiefly  north  of  the  latitude  of  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  Eiver  to 
about  60°.  Winters  from  south  Indiana  and  Illinois  to  Gautemala  and 
West  Indies. 

Nest,  in  swampy  places  on  the  ground.  Eggs,  3-5;  brownish-drab; 
about  2.00  by  1.50. 


650 


Eeport  OF;  State  Geologist. 


Regular  migrant;  tolerably  common;  summer  resident  in  suitable 
localities,  especially  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  where,  in  some 
places,  it  breeds  commonly.  In  mild  winters  it  sometimes  remains 
among  the  ponds  and  swamps  of  the  lower  Wabash  Valley. 

There  the  last  late  migrants  find  their  way  in  November,  and  Mr. 
E.  J.  Chansler  has  reported  them  in  Knox  County  through  December 
(1883),  and  in  January. 


Head  of  American  •bittern.    Natural  size. 


The  Bittern  is  much  more  common  during  migrations  some  years 
than  others.  To  the  unobserving,  even  in  the  vicinity  of  its  favorite 
haunts,  it  seems  to  be  of  unusual  occurrence,  while  throughout  the 
hilly  and  rolling  land  of  southern  Indiana,  and  the  better  drained 
middle  portion  of  the  State,  where  it  only  occurs  during  migrations, 
the  occasional  one  seen  tells  to  jnost  persons  no  story  of  the  unseen 
multitude  that  has  passed  over  to  or  from  their  reedy  summer  homes. 
To  th^m  it  is  a  rare  and  curious  bird. 

Some  years  the  migrations  begin  in  March.  The  year  1893  was  the 
earliest  for  Bittern  movements  in  twenty  years  observation.  Prof.  W. 
S.  Blatehley  found  it  at  Terre  Haute  March  22,  and  the  first  arrived 
at  Greensburg  March  23  (Shannon). 

Itt;  1885  the  first  was  seen  at  Brookville  April  3,  and  in  1888  at  Vin>- 
cennes  April  3  (Balmer).  While  it  occasionally  reaches  the  vicinity  of 
Chicago  by  April  10  (Parker),  its  record  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  7, 
1886  (Trombley)  is  the  earliest  within  the  district  not^d  at  that  lati^ 
tude.  Usually,  however,  it  is  found  throughout  southern  Indiana  be- 
tween April  5  and  25,  though  sometimes  one  is  to  be  seen  early  in  May, 
and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  April  15  to  May  10. 

They  nest  on  the  ground  in  marshes,  the  nests  being  sometimes  sur- 
rounded by  or  floating  >  in  water.  It  does  not  associate  with  other 
Herons,  and  never  breeds  in  colonies. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  651 

Dr.  Morris  Gibbs  tells  us  it  utters  three  kinds  of  Botes.  'Two  of 
these  are  loud  sounding,  and  one,  a  low,  guttural  utterance,  seldom 
heard,  unless  one  is  near  the  bird  when  it  isi  given.  He  says:  "The 
love  song  is  singular  in  the  extreme,  and  when  once  heard  is  never  to 
be  forgotten.  It  is  performed  and  uttered,  for  the  movements  in  ut- 
tering the  noise  are  as  singular  as  the  notes,  invariably  when  the  bird 
is  standing  in  the  marsh.  The  sounds  so  nearly  resemble  the  words 
plum  pudden  that  the  bird  has  received  this  name.  These  syllables  are 
repeated  from  four  to  eight  times,  generally  six  or  seven  times.  The 
accent  is  on  the  pud,  the  final  syllable,  den,  being  less  distinct  than  the 
other.  The  sounds  coming  from  the  marsh  are  mysterious,  and  seem 
almost  unearthly.  Not  like  the  notes  of  any  other  birds  of  Michigan, 
they  are  easily  learned,  and  once'  heard  are'  never  to  be  forgotten.  The 
6ther  name  of  Stake  Driver  is  also  earned  by  its  peculiar,  well-defined 
notes,  lea,  whack,  ka,  whack,  uttered  like  the  others,  in  a  most  method- 
ical and  apparently  strained  manner. 

The  bird,  I  believe  only  the  male,  when  uttering  either  of  its  pe- 
culiar songs,  has  a  most  remarkable  series  of  movements  to  go  through, 
which  are  ludicrous  in  the  extreme  to  the  observer,  though  seriously, 
and  I  doubt  not  pompously,  performed  by  Botaurus  in  his  efforts  at 
propitiating  his  loved  one,  or  later  in  acknowledging  his  success  as  a 
benedictine  boss  of  the  marsh."    (0.  &  0.,  Vol.  XIV,  1889,  p.  120.) 

In  the  most  common  illusions  to  the  spring  song  of  the  Bittern  it 
is  called  "booming."  Others  think  its  vocal  performance  at  times  re- 
sembles the  noise  made  by  an  old  wooden  stock  pump. 

The  nesting  begins  soon  after  arrival  and  continues  through  May 
and  June.  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  tells  me  of  finding  a  nest  containing 
four  quite  fresh  eggs  at  English  Lake,  June  10,  1888.  The  nest  was 
a  loose  structure  of  broken  cane,  floating  on  the  water,  built  about  one 
foot  high.  A  large  snapping  turtle  (Chelydra  serpentina)  was  on  the 
side  of  the  nest,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  capturing  the  eggs  or 
sitting  bird,  who  was  sitting  unconcerned.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  found  it 
breeding -abundantly  along  the  Calumet  River  in  May,  1871.  It  has 
also  been  reported  as  breeding  in  the  following  counties:  Lake  (Meyer, 
Toppan,  Parker),  Knox  and  Gibson  (Ridgway),  Porter  (Byrkit),  Vigo 
(Evermann),  Boone  (Beasley),  Laporte  (Barber),  Dekalb  (Feagler, 
H.  W.  McBride),  Wabash  (Bell),  Steuben  and  Lagrange  (H.  W.  Mc- 
Bride). 

They  live  upon  fish,  frogs,  lizards,  crawfish,  insects,  meadow  mice 
and  such  other  food  as  is  found  in  the  marshes  and  wet  meadows. 

The  southward  migration  begins  in  August.  They  were  very  com- 
mon at  English  Lake  August  8,  1897.  (Deane.)    I  have  taken  it  in 


652  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Franklin  County  August  18, 1896.  They  keep  stringing  along  through 
September,  October,  and  some  years,  the  greater  part  of  November. 
Mr.  Beasley  noted  five  in  Boone  County  November  8,  1894,  and  Prof. 
W.  P.  Shannon  saw  one  at  Greensburg  November  21,  1896. 

33.    Genus  ARDETTA  Gray. 

a\  Size  very  small;  sexes  unlike;  young  unlike  adult. 

b^.  Wing  under  9.60;    color  above,  male  glossy  black,  female  brown;    under 
parts  bufFy.  A.  exilis  (Gmel.).     64 

*64.     (191).     Ardetta  exilis  (Gmel.). 

Least  Bittern. 

Male. — With  the  slightest  crested  crown;  back  and  tail,  glossy  green- 
ish-black; neck  behind,  most  of  the  Aving  coverts  and  outer  edges  of 
inner  quills,  rich  chestnut;  other  wing  coverts,  brownish-yellow  varied 
with  white  along  the  throat  line,  the  sides  of  the  breast  with  a  black- 
ish-brown patch;  bill  and  lores,  mostly  pale  yellow,  the  bill  black- 
ish; eyes  and  soles,  yellow;  legs,  greenish-yellow.  Female. — With  the 
black  of  the  back  entirely,  that  of  the  crown  mostly  or  wholly,  replaced 
by  rich  purplish-chestnut,  the  edges  of  the  scapulars  forming  a  brown- 
ish-white stripe  on  either  side. 

Length,  12.00-14.25;  wing,  4.30-5.25;  bill,  1.60-1.90;  tarsus,  1.50- 
1.75. 

Eange. — America,  north  to  British  Provinces.  York  Factory,  Mani- 
toba, Ontario.  Winters  from .  southern  Florida  southward.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range. 

Nest,  among  reeds  and  swamp  vegetation,  of  rushes.  Fggs,  3-5; 
white,  often  greenish;  1.20  by  .93. 

Eegular  migrant;  generally  rare,  but  locally  somewhat  common; 
summer  resident  in  suitable  localities;  some  places  common. 

In  the  southern  half  of  the  State,  outside  of  the  immediate  valley  of 
the  Wabash,  it  does  not  breed  and  is  very  rare.  Two  specimens  were 
taken  at  Brookville  years  ago  (Dr.  Haymond).  Besides  these  the 
only  records  for  that  part  of  the  State  are  a  specimen  taken  by  Mr. 
E.  L.  Guthrie  at  Adams,  Decatur  County,  in  May,  1884,  and  one  re- 
ported by  Edw.  Hughes,  from  the  same  place,  May  15,  1890. 

As  migrants  they  are  noted  the  latter  part  of  April,  in  May  and 
in  September  and  October.  The  earliest  record  for  the  State  is  from 
Wabash  County,  where  it  was  taken  April  19,  1894.  (ITlrey  and  Wal- 
lace, P.  I.  A.  S.,  1895,  p.  150.) 

Perhaps  they  begin  their  return  migration  in  August,  but  I  have 
no  dates  before  early  September.     They  were  found  at  Hyde  Lake 


Birds  of  Indiana.  653 

September  10,  1892  (Parker);  at  Sandusky,  0.,  September  28,  1896 
(Mosely),  and  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  informs  me  of  their  occurrence  at  Eng- 
lish Lake  in  October.  There  are  specimens  of  this  bird  in  the  State 
Museum  taken  in  Boone  County.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  found  a  number 
at  English  Lake  August  8,  1897. 

"Breeds  abundantly  about  Hyde  Lake  and  Calumet,  111.,  and  at 
Wolf  Lake,  at  Kouts  and  Liverpool,  Ind.,  laying  three  or  four  green- 
ish-white eggs  in  a  nest  just  above  the  water'^  (Parker).  Has 
also  been  reported  breeding  in  Lake  County  by  Mr.  George  L.  Toppan, 
Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  and  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken,  Starke 
County,  English  Lake,  "saw  several  aAd  found  nest  built  of  loose,  dry 
cane,  attached  to  the  reeds  three  feet  above  water,"  June  10,  1888 
(Deane);  same  locality  (Dury);  Dekalb  County  (McBride,  Mrs.  Jane 
L.  Hine,  Eeagler);  Vigo  County,  "a  number  breeding  May  31,  1890" 
(Evermann);  Boone  County  (Beasley);  Laporte  (Barber). 

The  account  of  his  observations  concerning  their  habits  at  breed- 
ing time  has  been  very  kindly  furnished  me  by  Prof.  Evermann.  He 
says:  "I  first  discovered  the  nests  of  this  bird  May  31,  1890,  while 
gathering  water  lilies  in  the  pond  (Goose  Pond,  nine  miles  south  of 
Terre  Haute).  The  water  does  not,  in  spring  at  least,  reach  a  greater 
depth  than  three  feet  in  its  deeper  parts.  The  center  of  the  pond  is 
filled  with  water  lilies  (Nuphar  and  Nymphoea),  which  were  then  in 
bloom,  while  in  the  more  shallow  water  are  rank  growths  of  cat-tails, 
rushes  (Equisetum  limosum),  sedges  (Sagittaria),  pickerel  weed  (Pel- 
tandra  undulata),  etc.  We  found  on  this  day  twelve  nests,  containing 
altogether  forty-three  eggs  of  the  Least  Bittern.  A  week  later,  June 
6,  I  found  two  more  nests,  containing  four  and  five  eggs,  respectively. 
I  usually  found  the  nest  from  a  few  inches  to  a  foot  above  the  water, 
placed  upon  a  few  stems  or  leaves  of  the  cat-tail,  which  the  bird  had 
evidently  bent  down  and  arranged  into  a  very  shallow,  insecure  nest. 
In  a  few  cases  the  nests  were  made  of  the  leaves  of  Sagittaria  or.  Pel- 
tandra,  pressed  down  as  were  those  of  the  cat-tail.  I  did  not  see  the 
bird  on  the  nest  in  a  single  case,  so  watchful  and  shy  are  they.  In 
most  cases,  however,  the  bird  would  rise  from  the  cat-tails  and  fly 
away,  and  I  was  usually  able  to  find  a  nest  not  far  from  where  it  arose. 
I  did  not  find  more  than  five  eggs  in  any  set  (1-5, 1-5, 1-4, 1-4,  1-4, 1-4, 
1-4,  1-1, 1-1, 1-3  and  1-3  May  31,  and  1-4, 1-5  June  6),  while  most  sets 
contained  but  four.  All  the  eggs  taken  May  31  were  fresh,  and  no 
doubt  many  of  these  sets  containing  but  four  eggs  were  not  complete.^' 
Mr.  Blatchley  also  obtained  some  eggs  from  the  same  pond. 

It  also  nests  on  the  ground,  and  is  said  sometimes  to  build  in  a 
bush.  (Cook,  B.  of  Mich.,  p.  50.)  We  are  also  assured  in  the  same  pub- 


654  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

cation  that  th-ey  build  false  nests  and  that  the  male  assists  in  incubat- 
ing. They  rear  two  broods  a  year,  Dr.  Langdon  thinks,  as  he  found 
ineompl-ete  sets  early  in  July  near.  Sandusky,  0.  (J.  C.  S.  N.  H.,  Ill, 
1880,  p.  227.) 

Cory's  Bittern,  Botaurus  neoxena  Cory,  has  been  taken  in  Ontario 
and  Michigan,  and  should  be  sought  in  Indiana.  Its  habits  are  similar 
to  those  of  this  species  and  it  frequents  similar  places.  The  following 
is  its  descriptijon: 

Top  of  the  head,  back  and  tail,  dark  greenish-black,  showing  a 
green  gloss  when  held  to  the  light;  sides  of  the  head  and  throat  rufous- 
chestnut;  the  feathers  on  the  ba'ck  of  the  neck  showing  greenish-black 
tips;  breast  ^and  under  parts,  nearly  uniform  rufous-chestnut,  shading 
into  dull  black  on  the  side;  wing  coverts,  dark  rufous-chestnut;  under- 
wing  coverts,  paler  chestnut;  all  the  remiges  entirely  slaty,  plumbeous; 
under  tail  coverts,  uniform  dull  black.  Total  length,  10.80;  wing, 
4.30;  tarsus,  1.40;  bill,  1.80. 

:Range. — Florida,  Okeechobee  region.  In  Florida  it  is  called  "Black 
Bittern"  to  distinguish  it  from  the  "Least  Bittern,"  which  is  called 
^fBrown  Bittern." 


Subfamily  ARDEINJ^.     Herons  and  Egbets. 

34.    Genus  ARDBA  Linn.eus. 

MBill  shorter  than  tarsus. 

b^.  Tarsus  less  than  twice  the  length  of  middle  toe  without  claw, 
c^.  Wing  over  14.00. 

d^.  Color  chiefly  bluish;  wing  over  17.00.     Subgenus  Ardea. 
e^.  Top  of  head  (sometimes  entire  head)  white. 

A.  wnerdemanni  Baird.    ^5 
-e'^.  Top  of  head,  including  occipital  plumes,  black. 

A.  herodias  Linn.     66 
d^.  Color  white;  wing  less  than  17.00.     Subgenus  Herodias  Boie. 
c2.  Wing  under  11.00.  A.  egretta  Gmel.     67 

/I. 'Color  entirely  white;  plumes  of  breeding  season  very  long,  curved 
backward,  with  loose  webs.    Subgenus  Gabzetta  Kaup. 

A.  candidissima  Gmel.     68 

/ 2.  Tips  of   primaries  bluish;    sometimes    most  of   plumage  bluish; 

plumes  of  breeding  season  slender,  with  compact  webs.     Subgenus 

'Florida  Baird.  A.  cserulea  Linn.     70 

^  Bill  not  shorter  than  tarsus. 

q^.  Wing  more  than  8.00.     Subgenus  Hydranabsa  Baird. 

A.  tricolor  ruficollis  (Gosse).     69 
g"^.  Wing  not  more  than  8.00.     Subgenus  Butoroides  Blyth. 

A.  virescens  Linn.     71 


Birds  or  Indiana-.  655- 

Subgenus  Ardea. 

65.    (— -)•    Ardea  wuerdemanni.BAiBj). 

Wurdenzaain's  Heron. 

Adult. — Head,  entirely  white,  forehead,  streaked  with  blackish; 
nearly  uniform  bluish-gray  above;  lower  parts,  white,  narrowly  striped 
or  streaked  with  black;  thighs  and  edge  of  wing,  cinnamon-rufous. 
Young. — Forehead  and  crown,  dull  slate  color,  narrowly  streaked  with 
white;  feathers  of  occiput,  white,  with  dusky  tips;  wing  coverts,  spotted 
with  rusty,  the  lower  and  more  posterior  with  large  wedge-shaped 
white  spots.     (Eidgway.) 

Length,  48.00-50.00;  wing,  20.00-21.00;  bill,  5.95-6.50;  tarsus,  7.95- 
8.25. 

Eange. — Florida;  accidental  in  southern  Illinois  and  Indiana. 

Nest,  of  sticks  in  trees.    Eggs,  about  2.60  by  1.84. 

Accidental  visitor.  Mr.  Ridgway  reports  positively  identifying  this 
species  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties  in  1876.  I  know"  of  no  other 
account  of  its  occurrence  in  the  State.  This  is  doubtless  the  same 
specimen  to  which  he  refers  as  having  been  seen  on  several  occasions 
from  September  4  to  22,  inclusive;  at  Grand :  Rapids,  in  the  Wabash 
River  near  Mt.  Carmel,  111..  (Birds  of  Illinois,  11^  p.  121.) 

This  species  is  now  included  in  the  "hypothetical  list"  by  the  Amer- 
ican Ornithologists'  Union.  Its  relationship  is  not  definitely  known^ 
but  it  is  believed  to  be  either  =  th&  colored  phase  of  A.  occidentalis  Aud. 
or  an  abnormal  specimen  of  ^.  wardi  Tlid.gvr.  (A.  0.  U.  check  list 
1895,  p.  328.)  Until  its  status  is  determined  it  should  retain  its  posi- 
tion in  our  list. 


*86j    (194).    Ardea  herodias  Linn. 

Great  Blue  Heron, 
Synonym,  Bi.UE  GaAN^J. 

Sexes  similar.  Female  much  smaller  than  male.  Adult  of  both 
sexes  grayish-blue  above,  the  neck  pale  purplish-brown,  with  a  white 
throat,  line;  the  head.black>  with  a  white  frontali  patois;,  the  under- 
parts  mostly  black,  streaked  with. whit©;; tibia,, edgfttof- wing,  a^nd, some 
of •  the  lowe»r.  neck  feathers,  orainge-brown;  biUi  and;  ey^$^.  yellow;  ;hill>. 
dusky;  lores  and  legs>  greenish.  The  young  differ  considwatbly,  but  are 
ne^yea- whita,  and  can  not  bG-ooinfonndediwjtix  ajny  o;f  tJie  soioeieedittg 
species* 


656 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


Length,  about  42.00-50.00;  wing,  17.90-19.85;  bill,  4.30-6.25;  tarsus, 
6.00-8.00. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  Valley  and  Venezuela  north  to 
Hudson  Bay  and  Sitka.  Breeds  locally  throughout  its  range.  Winters 
from  southern  Indiana  and  southern  Illinois  south. 


y^^ 


Great  Blue  Heron. 


"Nest,  of  sticks,  in  trees,    ^ggs,  3-6;  greenish-blue;  2.50  by  1.50. 

Common  migrant  and  summer  resident;  rare  winter  resident  south- 
ward. Breeding  abundantly  in  suitable  localities  in  the  northern  half 
of  the  State  and  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties.  (Ridgway, 
Chansler.)  It  may  breed  art  other  points  in  the  Wabash  Valley. 
I  cannot  learn  of  its  breeding  along  the  Whitewater,  but  it  has  been  re- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  657 

ported  as  breeding  on  the  "Great  Miami."  (Langdon,  revised  list, 
Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  January,  1879,  p.  183.)  They  usually 
breed  in  communities  of  greater  or  less  size,  known  as  "heronries," 
but  are  occasionally  found  erecting  solitary  nests.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken, 
well  known  for  his  observations  on  the  birds  of  Colorado,  as  well  as  of 
this  State  and  Illinois,  has  very  kindly  written  me  his  experience  at  a 
heronry  known  as  "Crane  Heaven,"  occupying  thirty  or  forty  acres 
along  the  Kankakee  Eiver  some  twenty  miles  above  Water  Valley.  He 
was  there  in  May,  1886.  "The  locality  is  a  timbered  belt,  the  ground 
being  submerged  with  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  of  water  at  the  time. 
At  our  approach,  upon  the  discharge  of  a  gun,  the  birds  arose  with 
a  noise  like  thunder  and  hovered  in  hundreds  above  the  tree  tops. 
They  were  of  three  species — the  Great  Blue  Herons  (A.  herodias)  and 
the  Black-crowned  Night  Herons  (N.  nycticorax  ncevius)  comprising 
the  majority;  but  the  beautiful  white  plumage  of  the  American  Egret 
(A.  egretta)  was  conspicuous  through  the  feathered  cloud,  and  these 
birds  were  quite  numerous. 

"Nearly  all  the  trees  throughout  the  area  were  loaded  with  nests, 
those  of  the  two  species  first  named  being  found  upon  the  same  tree, 
but  the  latter  birds  appeared  to  build  in  little  groups  by  themselves. 
We  did  not  climb  to  examine  the  nests,  but  most  of  them  appeared 
to  contain  young  birds.  Many  of  the  trees  were  dead,  apparently  from 
the  effects  of  the  birds  building  and  roosting  upon  them." 

Mr.  T.  H.  Ball  informs  me  of  two  heronries  in  Lake  County,  one, 
called  "Cranetown,"  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county,  and 
another  in  sections  5  and  6,  north  of  the  Brown  Ditch — ^township  32, 
range  7,  west. 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  has  given  me  some  observations  on  a  heronry 
called  "Crane  Heaven"  near  English  Lake,  which,  March  18,  1894, 
was  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  Great  Blue  Herons,  though  quite 
a  number  of  Black-crowned  Night  Herons  always  breed  there. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  of  a  large  colony  on  the  Kankakee 
River  nine  miles  south  of  Kouts,  Ind.  On  April  14,  1894,  he  reports 
the  heronry  filled  with  birds  nesting. 

Mr.  R.  B.  Trouslot,  April  25,  1887,  wrote  me  of  a  visit  recently  made 
by  him  from  Valparaiso  to  "Cranetown,"  in  Jasper  County.  There 
were,  he  said,  thousands  of  Great  Blue  Herons  nesting,  and  he  saw 
one  American  Egret. 

Mr.  Chas.  Dury  also  speaks  of  their  building  at  English  Lake. 

Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer,  in  1886,  wrote  me  of  their  building  in  the  Kanka- 
kee Marsh  in  great  numbers,  nesting  in  communities. 

42— Geol. 


t)5&;'  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

It  is  reported  breeding  in  Steuben  Couiity  by  Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder,  and 
at  Golden  Lake,  that  county,  by  Mr.  J.  P.  Feagler  and  Mr.  H.  W.  Mcr 
Bride.  Mr.  McBride  says  that  this  heronry  is  known  as  "Craner 
town."  The  place  is  an  almost  inaccessible  bayou,  covered  for  the 
most  part  by  very  large  elm  trees.  In  these  trees  every  year  breed 
great  numbers  of  Great  Blue  Herons. 

Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  records  two  large  heronries  and  one  smaU 
one  in  Carroll  County.  He  found  as  many  as  thirteen  nests  on  one 
tree,  and  many  other  trees  contained  from  three  to  ten  nests  each. 
(The  Auk,  October,  1888,  p.  347.) 

Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  says  there  was  a  heronry  about  ten  miles  south  of 
Frankfort,  in  Clinton  County. 

They  have  akoi)een  reported  to  have  bred  in  the  following  counties: 
Yigo  (Evermann),  Allen  (Stockridge),  Dekalb  (McBride,  Mrs.  Hine), 
Clinton  (Ghere),  Tippecanoe,  at  mouth  of  Tippecanoe  River  (Dr.  E. 
Test),  x^lmost  all  of  these  friends  have  testified  to  the  effects  of  many 
destructive  influences  resulting  from  man's  efforts  to  reclaim  the  land 
for  tillage  or  from  wantonness  in  times  when  he  gave  himself  to  sport 
or  recreation.  Swamps  have  been  drained,  trees  felled,  fire  ravaged  the 
heronries, thebirds  have  been  shot  or  driven  away  and  the  eggs  permit- 
ted to  spoil  or  the  young  perish.  A  number  of  colonies  have  been  exter- 
minated. All  are  year  by  year  growing  less.  The  people  who  live 
near  the  remaining  heronieS'  should  protect  the  birds,  that  are  left. 
Th«>y  do  them  no  ill,  but  only  good. 

After?  the  birds  are  reared  they,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  wan- 
der about  the  State.  They  arrive  so  early  and  nest  so  soon  after. arrival 
that  when  they  appear  many  think  they  are  late  migrants  or  possibly 
summer  residents.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  State  they  occasionally 
pass  the  winter;  The  earliest  migrant  was  noted  by  Prof.  Evermann 
in. Carroll  County,  February  14,  1885;  Dekalb  County,  February  22, 
1890  (H,  W.  McBride);  March  11,  1894,  Mr.  Deane  found  one  in 
"Crane  Heaven/'  English  Lake.  This  iS:  the  earliest  date-  at  a  heronry. 
They  usually  appear'  at  the  heronries  in  March,  the  bulk  arriving 
before  April  15.  Throughout  the  State  they,  are  found  straggling 
along  throoigh ,  April  and  occasionally  until  late  in  May;  Richmond 
May  21,  18^,7.  (Hadley).  These  stragglers  must  breed  much  later 
than  the  others;,  if  at  all.  Mr.  R;  B.  Trouslot' reports  taking  two  sets 
of  eggs  before  April  25,  1887,  and  Mr.  Deane  reports  young  in  some  of 
the  nests  at  English, Lake,  May  4^  1890. 

They  begin  their  fall  migrations  in  August  and  continue  passing 
through  September ^ajwi  October,  aifewrremaining  soniietimes  late  into 
November.     I  observed  them  at  Brookville  August  30  (1887).     Mr. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  6-5^9 

Peane  reported  two  at  English  Lake  November  16,  1S92.  Mr.  E.  J. 
Ghansler  found  it  in  Knox  County  December  9,  ISDG.  They  feed 
largely  on  "fish  and'  frogs. 

SuBGKNus  ffEKODIAS  Boir. 

*67.    (196).    Ardea  egretta  Gmel. 

American  Egret. 
"Synonyms,  Great  White  Heron,  White  Crane. 

Plumage  entirely  white,  in  breeding  season,  with  long,  plumes  pro- 
jecting from  the  back  and  drooping  beyond  the  tail;  bill,. lores  and 
eyes,  yellow;  legs  and  feet,  black. 

Length,  37.00-41.00;  wing,  14.10-16.80;  bill,  4.20-4.90;  tarsus,  5.50- 
6.80. 

.Eange. — Temperate  and  tropical  America,  from  New  Jersey,  Min- 
nesota and  Oregon  south  to  Patagonia;  casually  on  the  Atlantic  Coast 
to  Nova  Scotia.    Breeds  northward  to  northern  Indiana. 

Nest,  in  trees  or  bushes  over  water,  of  sticks.  Eggs,  3-5;  dull  blue; 
2.28  by  1.60.    Usually  breeds  in  colonies. 

^  Eegular  migrant  and  summer  resident,  formerly  tolerably  common, 
becoming  rare.  Breeds  in  some  numbers  locally  in  the. northern  part 
of  the  State  and  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley  in  situations  similar  to 
those  occupied  by  the  last  mentioned  species,  and  generally  associated 
in  the  same  colony  with  them.  For  many  years  they  have  been 
known  to  breed  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  and  the  fact  that 
throughout  the  summer  they  were  found  over  the  State  seemed  to  in- 
dicate that  they  must  certainly  have  a  breeding  ground  somewhere 
farther  north  than  any  yet  reported.  Their  occurrence  has  been  ex- 
plained upon  the  theory  that  some  birds,  particularly  herons,  were 
given  to  wandering  northward  after  the  breeding  season,  and  most 
of  the  vagrants  were  young  birds.  Further,  this  heron  was  practically 
unknown  within  the  State  in  early  spring  before  the  herons  nesting 
time.  Now  we  know  that  it  still  breeds  in  some,  and  did  very  recently 
in  all,  of  at  least  six  or  eight  of  the  counties  in  northern  Indiana;  also, 
that  it  is  very  rarely,  indeed,  observed  in  its  northward  migrations  be- 
fore breeding  time.  This  indicates  these  herons  migrate  at  night. 
They  are  usually  seen  at  the  breeding  grounds,  nesting  or  preparing  to, 
before  they  are  reported  by  the  observers  throughout  the  State.  Ap- 
parently they  proceed  directly  to  the  heronries, -and  the  few  seen,  later 
are  stragglers,  who  would  arrive  too  late  to  take,  part  in  the  important 
work  of  nesting  at  the  northern  colonies. 


660  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  has  informed  me  of  their  breeding  at  Swan  and 
Grassy  Ponds,  Daviess  County.  The  summer  of  1897  he  visited  these 
ponds  and  learned  that  Egrets  had  been  very  scarce  that  year.  On  Swan 
Pond,  where  formerly  a  thousand  could  be  seen  in  one  flock,  none  were 
found.  Daviess  County  adjoins  Knox  and  Gibson,  where  Mr.  Ridg- 
way  has  reported  them  nesting.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  and  Mr.  H.  W. 
McBride  have  reported  them  nesting  in  Dekalb  County.  Mr.  Mc- 
Bride  says  at  the  heronry  at  Golden  Lake,  Steuben  County,  for  several 
years,  he  often  saw  a  pair  of  these  birds  among  the  many  Great  Blue 
Herons,  and  while  satisfied  they  nested,  he  could  not  determine  which 
nest  was  theirs.  A  hunter  well  known  to  Mr.  McBride  informed  him 
of  shooting  a  "White  Crane,"  which  he  described,  from  its  nest  at 
Wolf  Lake,  Noble  County.    This  must  have  been  the  present  species. 

Mr.R.B.Trouslot,on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  "Cranetown,"  Jasper 
County,  in  April,  1887,  among  the  thousands  of  Great  Blue  Herons 
breeding,  found  a  few  American  Egrets,  but  did  not  identify  their 
nests.  As  is  noted  under  the  last  species,  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  found  them 
breeding  quite  numerously  with  that  species  at  "Crane  Heaven," 
on  the  Kankakee  River  some  twenty  miles  above  Water  Valley. 
Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  and  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  both  of  Chi- 
cago, have  kindly  furnished  me  with  separate  accounts  of  the  breed- 
ing of  the  American  Egret  in  Porter  County  at  'different  dates,  but 
whether  the  locality  referred  to  is  the  same,  I  do  not  know.  Mr. 
Woodruff  says  Mr.  Chas.  Eldridge  found  this  bird  breeding  at  Kouts, 
Ind.,  in  May,  1885,  and  took  a  large  number  of  their  eggs.  He  found 
their  nests  in  the  same  trees  with  those  of  the  Great  Blue  Heron.  He 
adds:  "I  visited  the  heronries  last  June  (1896),  and  did  not  see  a 
single  specimen  of  the  White  Egret.  In  the  fall  of  1895  a  terrible  fire 
swept  through  the  timber  along  the  Kankakee  River,  which  probably 
accounts  for  the  depopulated  state  of  the  heronries." 

Mr.  Parker  informs  me  that  Mr.  George  Wilcox  found  quite  a  num- 
ber breeding  in  a  heronry  with  the  last  species  near  Kouts,  Ind.,  dur- 
ing May,  1895.  Mr.  Parker  himself  visited  the  place  in  the  spring  of 
1896,  and  found  only  a  few  A.  Jierodias  occupying  the  heronry.  He 
thinks  the  small  number  of  those  found  was  due  to  the  fact  that  a 
heavy  fire  swept  through  the  timber  in  the  fall  of  1895.  The  same 
gentleman  observed  a  flock  of  about  twenty-five  at  Liverpool  August 
27,  1887.  By  this  time  most  of  them  have  gone  through.  There  are 
a  few  references  to  its  rare  occurrence  later.  Prof.  Evermann  has 
noted  it  in  Carroll  County  in  early  September.  Mr.  Deane  has  seen  it 
at  English  Lake  in  September,  and  Dr.  Langdon  notes  it,  upon  the 
authority  of  Mr.  Porter,  near  Sandusky,  0.,  in  that  month.  In  Florida, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  661 

where  these  birds  were  found  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  in  an  in- 
numerable company,  arrayed  in  dazzling  white  where  lagoons  were 
bordered  by  their  snowy  forms,  and  the  bushy  breeding  grounds  cov- 
ering a  wide  area,  glistened  in  the  sun,  they  have,  at  fashion's 
bidding,  been  offered  upon  the  altar,  and  countless  as  their 
numbers  seemed  to  be,  they  have  in  a  very  few  short  years  been  al- 
most exterminated  for  the  adornment  of  the  women  of  our  own  and 
other  lands.  An  excellent  article  on  this  subject  is  given  by  W.  E.  D. 
Scott  in  the  Auk,  1887,  p.  135. 

They  pass  the  winter  farther  south  than  the  Great  Blue  Heron  and 
are  a  little  later  in  beginning  their  migrations  in  the  spring.  Yet  I 
feel  satisfied  that  they  migrate  much  earlier  than  we  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  think.  Mr.  Nelson  mentions  its  occurrence  at  Evanston  111., 
March  31, 1895.  (Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  p.  131.)  The  earliest 
record  for  Indiana  is  that  given  by  Prof.  Evermann  from  Bloomington, 
April  10,  1887.  I  have  records  for  that  month  from  Putnam  and  De- 
catur counties,  outside  of  the  region  where  they  breed.  A  few  straggle 
along  through  May. 

One  was  found  as  far  away  from  the  swamps  where  they 
breed  as  Decatur  County,  June  23,  1894.  The  latter  part  of  July 
they  begin  to  wander  about  the  country  in  numbers,  sometimes 
singly,  but  often  "In  small  flocks  of  two  to  a  dozen,  and  occasion- 
ally in  larger  bodies  of  twenty-five  to  thirty  individuals,  gradually 
making  their  way  southward.  A  summer  when  there  has  been  ample 
rainfall  and  the  leaves  of  the  fringing  trees  along  the  rivers  are  dense 
and  dark  green,  the  sight  of  a  large  flock  of  these  snow-white  birds 
flying  through  them  or  alighted  among  their  foliage  is  one  that  ever 
clings  to  me  as  a  memor}?^  of  such  an  August.  I  have  never  seen  them  at 
Brookville  earlier  than  July  27  (1887)  or  later  than  August  11  (1886). 
There  is  no  record  of  their  occurrence  in  the  Whitewater  Valley  in 
spring.  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff,  in  spealdng  of  a  trip  into  Lake  County, 
August  18,  1885,  says:  "As  we  passed  through  the  long  stretch  of 
swamp  woods  lying  between  Whiting  and  Clark  stations  we  observed 
large  flocks  of  the  American  Egret  on  almost  all  of  the  ponds  of  any 
size  along  the  line  of  the  road.  They  did  not  appear  to  be  frightened 
by  the  train,  and  only  those  within  forty  or  fifty  yards  of  the  train 
would  fly.  At  Liverpool  we  found  the  birds  on  the  Little  Calumet 
River  in  small  flocks  of  two  to  six  or  eight.'' 


662  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Subgenus  GARZETTA  Kaup. 

*68.     (197).    Ardea  candidissima  (Gmel.). 

Snowy  Heron.  • 

Adult. — In  breeding  season  "with  a  long  occipital  crest  of  deoom- 
posed  feathers  and  similar  dorsal  plumes,  latter  recurved  when  per- 
fect; similar,  but  not  recurved  plumes  on  the  lower  neck,  which  is 
bare  behind;  lores,  eyes  and  toes,  yellow;  bill  and  legs,  black,  former 
yellow  at  base,  latter  yellow  at  lower  part  behind;  plumage  always  en- 
tirely white."  (Mcllwraith,  Birds  of  Ontario.)  Smaller  than  the  last. 
Adult,  after  breeding  season,  and  immature  without  dorsal  plumes. 

Length,  24.00;  wing,  11.00-12.00;  bill,  3.00;  tarsus,  3.50-4.00. 

Range. — ►Temperate  and  tropical  America,  from  Long  Island  and 
Oregon  south  to  Argentine  Republic  and  Chili;  casually  toXova 
Scotia  and:  southern  I  British  Columbia.  Minnesota.  Breeds  north  to 
southern  Indiana. 

Nest,  in  trees  and  bushes,  of  sticks.  Eggs,  3-5;  pale,  dull  blue;  1.82 
by  1.22. 

Migrant  and  summer  resident  in  southern  part  of  the  State;  not 
common;  breeding  locally  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  Mr.  Ridgway 
informs  me  of  its  breeding  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties.  Mr.  E.  J. 
Chansler  tells  me  of  its  occurrence  at  Swan  and  G-rassy  ponds,  Daviess 
County,  where  he  thinks  it  breeds.  Prof.  J.  A.  Balmer  says  though 
they  varied  in  numbers  from  year  to  year,  they  were  quite  constant 
summer  residents  in  Knox  County  in  1890.  They  were  common  about 
Swan  Pond.  This,  so  far  as  known,  is  its  most  northern  breeding 
ground.  After  breeding  they  roam  over  the  country,  some  extending 
their  journeys,  as  may  be  gathered  from  reported  occurrences,  into 
Michigan,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  They  are  smaller  birds  than  the 
last  species,  but  are  exceedingly  graceful.  Their  range  is  not  so  ex- 
tensive and  their  numbers  are  less  with  us.  They  have  been  noted  in 
Lake  County  (L.  T.  Meyer),  Allen  County  (C.  A.  Stockbridge),  Frank- 
lin County  (E.  R.  Quick),  Jefferson  County  (Hubbard),  and  lower 
Wabash  Valley  (Stein).  Some  of  these  Tecords  may  refer  to  the  larger 
species  last  mentioned. 

Like  the  American  i  Egret,  the  Snowy  Heron  is  guilty  of  wearing 
through  the  breeding  season  beautiful  plumes.  These  are  the  orna- 
ments technically  called  "aigrettes'^  by  the  millinery  trade.  To  secute 
them  the  death  of  the  bird  is  necessary.  This  necessity  has  led  to  the 
destruction  of  the  larger  part  of  the  great  numbers  of  these  beautiful, 
graceful  birds,  which  were  so  characteristic  an  aspect  of  the  southern 
landscape  a  few  years  ago.    These  birds  were  not  injurious;  they  were 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  663 

the  friend  of  man.  They  wereiSacrificed.for.the  necessity  of  fashion. 
"Necessity  knows  no  law.^'  To  ornament  the  devotees  of  fashion  for  a 
brief  season  it  ws^  necessary  to  destroy  one  of  the  most  graceful  and 
characteristic  ornaments  of  this  beautiful  land  of  ours. 

Subgenus  HYDRANASSA  Baird. 

69.     (199).    Ardea  tricolor  ruficoUis  (Gosse). 

liOmsiana  Heron. 

Adult. — Head,  neck  and  upper  parts  bluish  plumbeous;  plumes  of 
occiput  and  nape,  rich  maroon  purplish  and  plumbeous-blue;  chin  and 
upper  part  of  throat,  pure  white,  continued  in  streaks,  mixed  with 
rufous  and  plumbeous  down  the  foreneck;  scapular  plumes,  light  drab; 
lower  parts,  plain  white.  Immature. — Head  and  neck,  chiefly  light 
rusty;  the  malar  region,  chin  and  throat,  pure  white;  foreneck  streaked 
white  and  rusty;  lower  parts,  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts,  pure  white; 
upper  parts  (except  rump,  etc.),  plumbeous,  the  back  tinged  and  the 
wing  coverts  spotted  with  rusty;  legs,  yellowish  behind,  blackish  be- 
fore; lower  mandible  and  lores,  orange;  upper  mandible,  black. 

Length,  23.00-28.00;  wing,  8.35-10.80;  bill,  3.30-4.15;  tarsus,  3.20- 
4.15. 

Eange. — Gulf  States,  Mexico  (both  coasts).  Central  America  and 
West  Indies;  casually  northward  to  New  Jersey  and  Indiana. 

Nest,  similar  to  that  of  Snowy  Heron.  I^ggs,  2-A,  sometimes  b) 
bluish-green;  1.75-1.80  by  1.30-1.40. 

Eare  summer  visitor,  Mr.  F.  T.  Jencks  identified  it  near  Hannah, 
Starke  County,  in  June,  1876'.  (Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  April,  1877, 
p.  51.)  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  reports  having  seen  it  in  Knox  County  the 
summer  of  1894. 

This  is  a  bird  of  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  No  other  records 
are  reported  of  its  occurrence  so  far  inland. 

Sdbqhnus  FLORIDA  Baird.. 

*70.     (200).    Ardea  caerulea  Linn. 

Little  Blue  Heron. 

Adult. — Usually  uniform  dark  slate  bluie^  with: majoonroolored  head 
and- neck>  but.  not  infreq»uently  ^'pied,"  with  white,  or  even  almost 
wholly  white,  with  bluish  tips  to  longer  quills:  Young. — Usually 
pure  white,  with  longer:  quills  tipped  with  slate  blue;  legs>  feet  and 
loresy  greenish-yellow. 


664  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  20.00-29.50;  wing,  9.00-10.60;  bill,  2.70-3.30;  tarsus,  3.15- 
4.00. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  and  Guiana  north  to  New  Jersey, 
Indiana  and  Kansas;  casually  on  Atlantic  Coast  to  Maine.  Breeds 
north  to  southern  Indiana. 

Nest,  in  trees  or  bushes.  Eggs,  2-4;  bluish-green;  1.60-1.82  by  1.25- 
1.35. 

Summer  resident  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  There  it  was  first 
noted  by  Dr.  F.  Stein,  perhaps  in  1874.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  then 
noted  it  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  where  it  breeds.  He  informed 
me  about  eight  years  ago  it  was  found  abundantly  along  that  part  of 
the  Wabash  River  every  summer.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  has  more  re- 
cently informed  me  of  its  breeding.  In  1896  he  noted  it  as  early  as 
April  18,  and  the  latest  fall  record  I  have  is  September  24,  1895. 


Subgenus  BUTORIDES  Blyth. 

*71.     (201).    Ardea  virescens    Linn. 

Green  Heron. 

Adult, — In  breeding  season,  with  the  crown,  long,  soft  occipital 
crest  and  lengthened  narrow  feathers  of  the  back,  lustrous  dark  green, 
sometimes  with  a  bronzy  iridescence,  and  on  the  back  often  with  a 
glaucous  cast;  wing  coverts,  green^  with  conspicuous  tawny  edgings; 
neck,  purplish-chestnut,  the  throat  line  variegated  with  dusky  or 
whitish;  under  parts,  mostly  dark  brownish-ash;  belly,  variegated  with 
white;  quills  and  tail,  greenish-dusky,  with  a  glaucous  shade;  edge  of 
the  wing,  white,  some  of  the  quills  usually  white  tipped;  bill,  greenish- 
black,  much  of  the  under  mandible  yellow;  lores  and  iris,  yellow;  legs, 
greenish-yellow;  lower  neck,  with  lengthened  feathers  in  front,  a  bare 
space  behind.  Young. — With  the  head  less  crested,  the  back  without 
long  plumes,  but  glossy-greenish;  neck,  merely  reddish-brown  and 
whole  under  parts  white,  variegated  with  tawny  and  dark  brown. 

Length,  15.50-22.50;  wing,  6.30-8.00;  bill,  2.00-2.55;  tarsus,  1.75- 
2.15. 

Range. — America,  from  Colombia,  Venezuela  and  West  Indies 
north  to  Ontario,  Manitoba  and  Oregon.  Breeds  north  to  limit  of  its 
range.    Winters  from  Florida  southward. 

Nest,  of  sticks,  in  small  tree  or  bush,  sometimes  in  orchard.  Eggs, 
3-6;  pale  greenish-blue;  1.50  by  1.14, 

Summer  resident  throughout  the  State.  This  small  heron  is  found 
wherever  there  is  water,  about  streams,  ponds  and  lakes.    It  usually 


BiKDS  OP  Indiana.  665 

makes  its  nest  not  far  from  water,  often  in  orchards.  These  birds  are 
commonly  known  as  "Schytepoke/*^  "Poke"  and  ^Tly-np-the-creek." 

It  usually  appears  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  between  April 
10  and  May  1,  and  in  the  northern  part  from  April  18  to  May  5.  I 
have  noted  it  at  Brookville  as  early  as  April  12  (1881),  and  Prof. 
Blatchley  reported  it  from  Terre  Haute  April  13  (1888).  The  follow- 
ing dates  of  its  first  appearance  at  Brookville  for  a  number  of  years, 
excepting  the  one  above  noted,  will  give  an  idea  of  its  variations  year 
after  year:  1882,  April  18;  1883,  April  13;  1884,  April  15;  1885, 
April  18;  1887,  April  21;  1889,  April  19;  1892,  April  25;  1896,  May  1. 

They  begin  nesting  immediately  upon  arriving,  usually,  selecting  a 
thicket  or  second  growth  near  the  water.  They  often  breed  in 
orchards,  frequently  at  some  distance  from  water.  They  usually 
nest  singly,  but  sometimes  in  colonies.    (Ridgway.) 

The  nests  are  sometimes  placed  from  eight  to  twenty  feet  above  the 
ground.  Prof.  Evermann  found  full  sets  of  eggs  in  Carroll  County  by 
May  15,  and  Mrs.  Hine  reports  the  bird  sitting  in  Dekalb  County 
May  15, 1897.  Mr.  H.  N.  McCoy  caught  young  ready  to  fly  near  Rich- 
_mond.  May  19, 1886.  After  leaving  the  nest  the  family  keeps  together 
for  some  time;  then  they  may  be  found  along  the  streams  and  about  the 
ponds  and  sloughs.  Sometimes  they  are  standing  upon  the  shore;  at 
others  upon  a  drift  pile;  again  upon  a  log  or  pole  above  the  water,  but 
more  frequently,  perhaps,  upon  a  tree  or  bush,  from  which  the  ap- 
proach of  the  intruder  will  frighten  them  to -an  awkward  flight,  which 
is  usually  preceded  or  accompanied  by  a  startled  squawk.  In  some 
localities  they  are  becoming  less  common  than  formerly,  but  still  it  is 
the  most  common  and  best  known  heron  in  the  State.  In  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  they  are  leaving  late  in  August,  and  by  early  Septem- 
ber seem  to  have  left.  Steuben  County,  Aug.  15,  1894  (Cass);  Tippe- 
canoe County,  September  4,  1896;  Warren  County,  September  22, 
1897  (Bamett).  In  the  southern  portion  of  the  State  they  remain 
later  some  years,  but  not  often  far  into  October.  Brookville,  October 
11,  1886;  October  1,  1889.  Greensburg,  October  17,  1894  (Shannon), 
is  the  latest  fall  record. 


666  Report  of  State  Geologist. 


a5.    Qknus  NYCTICORAX  Stephens. 


a^.  Bill  about  as  long  as  tarsus;*  gonys  nearly  straight.     Subgenus  Nyctjcorax. 

N.  nycticorax  nsevius  (Bodd.).     72 
a^.  Billmuch  shotter  than  tarsus;   gonys  convex. 

Subgenus' NYCTiNAssA'Stejneger.     N.  violaceus  (Linn.).    '73 

Subgenus  Nycticorax. 

*72.     (202).    Nycticorax  nycticorax  naevius  (Bodd.). 

Black-ctowned  Night  Heron. 
Synonyms,  .Quawk,  Squawk,  Qua-Bird. 

Adult. — Crown,  scapulars  and  interscapulars,  very  dark  glossy- 
green;  general  plumage,  bluishrgray,  more  or  less  tinged  with  lilac; 
forehead,  throat  line  and  most  under  parts,  whitish;  two  or  three  oc- 
cipital plumes  ahout  8.00 .  long,  white;  biU,  black; .  lores,  ^greenish; 
eyes,  red;  feet,  yellow.  Young. — >Yery  different,  lacking  the  plumes; 
grayish-brown;  paler  below,  extensively  speckled  with  white;  quills, 
chocolate-brown,  white-tipped. 

Length,  about  23.00-^6.00;  wing,  11.00-12.80;  bill,  2.80-3.10;  tarsus, 
3.10-3.40. 

Range. — America,  Falkland  Islands  and  Chili  north  to  Manitoba 
and  Ontario.  Breeds  north  to  limit  of  its  range.  Winters  from  Gulf 
States  south. 

Nest,  of  sticks,  usually  in  trees;  sometimes  in  colonies.  Eggs,  4-6; 
pale  greenish-blue;  2.01  by  1.47. 

Regular  migrant  and  summer  resident.  Breeds  locally  in  north- 
em  part  of  the  State  in  some  numbers,  in  colonies,  by.  themselves  or 
with  other  herons. 

They  arrive  in  the  spring  about  the  time  of  the  last  species.  The 
earliest  date  I  have  comes  from  its  breeding  ground,  Liverpool,  Ind., 
April  10,  1897  (Parker).  This  indicates  that  some,  at  least,  pro- 
ceed straight  to  their  heronries  and  others  follow  along  more  leisurely. 
The  following  dates  give  the  time  of  its  first  appearance  in  Indiana 
for  a  number  of  years:  Carroll  County,  April  30,.  1878  (Evermann); 
Brookville,  April  28,  1883;  Marion  County,  April  18,  1884  (Noe); 
Brookville,  May  6,  1885;  English  Lake,  May  6,  1888  (Deane);  Dekalb 
County,  April  29,  1893  (Mrs.  Hine);  Greensburg,  April  14,  1894 
(Shannon). 

The  migration  is  over  early  in  May,  and  by  the  latter  part  of  that 
month  nests  can  be  found,  altho'ugh  some  of  them  continue  building 
well  into  June.  There  is  a  heronry  where  they  breed  at  English  Lake. 
(Deane.)    Two  nests  were  found  there  May  25  and  26,  1889,  and  June 


BdKDS  OF  Indiana.  667 

10vl888y  there  were  large  numbers  in  the  heronry.  Many  were  flying 
over,  carrying  sticks  and  building. 

The  heronry  "Crane  Heaven"  mentioned  under  Great  Blue  Heron, 
upon  authority  of  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken,  some  twenty. miles  above  Water 
Valley  on  the  Kankakee,  containedi,  in  1886,  great  numbers  of  this 
species.  They  were  nesting  upon  the  same  trees  with  Ai  lierodias. 
Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  that  a  large  colony  breeds  every  year 
in  Sandy  Hook  Marsh,  on  the  Kankakee  Eiver,  two  miles  south  of 
Kouts.  The  young,  fully  fledged,  are  taken  through  June  and  July. 
Ordinarily  they  depart  in  September  and  early  October.  Occasionally^ 
however,"a  few  are  found  well  into  November.  These  late  birds  gener^ 
ally  are  young.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  took  a  young  female  in 
Carroll  County  Xovember  24,  1884.  This  is  the  latest  record  I  have. 
Mr.  A.  W.  Hamilton  took  a  young  bird  at  Zanesville,  Wells  County, 
November  12,  1896.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  reports  two  specimens  at 
English  Lake  November  16,  1892. 

They  are  usually  nocturnal  in  their  habits,  but  sometimes,  espe- 
cially after  the  young  are  hatched,  they  may  be  seen  hunting  food  by 
day,  as  well  as  by  nrght.  The  common' name  given  to  it  by  those  who 
live  near  its  colonies,  on  account  of  its  note^  is  "Quawk." 

SuBGKXus  NYCTINASSA  Stejsegeb. 

*73.     (203).    Nycticorax  violaceus  (Linn  ) 

Yellow-crowned  Night  Heron. 
Synonym^  Whcte-crowsed  Night  Heron. 

Adult. — Top  of  h«ad  and  elongated  patch  on  side  of  head,  white,  the 
first  often  stained  with  rusty  brown,  and  in  freshly  killed  or  living 
specimens  deeply  tinted  with  .delicate  primrose-yellow;  rest  of  head, 
black;  plumage  in  general,  bluish-plumbeous^  plain  beneath,  but  on 
upper  parts  striped  with  black.  Immature. — Top  of  head,  black; 
above,  sooty  grayish-brown,  streaked  with  dull  white  or  pale  buff,  the 
streaks  more  wedge-shaped  on  wing  coverts;  lower  parts,  soiled 
whitish,  striped  with  brownish-gray. 

Length,  22.00-28.00;  wing,  10.50-12.65;  bill,  2.50-3.00,  tarsus,  3.10- 
4.20. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  north  to  South  Carolina,  southern 
Indiana,  lower  California,  casually  to  Massachusetts  and  Colorado. 
Breeds  from  southern  Indiana  southward. 

Nest,  of  sticks,  in  trees.    Eggs,  4-5;  pale,  bluish-green;  1.96  by  1.42. 

Common  summer  resident  in  some  localities  in  the  lower  Wabash 
Valley.    Breeds  in  colonies. 


668  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  says:  "At  Monteur's  Pond,  about  eight  miles 
east  of  Vineennes,  Ind.,  it  is  the  most  numerous  species  of  Heron,  far 
outnumbering  all  other  kinds  together,  during  several  visits  there  in 
different  years."  (Birds  of  111.,  Vol.  II,  p.  136.)  In  an  account  of  a 
visit  to  the  locality  above  mentioned  in  the  spring  of  1881,  the  same 
writer  noted  "a  colony  of  perhaps  a  hundred  pairs  having  their  nests 
among  the  tall  ash  and  sweet-gum  trees,  in  a  creek  bottom,  near  the 
edge  of  the  pond."  The  nests  are  mostly  at  a  considerable  height,  and 
few  of  them  are  readily  accessible.  They  were  just  beginning  to  lay, 
and  were  frightened  away  from  the  locality  during  a  Vet  spelF  by 
squirrel  hunters.  A  female  was  shot  from  her  nest  April  27,  and  a 
perfect  egg  cut  from  her  oviduct.  Several  fine  specimens  of  the  bird 
were  secured,  and  it  was  noticed  that  the  delicate,  almost  luminous, 
yellow  buff  on  the  forehead  soon  faded."  (Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club, 
Jao.,  1882,  p.  22.) 

"In  an  adult  female  'shot  from  her  nest  at  Wheatland,  Ind.,  April 
27,  1881,  the  bill  and  naked  lores  were  wholly  slate-black,  the  eyelids 
similar,  but  tinged  with  green  anteriorly;  iris,  mars-orange;  legs,  pale 
olive-buff;  the  large  scutellae  of  tarsus,  and  toes  deep  brownish."  In 
•the  adult  male  in  spring,  according  to  Audubon,  the  unf  eathered  parts 
are  colored  as  follows:  "Bill,  black;  iris,  reddish-orange;  margins  of 
eyelids  and  bare  space  in  front  of  the  eye,  dull  yellowish-green;  tibia, 
upper  part  of  the  tarsus,  its  hind  part,  and  the  soles,  bright  yellow; 
the  scutellae  and  scales,  the  fore  part  of  the  tarsus,  the  toes,  and  the 
claws,  black."    (Ridgway,  Birds  of  111.,  Vol.  II,  p.  136.) 

This  species  is  perhaps  a  little  later  migrating  than  that  last  men- 
tioned. The  colony  noted  is  the  most  northern  known  of  this 
Heron.  It,  too,  goes  by  the  same  name  in  some  localities  as  the  other 
Night  Heron,  "Squawk."  They  are  said  usually  to  build  in  pairs,  and 
to  be  less  nocturnal  than  the  other  species. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  669 

F.     Order  PALUDICOL^.    Cranes,  Rails,  Etc. 

Suborder  GRUES.     Cranes. 

XV.     Family  GRUID^.     Cranes. 

Characters  same  as  family.  Grus.     3(5 

36.    Genus  GRUS  Pallas. 

a^.  Tarsus  11.00  or  over.  G.  americana  (Linn.).     74 

a^.  Tarsus  10.00  or  less.  G.  mexicana  (Miill.).     76 

74.     (204).    Grus  americana.     (Linn.). 

Whooping  Crane. 

Adult. — Plumage,  white;  the  primaries,  black;  upper  part  of  head 
and  cheeks,  and  sides  of  throat,  naked,  red.  Immature. — Plumage, 
white,  more  or  less  washed  with  light  cinnamon;  head,  feathered. 

Length,  50.00-54.00;  extent,  92.00;  wing,  22.00-25.00;  bill,  5.35- 
5.80;  depth  of  bill  at  base,  1.40;  tarsus,  11.00-12.00. 

Range. — Interior  of  North  America,  Florida  and  Central  Mexico, 
north  to  fur  countries,  and  from  Ohio  to  California;  formerly  on  At- 
lantic coast,  north  to  Massachusetts.  Breeds  from  Illinois  north;  also 
on  Gulf  coast  (Mcllhenny).    Winters  in  Gulf  States. 

Nest,  in  marshes,  of  grasses.  J^ggs,  2;  olive  or  olive-buff y,  marked 
with  brown  and  grayish;  4.04  by  2.50. 

Rare  migrant;  formerly  more  common.  It  has  been  known  to  breed 
in  Central  Illinois  (Nelson),  and  Clear  Lake,  Iowa  (Cooke),  and  doubt- 
less did  so  in  Indiana.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  says,  in  Lake  County,  it  is 
exceedingly  rare.  It  was  a  summer  resident,  but  the  draining  of  the 
Kankakee  marshes  has  driven  it  away.  Mr.  Timothy  H.  Ball  writes 
me  of  their  former  occurrence  in  Lake  County,  also.  He  says  they 
were  common,  but  not  as  abundant  as  the  Sand  Hill  Crane.  He  thinks 
they  nested  in  the  big  Kankakee  marsh.  They  were  beautiful  objects 
as  they  stood  out  upon  the  prairie,  the  black  on  their  wings  contrast- 
ing so  plainly  with  their  white  plumage.  They  did  not  come  into  the 
cornfields  as  the  Sandhills  did,  but  standing  in  the  water  they  seemed 
from  a  distance  like  them,  only  they  were  white.  Mr.  Charles  Dury, 
of  Cincinnati,  0.,  informs  me  of  its  occurrence  in  "North  Indiana;'^ 
also  that  there  is  a  specimen  in  the  Cuvier  Club  in  that  city  that  was 
taken  near  Bloomington,  Ind.  Dr.  A.  W.  Bray  ton  notes  that  it  was 
formerly  abundant. 


e-YO  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

* 
*75.     (206).    Grus  mexicana   (Mull). 

Sandhill  Crane. 

Adult. — With  the  bare  part  of  head  forking  behind  to  receive  a 
pointed  extension  of  the  occipital  feathers,  not  reaching  on  the  sides 
below  the  eyes,  and  sparsely'  hairy;  bill,  moderately  stout,  with  nearly 
straight  and  scarcely  ascending  gonys,  that  part  of  the  under  mandible 
not  so  deep  as  the  upper  at  the  same  place;  adult  plumage,  plumbeous- 
gray,  never  whitening;  primaries,  and  their  coverts,  blackish. 
Immature  I— -With,  head  feathered  and  plumage  varied  with  rusty, 
brown;  rather  smaller  than  the  last. 

Length,  40.00-48.00;  wing,  21.00-22.50  (21.83);  bill,  5.15-6.00 
(5.47);  depth  of  bill  at  base,  .95-1.10  (1.01);  tarsus,  9.90-10.65  (10.25);- 
middle  toe,  3.40-3.60  (3.50);  bare  part  of  tarsus,  4.60-5.00  (4.78). 

Range. — North  America,  north  to  Ontario,  Michigan  and  Mani- 
toba. Most  abundant  from  Mississippi  Valley  to  Pacific  coast.  Casu- 
ally to  Hudson  Bay.  Rare  on  Atlantic  coast  north  of  Georgia.  Breeds 
locally  throughout  its  range;    Winters  in  Gulf  States  and  Mexico. 

N'esi,  on  ground  in  grassy  ponds  and  marshes,  of  grass,  reeds, 
etc.  £Jggs,  2;  olive-brown  or  drab,  spotted  with  brown  and  gray;  3.98 
by  2.44. 

Regular  migrant;  sometimes  common.  Occasional  summer  visitor. 
Occasional  summer  resident  in  northwestern  Indiana.  Formerly  breed- 
ing abundantly  in  the  large  marshes  of  the  State  (Bray ton).  It  is  most 
commonly  found  in  the  Wabash  Valley  and  northward;  elsewhere  very 
rare.  It  has  been  noted  but  once  in  the  Whitewater  Valley — Dr. 
Rufus  Raymond  saw  three  specimens. 

Many  people  confound  this  bird  with  the  Great  Blue  Heron,  which 
is  popularly  known  by  the  erroneous  name  "Blue  Crane. '^ 

The  Herons  are  distinctly  fishers  and  frequent  the  waterways,  while 
the  Sandhill  Crane  frequents  pastures,  fields,  dryer  marshes^  and 
prairies,-  and  subsists  upon  field  micCj  grasshoppers,-  and  other  insects, 
and  vegetable  food,  notably  potatoes  and  sweet  potatoes,  of  which  they 
a?e  very  fond. 

They  pass  north  in  the  spring,  in  March  and  early  April.  The  ear- 
liest arrival  I  have  is  March  7,  1894,  when  Mr.  Deane  noted  a  flock  at 
Bniglish  Lake.  The  earliest  spring  record  for  the  southern  part  of  the 
State' is  Bdcknell,  Knox  County,  March  21,  1895  (Chansler).  Mr.  S. 
T.  Sterling  reported  it  from  Camden,  Carroll  County,  April  13,  1888. 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  tells  me  that  at  English  Lake  March  25,  1892, 
he  <;ould  hear  them  all  day  uttering  their  hoarse,  guttural  rattle,  while 
soaring  so  high  one  could  not  see  them,  as  the  atmosphere  was  a  little 


•Birds  of  Indiana.  G71 

hazy.  At  their  breeding  ground  the  fixst  intimation  of  their  pregerreeis 
their  "loud  trumpeting  or  croaking,  which  seems  to  shake  theair  :6or 
miles"  (Thompson).  In  the  Wabash  Valley  old  settlers  recall  the 
earlier  days,  when  the  birds  were  abundant,  and  tell 'with' pleasure  of 
the  sight  of  them  soaring  grandly  hundreds  of  yards  above  the  earth. 

They  have  been  reported  in  recent  years  to  breed  in  the  following 
counties:  Carroll  (Sterling);  Fulton  (Dr.  V.  Grould); : Lake  (Bail) ;5^aiLd 
Starke  (Deane,  Grault);  and  as  migrants  from  'Knox  (Chansler),  iamd 
Newton  (Pfrimmer). 

Soon  after  arrival  they  begin  mating.  Their  actions  at  that  season 
are  admirably  described  by  Colonel  Goss.  He  says:  "During  court- 
ship and  the  early  breeding  season  their  actions  and  antics  at  times 
are  ludicrous  in  the  extreme,  bowing  and  leaping  high  in  the  air,  hop- 
ping, skipping,  and  circling/about,  with  drooping  wings,  sand  croak- 
ing whoop,  an  almost  indescribable  dance  and  din,  in  which  the  female 
(an  exception  to  the  rule)  joins,  all  working  themselves  into  a  fever  of 
excitement,  only  equaled  by  an  Indian  war  dance,  and,  like  the  same, 
it  only  stops  when  the  last  one  is  exhausted." 

Mr.  B.  T.  Gault  wrote  me  in  1892  that  he  was  informed  a  pair  or 
two  still  nested  each  season  at  Beaver  Lake,  Starke  County,  their  nest- 
ing site  being  a  marshy  island  in  the  lake.  They  were  also  said  to  per- 
form their  dances  or  "cotillions"  in  that  region  every  spring.  Mr.  R. 
W.  Stafford  saw  two  eggs  taken  from  a  nest  at  North  Judson,  •  Starke 
County,  May  5,  1890  (Deane).  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Gould,  in  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  tells  of  finding  young  cranes  east  of  Runnymede, 
in  the  same  county,  June  11,  1891.  He  says:  "On  emerging  from  the 
opposite  side  of  a  hummock  of  small  poplars,  I  saw  two  Cranes  feeding 
near  a  large  oak  that  stood  alone  on  a  small  elevation.  Both  birds  flew, 
one  going  out  of  sight,  while  the  other  circled  around  and  alighted  a 
short  distance  off.  I  walked  over  to  the  tree  and  looked  about  in  the 
grass,  hoping  to  find  their  nest,  but  could  see  no  sign  of  it.  I  then 
•climbed  up  into  the  tree  and  sat  perfectly  still,  and  soon  the  old  bird 
began  to  call  and  walk  toward  me.  When  within  about  one  hundred 
yards  of  me  she  began  to  retrace  her  steps,  and  then  I  saw  a  little 
downy  Crane  following  her.  I  jumped  out  of  the  tree  and  ran  over, 
but  the  little  fellow  was  too  quick,  and  dodged  me.  I  repeated  the 
operation  three  times,  but  without  success.  I  should  say  the  young 
Crane  was  two  or  three  weeks  old.  I  was  informed  a  farmer  had  cap- 
tured a  small  Crane  in  that  locality,  which,  I  think,  accounts  for  my 
only  seeing  one.  I  feel  certain  from  the  number  of  birds  I  saw  that 
there  are  several  pairs  breeding  on  the  north  marsh." 

Dr.  H.  M.  Smith,  of  Knox  County,  once  had  a  pet  Sandhill  Crane, 


672  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

which  he  had  wounded  and  captured.  It  became  quite  domesticated, 
and  was  much  attached  to  him.  When  he  would  return  from  a  ride  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  it  would  show  its  joy  by  standing  on  one 
leg,  picking  up  chips  with  its  bill  and  throwing  them  into  the  air,  and 
many  other  antics  (Chansler). 

Mr.  T.  H.  Ball,  of  Crown  Point,  speaking  of  a  period  of  from  fifty 
to  sixty  years  ago,  says:  "Sandhill  Cranes  were  found  here  in  abun- 
dance. They  came  in  early  spring,  and  went  south  late  in  the  fall. 
They  nested  in  the  Kankakee  marsh  region.  In  the  fall  they  would 
come  from  the  marshes  into  our  cornfields,  forty  or  fifty,  perhaps  a 
hundred,  at  a  time,  and  tear  the  corn  almost  as  bad  as  a  drove  of  hogs. 
Then  I  shot  them.  They  were  fat,  and  considered,  when  properly 
cooked,  superior  to  wild  geese."  He  describes  their  dances  as  given 
upon  a  knoll  on  the  prairies.  Mr.  Ball  says  a  few  remain,  and  still 
(1897)  make  nests  south  of  Eidge  Island,  and  south  of  the  Brown  ditch 
in  Lake  County. 

They  begin  their  movements  southward  in  September,  and  continue 
them  through  November.  Mr.  Deane  saw  many  at  English  Lake  Sep- 
tember 21,  1889.  October  10,  1892,  he  says,  they  were  quite  abundant 
at  the  same  place.  Mr.  Chansler  notes  them  in  Knox  County  October 
27,  1894. 

Suborder  RALLL     Rails,  Gallinules,  Coots,  Etc. 
XVI.     Family  RALLID^.     Rails,  Gallinules,  Etc. 

a^.  Forehead  feathered.     No  frontal  shield. 

6^.  Bill  slender,  longer  than  head,  curved  downward.  Rai.lus.     37 

b^.  Bill  stout,  not  longer  than  head,  straight.  Porzana.     38 

a^.  Forehead  covered  by  a  broad,  bare,  horny  shield. 

c^.  Sides  of  toes  with  broad,  lobed  membranes.  Fulica.     41 

C-.  Sides  of  toes  with  narrow  membranes  or  none. 

d^.  Nostrils  small,  oval ;  middle  toe  (without  claw),  shorter  than  tarsus. 

lONORNIS.      39 
d^.  Nostrils  slit-like;  middle  toe  (without  claw),  longer  than  tarsus. 

Oallinula.     40 
Subfamily  RALLIN.E.     Rajls. 

P.7.    Gknus  RALLUS  Linn.kus. 
a  ^  Wing  over  5.00.  R.  elegans  Aad.     76 

«-.  Wing  under  5.00.  R.  virg-inianus  Linn.     77 

*76.     (208).    Rallus  elegans  Aid. 

King  RaiL 
Synonyms,   Red-bkkasted  Rail,  Marsh  Hex. 

Above,  brownish-black,  variegated  with  olive-brown,  becoming  rich 
chestnut  on  the  wing  coverts;  nnder  parts,  rich  rnfous  or  cinnamon- 


Birds  of  Indiaita.  673 

brown,  usually  paler  on  the  middle  of  the  belly,  and  whitening  on  the 
throat;  flanks  and  axillars,  blackish,  white-barred. 

Length,  17.00-19.00;  wings,  5.90-6.80  (6.43);  bill,  2.12-2.50  (2.35); 
least  depth  of  bill,  .27-.35  (.30);  depth  at  base,  .50-.55  (.52);  tarsus, 
2.10-2.40  (2.28). 

Eange. — Fresh-water  marshes  of  the  eastern  United  States,  north 
to  the  middle  States,  southern  Michigan,  northern  Illinois,  Wisconsin 
and  Kansas;  casually  to  Massachusetts,  Maine,  and  Ontario.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range.    Winters  from  Virginia  southward. 

Nest,  of  reeds  and  grass,  in  a  marsh.  Eggs,  6-15;  buff  or  cream, 
speckled  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown. 

Migrant;  summer  resident  locally  in  the  Wabash  Valley  and  north- 
ward; rare  some  places,  but  common  among  the  lakes  and  marshes  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  State,  w^here  they  breed  in  some  numbers. 
In  the  southern  half  of  the  State  they  are  rare. 

They  arrive  in  the  spring  late  in  April  and  early  in  May,  and  those 
that  do  not  remain  to  breed  pass  northward  without  much  delay. 

My  earliest  date  is  from  Brookville,  where  one  was  taken  on  April 
20,  1881.  Sometimes  in  spring  they  are  found  in  some  numbers,  as 
though  traveling  in  small  flocks.  They  go  south  from  late  August  to 
the  middle  of  October.  They  begin  the  duties  of  home  building 
promptly  upon  arrival.  Nests  have  been  found  with  fresh  eggs  in 
June.  Mr.  Deane  found  a  nest  containing  ten  eggs  quite  fresh  June 
3,  1888.  It  was  built  on  a  small  tussock  at  the  base  of  a  small  bush 
in  an  overflowed  meadow. 

Mr.H.  K.  Coale  says,  the  parents  have  been  noted  with  downy,  black 
young  following,  June  8  and  16,  1878;  June  1,  1884.  Mr.  Eidgway 
tells  me  it  breeds  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties.  It  evidently  bred  in 
Putnam  County  in  1894.  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  found  it  at  "Mill  Pond,'' 
near  Greencastle  July  24,  25,  26,  and  27,  1894.  A  young  King  Eail, 
not  grown  and  not  in  full  plumage,  was  brought  to  Mr.  Alexander 
Black  for  identification.  Mr.^  Deane  says  of  a  nest  found  by  Mr.  Stein- 
man  May  11,  1890:  "It  was  built  in  an  overflowed  meadow,  and  con- 
sisted of  broken,  dried  cane  thrown  up.  The  nest  proper  was  very 
small,  and  contained  twelve  eggs  piled  upon  top  of  each  other."  It  is 
reported  as  breeding  in  the  following  counties:  Lake  (Aiken);  Laporte 
(Barber),  Dekalb  (Feagler),  and  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  thinks  it  may  breed 
in  Boone  County.    This  is  the  largest  Eail  in  this  State. 


43— Geol. 


674  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

*77.     (212).    Rallus  virginianus  (Linn.). 

Virginia  Rail. 

Coloration,  exactly  as  in  elegans,  of  which  it  is  a  perfect  miniature. 

Length,  8.12-10.50;  wing,  3.90-4.25;  bill,  1.45-1.60;  tarsus,  1.30- 
1.40. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Guatemala  and  Cuba,  north  to  Brit- 
ish Columbia  and  Hudson  Bay.  Breeds  from  Pennsylvania  and  Indi- 
ana (Florida,  Davie),  northward.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois 
southward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  in  marsh  near  water,  of  reeds  and  rushes.  Eggs, 
6-12;  buff  or  cream;  1.24  by  .94. 

Rather  common  migrant,  most  numerous  in  spring;  summer  resi- 
dent in  some  numbers  locally,  principally  northward. 

They  begin  to  arrive  from  the  south  from  April  20  to  May  10,  de- 
pending upon  the  lateness  or  earliness  of  the  season,  and  there  is  but 
little  difference  between  the  time  of  their  arrival  near  the  Ohio  River 
and  at  Lake  Michigan.  They  migrate,  as  all  Rails  do,  by  night,  and  do 
not  linger  long  by  the  way.  The  earliest  spring  records  are:  April  20, 
1888,  at  Brookville,  and  April  20,  1897,  Lake  County  (Parker).  In 
Lake  County  they  are  not  nearly  so  common  as  the  Sora,  but  still  are 
not  rare  about  the  lakes  (Parker).  In  the  same  county  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken 
noted  it  breeding,  but  not  abundantly.  In  Dekalb  County,  Mr.  J.  0. 
Snyder  says  it  breeds;  while  both  are  conmion,  Sora  is  most  common. 
In  Steuben  County  it  is  abundant.  Mr.  C.  L.  Barber  says  it  breeds 
in  Laporte  County.  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  found  it  breeding  in  Elkhart 
County,  May  19,  1890. 

At  English  Lake,  Mr.  Deane  tells  me,  they  are  not  common  and  are 
not  found  with  the  Soras.  This  habit  of  choosing  a  locality  not  fre- 
quented by  the  Soras  is  often  noted.  Mr.  William  S.  Perry  found 
them  as  common  as  the  Sora  in  April,  1885,  in  the  Kankakee  marsh. 
(See  Yellow  Rail). 

In  the  fall  they  go  as  they  came — ^b}'  night.  While  many  start 
ahead,  the  bulk  of  them  go  at  one  time.  One  day  the  marshes  are  full 
of  their  noisy  notes.  A  heavy  frost  comes  and  the  reeds  are  deserted. 
The  noticeable  scarcity  of  Virginia  Rails  in  the  fall  impresses  all  who 
have  observed  them.  Their  fall  records  are  exceedingly  few.  They 
seem  to  all  leave  the  first  half  of  September.  Mr.  Deane,  writing  con- 
cerning English  Lake,  says:  "We  never  get  the  Virginia  Rail  in  the 
fall.  I  have  examined  a  good  many  bags  of  small  Rail  in  August  and 
September,  and  have  killed  as  many  as  eighty  in  a. morning,  and  no 
Virginias  taken."     They  frequent  overflowed  meadows  and  marshes, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  675 

and  generally  are  not  found  where  the  water  is  deep.  "The  call  of  this 
species  is  rendered  crick-ciik-rik-k-k-k^^  (E.  E.  Thompson).  It  was 
taken  at  Eock  Lake,  Fulton  County,  September  1,  1894  (Ulrey  and 
Wallace);  Hyde  Park,  111.,  September  19, 1893  (Parker);  Borden,  Ind., 
September  11,  1894  (E.  S.  Hallett);  Greencastle,  Ind.,  August  1,  1894 
(A.  Black,  J.  Earlle). 

38.    Gbnus  PORZANA  Vibillot. 

a^.  Secondaries  without  white. 

6^.  Wing  over  4.00;  olive  brown  above,  striped  with  black. 

Subgenus  Porzana.     P.  Carolina  (Linn.).     78 
b~.  Wing  under  3.50;  dusky,  usually  speckled  with  white. 

Subgenus  Creciscus  Cabanis.     P.  jamaicensis  (Gmel.).     80 
a^.  Secondaries  white.     Subgenus  Coturnicops  Bonaparte. 

P.  noveboracensis  (Gmel.).     79 

Subgenus  Pokzana. 

*78.     (214).    Porzana  Carolina  (Linn.). 

Sora. 

Adult. — With  the  face  and  central  line  of  the  throat,  black;  the  rest 
of  the  throat,  line  over  eye,  and  especially  the  breast,  more  or  less  in- 
tensely, slate-gray;  the  sides  of  the  breast  usually  with  some  obsolete 
whitish  barring  and  speckling.  Immature. — Without  the  black,  the 
throat  whitish,  the  breast  brown. 


Sora. 

Length,  7.85-9.75;  wing,  4.15-4.30;  bill,  .75-.90;  tarsus,  1.25-1.35. 

Range. — Northern  South  America  and  West  Indies,  north  to  Man- 
itoba, Hudson  Bay,  and  casually  to  Greenland.  Breeds  from  Louis- 
iana (Mcllhenny)  northward.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois  and 
South  Carolina  southward. 

Nest,  of  grass  and  rushes,  on  ground  in  marshs.  Bggs,  8-20;  brown- 
ish buff,  spotted  with  brown;  1.26  by  .90. 

Common  migrant  throughout  the  State;  summer  resident  in  the 
northern  part,  where  it  breeds  commonly. 


676  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

They  appear  as  soon  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  as  they  do  in 
the  southern.  They  usually  arrive  between  April  15  and  May  5,  but 
Mr.  Hadley  noted  them  at  Richmond  April  11,  1897.  The  migration, 
howerer,  continues  past  the  middle  of  May.  I  have  taken  them  at 
Brookville  May  16,  1888.  They  are  not  paired  when  they  reach  their 
breeding  grounds,  and  their  numbers  and  habits  vary  to  meet  the  con- 
ditions found.  In  1890  the  season  was  favorable.  They  arrived  at 
English  Lake  in  some  numbers  by  May  4,  and  were  there  found  in  the 
open  meadows,  where  hunters  were  shooting  snipe.  They  were  never 
known  to  be  as  abundant  as  they  were  May  11.  The  majority  had  ap- 
parently just  arrived,  and  were  scattered  through  the  marshes.  They 
did  not  seem  to  be  paired.  In  1891  but  a  few  were  found  by  May  10. 
Owing  to  the  low  stage  of  the  water,  they  seemed  to  be  located  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  marsh,  and  not  so  generally  distributed  as  they  usually 
are  when  they  first  arrive.  In  May  they  frequent  the  meadows  back 
from  the  marshes,  where  they  probably  breed  (Deane). 

Dr.  F.  Stein  informs  me  they  are  not  rare  in  Gibson  and  Knox  coun- 
ties. Possibly  some  remain  and  breed  through  the  summer.  It  is 
said  14  to  20  eggs  are  sometimes  found  in  one  nest,  arranged  at  least 
two  deep,  and  that  the  bird  begins  sitting  before  the  set  is  complete, 
so  the  young  hatch  at  different  times.  As  the  summer  wears  away  they 
begin  to  wander  southward,  frequenting  not  only  marshes,  but  mead- 
ows, clover  fields,  and  wheat  stubble.  One  was  killed  with  a  whip  in 
a  meadow  near  Brookville,  July  15,  1 886,  by  M.  A.  Remy.  August  13, 
1897,  my  son.  Will,  brought  me  a  Sora  which  was  found  near  the  tele- 
phone line.  Perhaps  it  was  killed  by  flying  against  the  wires. 
Throughout  the  latter  part  of  August  and  most  of  September  they  are 
passing.  Meanwhile  the  great  numbers  of  old  and  young  are  collect- 
ing in  northern  Indiana  and  other  States  until  the  marshes  fairly 
swarm  with  them.  This  is  the  season  for  Rail  shooting.  They  are 
very  sensitive  to  cold.  A  sudden  heavy  frost  comes,  and  the  myriad 
voices- of  the  marsh  one  day  are  silenced  and  their  owners  flown  when 
the  sun  of  the  morrow  rises.  Generally  all  are  gone  before  the  end  of 
September.  I  have,  however,  taken  them  at  Brookville  October  2, 
1887,  and  October  14,  1890.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  that 
some  remain  through  October  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago. 

Rail  shooting  on  the  tide-water  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast  is  a 
popular  sport,  and  many  there  are  who  avail  themselves  of  it.  This 
is  only  true  to  a  very  limited  extent  in  this  State.  Most  people  do  not 
look  upon  the  Rail  as  a  game  bird.  In  fact,  it  is  known  to  but  very 
few  of  our  people  at  all.  Its  short,  rounded  wings  and  inadequate 
powers  of  flight  would  lead  one  to  question  whether  it  could  cover  the 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  677 

distance  between  its  breeding  grounds  and  winter  home.  They  are 
hard  to  flush,  and  after  a  short  flight  drop  among  the  reeds  or  grass 
and  are  not  seen  again.  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  says  "it  can  be  found 
throughout  the  year  in  southern  Illinois."  (Bird  Migration  in  Miss. 
Valley,  p.  87.) 

Subgenus  Coturnicops  Bonaparte. 

79.     (215).    Porzana  noveboracensis  (Gmel). 

Yellow  Rail. 
Synonym,  Little  Yellow  Rail. 

Above,  varied  with  blackish  and  ochrey-brown,  and  thickly  marked 
with  narrow  white  semicircles  and  transverse  bars;  below,  pale, 
ochrey-brown,  middle  belly  white,  deepest  on  the  breast,  where  many 
of  the  feathers  are  tipped  with  dark  brown;  flanks,  rufous,  with  many 
white  bars;  secondaries  and  lining  of  the  wing,  white;  a  brownish- 
yellow  streak  over  the  eye. 

Length,  6.00-7.75;  wing,  3.00-3.60;  bill,  .50-.60;  tarsus,  .95-1.00. 

Eange. — North  America;  most  common  east  of  Rocky  Mountains. 
Breeds  from  Indiana  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Hudson  Bay.  Winters 
from  Illinois  south  to  Cuba  and  Bermuda. 

Nest,  of  grass,  on  ground  in  marsh.  Eggs,  6  or  more;  creamy  buff; 
densely  sprinkled  and  speckled  on  larger  end  with  rusty  brown;  1.12 
by  .83  (Ridgw.  Manual). 

Rare  migrant;   summer  resident,  very  local;   probably  breeds. 

The  small  size  of  this  Rail  renders  it  undesirable  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  sportsman.  This,  coupled  with  its  retiring  ways  and  slow- 
ness to  take  wing,  render  it  so  inconspicuous  that  while  it  is  often  seen 
yet  but  few  who  see  it  recognize  it.  My  first  acquaintance  with  it  was 
near  Brookville  in  the  fall  of  1879.  A  farmer  was  plowing  in  a  field 
in  September  through  which  ran  a  slight  depression,  which  was  usu- 
ally damp,  and  there  grew  some  sedges  and  rank  grass.  One  round  a 
Yellow  Rail  ran  out  of  the  growth  ahead  of  the  horses.  He  stopped 
the  team  and  ran  after  it.  The  bird  did  not  attempt  to  fly,  and  was 
easily  caught.  He  also  caught  at  least  one  other  and  saw  still  more. 
He  brought  the  bird  to  me  and  I  visited  the  place  a  day  or  two  after, 
on  September  18.  All  the  ground  was  plowed  except  a  narrow  strip 
of  the  wet  land.  From  that,  after  some  effort,  I  succeeded  in  flushing 
two  of  the  birds,  which  I  secured. 

Those  who  have  met  with  the  Yellow  Rail  agree  that  it  is  the  dryer 
marshes  or  wet  prairies  or  meadows  that  it  prefers;  the  more  decidedly 
marshy  ground  is  frequented  by  the  larger  Rails. 


678  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Prof.  J.  A.  Balmer,  of  Pullman,  Wash.,  and  a  former  resident  of 
A^incennes,  writes:  "The  Little  Yellow  Rail  interests  me  very  much. 
While  in  Knox  County,  snipe  hunting,  each  spring,  especially  in  April, 
I  used  to  find  (on  particular  swamps  only)  an  abundance  of  this  tiny 
Rail.  My  old  Gordon  setter  would  point  by  a  tussock,  and  as  I  walked 
up  to  flush,  he  would  nose  into  the  grass  and  bring  out  a  Yellow  Rail, 
always  quite  unharmed.  I  have  seen  him  repeat  this  act  as  many  as  a 
half  dozen  times  in  a  single  day. 

"They  were  always  abundant  in  spring  in  this  particular  part  of 
Males  Prairie.  I  have  found  them  in  the  fall  while  quail  hunting,  but 
this  rarely."  He  thinks  that  it  breeds  there,  as  he  has  found  it  in  the 
breeding  season. 

Except  the  eggs  found  May  17  at  Winnebago,  111.,  by  J.  W.  Tol- 
man,  which  are  in  the  collection  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  I 
know  of  none  that  are  claimed  to  be  of  this  bird.  Dr.  Coues  says  of 
this  set  of  six:  "They  are  the  only  ones  I  have  seen,  and  differ  from 
those  of  P.  Carolina  in  the  color  of  the  ground,  which  is  a  rich,  warm 
buffy-brown,  marked  at  the  greater  end  with  a  cluster  of  reddish-choc- 
olate dots  and  spots.  Size,  1.15  by  .85  to  1.05  by  .80."  (Birds  of 
N.  W.,  p.  539.) 

Prof.  Evermann  met  with  it  near  Bloomington  in  August,  1885, 
where  one  specimen  was  taken  alive  in  a  marsh.  It  was  noted  at 
Worth,  111.,  September  22,  1891  (Parker).  Thus,  in  August  and 
through  September  they  are  migrating  to  their  winter  homes.  Some 
of  them  do  not  go  very  far;  others  reach  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  As  it  is 
said  to  winter  in  central  Illinois  (Cooke),  it  may  remain  some  winters 
in  southern  Indiana.  It  generally  migrates  early  in  April,  reaching 
our  northern  swamps  some  years  as  early  as  April  2.  Sometimes, 
however,  it  is  found  migrating  in  May.  The  latest  spring  record  I  have 
is  three  specimens  taken  by  Mr.  G.  G.  Williamson,  at  Muncie,  May 
12, 1890.  It  has  been  reported  from  but  few  localities.  Mr.  Chas.  Dury 
informs  me  that  in  his  own  collection  and  that  of  the  Cuvier  Club, 
Cincinnati,  0.,  there  are  specimens  from  Vincennes,  Chalmers  and 
English  Lake.  It  has  been  taken  in  Clinton  County  (Newlin),  and 
Mr.  Forest  West  reports  one  taken  at  Adams,  Decatur  County,  in  the 
spring  of  1889.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  says  while  it  is  seldom  seen,  it  occurs 
in  considerable  numbers  in  Lake  County.  He  took  it  at  Water  Valley 
in  1889. 

Compared  with  the  larger  Rails,  it  is  apparently  a  rare  bird  in  In- 
diana. Mr.  Wm.  S.  Perry,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  has  in  two  different 
years  found  them  in  some  part  of  the  Kankakee  Marsh.  The  exact 
locality  I  have  been  unable  to  determine.    He  first  visited  the  place  on 


Birds  of  Indiana.  679 

April  18,  1876,  when  he  found  two,  and  to  know  more  of  this  species, 
he  vas  led  to  return  in  the  spring  of  1885.  He  gave  an  account  of  his 
•experience,  which  will  illustrate  their  comparative  abundance,  to  Mr. 
Ruthven  Deane,  who  very  kindly  supplied  me  with  it.  Speaking  of 
the  Yellow  Eail,  he  says:  "I  consider  them  quite  rare.  I  hunted  every 
•day  for  six  weeks,  especially  for  Rails,  and  probably  started  1,500  Vir- 
ginia, 1,500  Sora,  200  King  and  5  Yellow.  I  think  that  is  about  the 
proportion  they  occur,  although  with  the  experience  I  had,  I  could 
probably  find  more  if  I  should  try  again.  I  found  the  Yellow  Rail  in 
a  very  small  part  of  the  marsh,  say  50  acres  in  extent,  rather  high 
ground  that  is  not  so  boggy  and  wet  as  where  the  other  species  of  Rail 
were  plenty.  They  come  very  late  in  April  and  possibly  late  in 
March.    The  five  I  have  I  got  between  April  2  and  13." 

Subgenus  Crkciscus  Cabanis. 

*80.    (216).    Porzana  jamaicensis  (Gmel  ). 

Black  Rail. 
Synonym,  Little  Black  Rail. 

Upper  parts,  blackish-brown,  finely  speckled  and  barred  with  white; 
the  hind  neck,  dark  chestnut;  head  and  under  parts,  dark  slate  color, 
paler  or  whitening  on  the  throat  and  blackish  on  the  crown;  the  lower 
belly,  flanks  and  under  wing  and  tail  coverts,  blackish,  baiTed  with 
white;  some  of  quills  and  tail  feathers^  with  white  spots;  size,  very 
small. 

Length,  5.00-6.50;  wing,  2.50-3.20;  bill,  .50-.60;  depth  of  bill 
through  base,  .20-.25;  tarsus,  .85-1.00. 

Range. — America,  from  Chili  and  West  Indies,  north  to  Massachu- 
setts, Ontario,  Michigan,  north  Illinois  and  Oregon.  Limits  of  breed- 
ing range  unknown;  probably  breeds  throughout  United  States  range. 
Winters  from  Gulf  coast  south. 

For  nest  and  eggs,  see  below. 

Rare  summer  resident  locally. 

This  is  one  of  the  rarer  American  birds,  by  far  the  rarest  of  its 
family.  It  is  only  known  from  two  localities  in  Indiana,  in  both  of 
which  it  undoubtedly  breeds.  April  22,  1888,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane 
identified  it  at  English  Lake,  and  that  remained  the  only  Indiana 
record  for  over  six  years.  July  27,  1894,  Jesse  Earlle  and  Alexander 
Black  identified  the  Black  Rail  among  the.  "saw  grass"  about 
the  "Mill  Pond"  near  Greencastle,  Ind.  The  bird  ran,  but  they 
could  not  compel  it  to  fly. ,  Finally  they  lost  it.  July  28  they  again 
saw  the  bird,  but  could  not  get  it  to  fly.  They  searched  for  it  after  this. 


680  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

but  could  not  find  it  until  July  31.  On  that  day  they  secured  a  dog,  by 
the  aid  of  which  it  was  flushed,  but  it  was  at  too  close  range  to  shoot. 
August  1  they  again  took  with  them  a  dog,  which  caught  in  its  mouth 
a  young  Black  Eail,  too  small  to  fly.  The  search  was  continued,  and 
finally  an  adult  male  of  the  same  species  was  found  and  secured. 

The  following  are  the  measurements  of  the  male  Black  Eail,  fresh 
killed,  before  skinning: 

Length,  6.50;  wing,  3.00;  bill,  .60;  tarsus,  1.00;  tibia,  1.50;  tail, 
1.40;  extent,  10.00. 

Young,  4.40;  tarsus,  1.00;  bill,  .50;  tibia,  1.50.    No  tail  yet. 

The  birds  were  very  kindly  placed  in  my  collection.  Prof.  J.  A. 
Balmer  shot  one  while  quail  shooting  one  fall  on  Allison  Prairie,  Law- 
rence County,  Illinois,  across  the  Wabash  Eiver  from  Vincennes,  Ind. 

There  are  only  two  records  from  Ohio.  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  mentions 
two  birds  seen  and  one  taken  near  Eoss  Lake,  near  Carthage,  0.,  May 
17,  1890.  (Joum.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XIII,  No.  2,  1890,  pp. 
97,  98.) 

Between  May  16  and  30,  1891,  six  males  and  a  female  were  taken 
at  the  same  lake.  From  the  female,  which  was  obtained  May  30,  an 
egg  nearly  fully  developed  was  taken.  (Dury  and  Kellogg,  Ibid.,  Vol. 
XIV,  No.  1,  p.  44.) 

Considering  the  lateness  of  the  date  and  the  development  of  the  egg, 
it  is  very  probable  these  birds  would  have  bred  there.  Mr.  Dury  notes 
when  the  bird  was  flushed  it  would  fly  but  a  short  distance  and  alight, 
and  it  was  almost  impossible  to  flush  it  a  second  time. 

The  only  account  of  its  nest  and  eggs  is  that  given  by  Mr.  E.  W. 
Nelson.  In  Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  pp.  134,  135,  he  notes  it 
breeding  near  Chicago.  The  nest  was  found  June  19,  1875,  and  con- 
tained ten  fresh  eggs.  "The  nest  was  placed  in  a  deep  cup-shaped 
depression  in  a  perfectly  open  situation  on  the  border  of  a  marshy  spot, 
and  its  only  concealment  was  such  as  a  few  straggling  carices  afforded. 
It  is  composed  of  soft  grass  blades,  loosely  interwoven  in  a  circular 
manner.  The  nest,  in  shape  and  construction,  looks  much  like  that 
of  a  Meadow  Lark.  The  following  are  its  dimensions  in  inches:  Inside 
depth,  2.50;  inside  diameter,  3.25;  outside  depth,  3.50;  outside  diam- 
eter, 4.50.  The  eggs  are  a  creamy  white,  instead  of  clear  white,  as  I 
stated  in  a  recent  article  (Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  I,  p.  43),  and 
average  1.00  by  .81  inches.  They  are  nearly  perfectly  oval  and  are 
thinly  sprinkled  with  fine  reddish-brown  dots,  which  become  larger 
and  more  numerous  at  one  end.  Minute  shell  markings  in  the  form 
of  dots  are  also  visible.  Owing  to  the  small  diameter  of  the  nest,  the 
eggs  were  in  two  layers." 


Birds  of  Indiana.  681 

Dr.  Cones  gives  the  size  of  some  eggs  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
as  1.05  by  .80.  The  eggs  are  much  larger  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
the  bird  than  are  those  of  the  Yellow  Rail,  and  they  differ  from  the 
eggs  of  that  species  and  of  the  Sora,  which  have,  respectively,  buffy- 
brown  and  drab  ground  color. 

Subfamily  GALLINULINJ^.     Gallinules. 
39.    Genus  IONORNIS  Reichenbach. 

81.     (218).    lonornis  martinica   (Linn.). 

Purple  Gallinule. 

Head,  neck  and  under  parts,  beautiful  purplish-blue,  blackening  on 
the  belly,  the  crissum  white;  above,  olivaceous  green,  the  cervix 
and  wing  coverts  tinted  with  blue;  frontal  shield,  blue;  bill,  red, 
tipped  with  yellow;  legs,  yellowish.  Immature. — With  the  head,  neck 
and  lower  back,  brownish;  the  under  parts,  mostly  white,  mixed  with 
ochrey. 

Length,  12.50-14.00;  wing,  7.00-7.50;  bill  (including  frontal  shield), 
1.85-1.95;  tarsus,  2.25-2.50. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil  north  to  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States,  casually  to  Ontario,  Maine,  northern  Ohio,  northern  Illinois, 
Wisconsin  and  Missouri.  Breeds  northward  to  southern  Illinois  and 
South  Carolina.    Winters  from  Florida  south. 

Nest,  built  among  rushes  over  the  water;  the  taller  rushes  are  bent 
down  and  woven  together  as  a  support;  or  on  ground  in  marshes. 
Eggs,  8-9;  cream  color,  finely  dotted  with  chestnut-brown  and  umber; 
size,  1.55  by  1.13. 

Rare  visitor  in  spring  and  perhaps  summer  resident. 

This  bird  has  been  taken  in  southern  Indiana  but  a  few  times,  and 
has  never  been  reported  north  of  the  latitude  of  Indianapolis,  though 
both  in  Ohio  and  Illinois  it  reaches  their  northern  boundary.  So  far  as 
I  have  information,  the  occurrences  have  all  been  in  the  spring,  and 
are  either  wanderers  beyond  their  customary  breeding  range  or  rare 
summer  residents  in  suitable  situations.  They  could  hardly  be  mi- 
grants going  much  farther  north,  as  northern  Indiana  is  nearly,  if 
not  quite,  the  limit  of  their  breeding  range.  There  is  no  record 
of  its  occurrence  in  Michigan.  The  first  record  for  Indiana  was  taken 
near  Brookville  in  the  spring  of  1880.  Mr.  E.  L.  Guthrie  took  a 
specimen  in  Decatur  County  in  May,  1883.  Mr.  W.  C.  DeWitt  notes 
two  specimens  taken  in  Wayne  County.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  tells  that 
Mr.  C.  N.  Holden,  Jr.,  took  a  male  near  Chicago  in  May,  1866,  and 
speaks,  upon  Dr.  Hoy's  authority,  of  a  specimen  taken  near  Racine, 
Wis. 


682  Report  or  State  Geologist. 

Dr.  Langdon  says:  "Dr.  Hunt  informs  me  of  the  capture  of  this  spe- 
cies near  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Miami  River  on  March  31,  1877/' 
(Cat.  Birds  Vic.  Cin.,  1877,  p.  16).  The  mouth  of  the  river  men- 
tioned is  in  Indiana,  but  I  do  not  know  the  location  of  the  site  where 
the  specimen  was  taken.  Three  other  specimens  are  noted  from  the 
vicinity  of  Cincinnati  that  same  spring.  It  was  taken  near  Circleville 
May  10,  1877.  (Wheaton,  Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  514.)  Prof.  E.  L. 
Moseley  informs  me  of  the  capture  of  a  Purple  Gallinule  near 
Sandusky,  0.,  April  28,  1896  (The  Auk,  Vol.  XIV,  No.  2,  April, 
1897,  p.  200).  Mr.  Thomas  Mcllwraith  notes  the  capture  of  a  speci- 
men at  Pickering,  Ontario,  in  April,  1892  (Birds  of  Ontario,  1894, 
p.  123).  The  nest  is  made  in  the  tall  grass  along  the  edges  of  water 
courses,  bending  the  grass  down  and  weaving  it  together.  In  South 
Carolina  the  nest  is  said  to  be  built  in  rushes  over  the  water.  Besides 
its  true  nest,  the  bird  makes  several  "shams,"  often  as  many  as  five 
or  six  (Davie).  The  bird  may  be  readily  recognized  by  its  bright 
purplish-blue  colors. 

40.    Genus  GALLINULA  Buisson. 

*82.     (219).    Gallinula  galeata  (Light). 

iFlorida  Gallinule. 

Head,  neck  and  underparts,  grayish-black,  darkest  on  the  head, 
paler  or  whitening  on  the  belly;  back,  brownish-olive;  wings  and  tail,. 
dusky;  crissum,  edge  of  wing  and  stripes  on  the  flank,  white;  bill,  fron- 
tal plate  and  ring  around  tibiae,  red,  the  former  tipped  with  yellow; 
tarsi  and  toes,  greenish.  Downy  Young. — Glossy  black,  throat  and 
cheeks,  with  silvery-white  hairs. 

Length,  12.00-14.50;  wing,  6.85-7.25;  bill  (to  end  of  frontal  shield),. 
1.70-1.85;  tarsus,  2.10-2.80. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil  and  Chili  north  to  Maine,  Ontario- 
and  Minnesota.  Breeds  from  that  limit  south.  Winters  from  Gulf 
States  south. 

Nest,  of  reeds  and  rushes  on  foundation  of  similar  growth,  near 
water  level  in  marshes,  sloughs  or  reedy  places  in  lakes.  Eggs,  8-13; 
brownish-buff,  thickly  spotted  with  reddish-brown;  1.74  by  1.19. 

Regular  migrant.  Summer  resident  among  the  more  extensive 
swamps  and  marshes.  Locally  common;  some  places  abundant. 
Breeds. 

It  is  resident  throughout  the  Southern  States,  and  our  summer  birds- 
return  south  and  many  winter  in  the  same  region.  They  come  north- 
in  spring,  through  April  and  early  May.   The  earliest  record  I  have  is 


BiRi>s  OF  Indiana.  683 

Greencastle,  April  6,  1894  (Earlle),  and  the  earliest  for  the  White- 
water Valley  is  from  Brookville,  April  28,  1883.  In  1885,  1890,  1892 
ond  1896  the  first  record  from  Indiana  was  on  the  same  date  each  year, 
though  in  1892  Mr.  Parker  had  reported  it  from  Cook  County,  Illinois, 
May  2.  During  the  migration  they  are  often  caught  in  barnyards, 
chicken  yards,  fenced  town  lots  and  other  places  where  the  fences  are 
rather  tightly  built.  Whether  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are 
attracted  there  or  during  their  nocturnal  flight  they  are  generally  dis- 
tributed, and  the  others  pass  on,  leaving  those  only  which  cannot  get 
away,  it  is  impossible  to  tell. 

Judging  from  their  numbers  in  some  swamps,  I  should  think  them 
much  more  common  migrants  in  southern  Indiana  than  we  generally 
suppose.  During  the  breeding  season  their  numbers  vary  in  different 
localities.  Some  places  they  are  by  no  means  common  and  in  others 
they  breed  abundantly.  Mr.  Nelson  says  of  it  in  Cook  County, 
Illinois:  "Abundant  summer  resident  everywhere  in  the  marshes  and 
the  larger  prairie  sloughs;  generally  has  a  full  set  of  eggs,  numbering 
from  seven  to  twelve,  the  first  week  of  June,"  (Birds  of  Northwestern 
Illinois,  p.  135).  In  Lake  County  both  Mr.  Toppan  and  Mr.  Parker 
note  it  as  common,  and  the  last-named  gentleman  says  of  it  about 
George  and  Wolf  lakes:  ^The  boys  collect  hundreds  of  their  eggs 
every  year."  It  is  found  in  the  rank  slough  grass  bordering  the  lakes, 
and  rarely  takes  to  wing  when  approached. 

Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me  in  May,  1871,  in  Lake  County,  he 
found  it  breeding  very  abundantly,  but  it  appeared  rare  at  Whitewater 
in  1886,  1887  and  1889. 

In  Starke  County,  at  English  Lake,  it  breeds  in  limited  numbers 
(Deane,  Dury).  Also,  at  Davis  Station  (Coale).  In  one  locality  in 
that  county  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Gould  found  the  nests  of  the  Pied-billed 
Grebe,  Coot  and  Florida  Gallinule,  full  sets  of  which  were  taken  July 
1,  1891.  One  nest  of  the  Gallinule  contained  thirteen  eggs.  It  has 
also  been  observed  breeding  in  Dekalb  County  (Mrs.  Hine,  E.  W. 
McBride);  Vigo  County  (Evermann).  The  summer  of  1897  it  was  not 
found  at  English  Lake  in  the  numbers  usually  observed  (Deane).  I 
take  the  liberty  of  giving  Dr.  Langdon^s  excellent  account  of  its  breed- 
ing habits  as  observed  the  week  ending  July  4,  1890,  in  Ottawa 
County,  Ohio,  where  it  breeds  abundantly:  "The  nests  are  situated 
amongst  the  'saw  grass'  and  constructed  of  dried  blades.  Their  height 
varies,  some  almost  resting  on  the  water,  while  others  are  placed  afloat 
or  more  above  it,  and  have  an  incline  eight  or  ten  inches  in  width,  made 
of  dried  grass,  extending  from  the  nest  to  the  water's  edge,  which 
makes  them  a  conspicuous  object  when  the  surrounding  vegetation  is 


684  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

not  too  dense.  The  dozen  or  so  sets  of  eggs  taken  were  in  various 
stages  of  incubation,  and  a  few  young  were  observed  following  their 
parents.  The  young  when  a  day  or  two  old  are  about  the  size  of  a 
newly  hatched  domestic  chicken,  and,  when  found  in  the  open  water, 
are  easily  captured.  They  present  a  curious  sight,  paddling  for  dear 
life,  with  their  bright,  red  and  orange  bills  standing  out  in  strong  con- 
trast with  their  sooty-black,  down-covered  bodies."  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc. 
Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  Ill,  No.  3,  October,  1880,  p.  228.) 

No  doubt,  the  same  story  prevails  everywhere — ^that  these  birds  are 
not  so  numerous  or  so  unsuspicious  as  they  once  were,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, are  rapidly  diminishing  in  numbers  and  becoming  much 
more  shy. 

In  addition  to  the  places  mentioned,  it  has  been  noted  in  the  fol- 
lowing counties  during  the  spring  migrations:  Marion  (Noe),  Putnam 
(Clearwaters),  Steuben  (H.  W.  McBride),  Delaware  (Bain),  Rush 
(Yoorhees),  Boone  (Beasley).  I  have  no  account  of  it  in  the  State  in 
the  fall  later  than  August  2,  1896,  when  Mr.  Parker  reported  it  com- 
mon at  Hammond.  What  becomes  of  it  in  the  fall?  In  all  of  the 
many  records  I  have  examined  "from  Indiana,  Michigan,  Ohio  and 
Illinois  and  in  the  reports  gathered  by  Prof.  Cooke  from  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  I  fail  to  find  a  single  record  of  it  in  the  fall.  Mr.  Parker 
says  it  departs  early  in  September. 

Subfamily  FULICIN.E. 
41.    Genus  FULICA  Linn.kus. 

*83.    (221).    Fulica  americana  Gmel. 

American  Coot. 

Adult. — Dark  slate,  paler  or  greenish  below,  blackening  on  the  head 
and  neck,  tinged  with  olive  on  the  back;  crissum,  whole  edge  of  wing 
and  top  of  secondaries,  white;  bill,  white  or  flesh-colored,  marked  with 
reddish-black  near  the  end;  feet,  dull  olivaceous.  Immature. — Similar, 
paler  and  duller;  frontal  shield  rudimentary.  Downy  Young. — Black- 
ish, white,  below;  head  and  neck,  with  orange  hairlike  feathers,  which 
are  also  found  less  numerously  and  paler  on  the  upper  parts;  bill, 
orange-red,  black  tipped. 

Length,  13.00-16.00;  wing,  7.25-7.60;  bill  (to  commencement  of 
frontal  shield),  1.25-1.60;  tarsus,  2.00-2.20. 

Eange. — America,  from  Central  America  and  West  Indies  north  to 
Alaska  and  casually  to  Greenland.  Breeds  throughout  its  range.  Win- 
ters in  Southern  States  and  southward. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  685 

Nest,  of  marsh  vegetation,  attached  to  reeds,  afloat  in  water  like  a 
Grebe^s  or  on  ground.  Eggs,  6-15;  dull  buff,  with  fine  dots  of  dark 
brown  or  black;  1.74  by  1.19. 

Common  migrant.  Northward  summer  resident.  Locally  very  com- 
mon.    It  may  sometimes,  favorable  winters,  winter  southward. 

Usually  their  period  of  migration  begins  in  March,  but  some  years 
they  do  not  reach  the  northern  part  of  the  State  until  after  the  first 
of  April.  The  following  dates  give  the  time  of  first  appearance  at 
Brookville  for  a  series  of  years:  1881,  April  25;  1882,  April  18;  1883, 
April  3;  1884,  March  12;  1886,  April  3;  1887,  March  31;  1888,  March 


Frontal  Plate  of  a  Coot. 

26;  1889,  March  28;  1896,  April  4.  The  latest  date  noted,  same  local- 
ity, was  May  16,  1884,  The  variation  in  northern  Indiana  is  as 
marked.  The  first  one  seen  at  Waterloo  in  1896  was  April  5;  in  1897, 
March  20  (Feagler).  The  first  seen  at  Laporte  in  1893  was  April  1; 
in  1894,  March  16  (Barber).  Usually,  however,  the  early  birds  are 
a  very  few  of  the  advance  guards,  and  the  majority  cannot  be  de- 
pended upon  to  arrive  for  from  one  to  three  weeks  later.  It  was  com- 
mon at  Waterloo  April  6,  1896,  and  not  until  April  9,  1897.  It  was 
common  at  Laporte  in  1893  April  10,  and  April  1,  1894.  As  with 
some  other  species  of  retiring,  marsh-loving  birds,  it  is  often  reported 
from  its  favorite  localities  northward  before  it  has  been  seen  farther 
south.  In  1891  a  single  bird  was  seen  at  English  Lake,  February  14 
and  15.  In  1892  a  pair  were  seen  there  March  6,  and  they  were 
numerous  March  20.    In  1894  about  a  dozen  were  noted  March  7  and 


686  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

quite  a  number  March  18  (Deane).  It  was  observed  in  Cook  County, 
Illinois,  March  20,  1885  (Parker).  Further  south  it  was  first  noted 
in  Carroll  County  April  8,  1885  (Evermann).  The  first  one  was 
noted  at  Greencastle  in  1892  April  8  (Earlle),  and  in  1894  at  Delphi 
March  8.  They  are  usually  not  common  until  April  1.  The  first 
arrivals  come  singly  or  a  few  together,  but  towards  April  1  to  10  they 
appear  in  flocks  of 'twenty  or  thirty,  or  sometimes  more.  They  are 
usually  abundant  throughout  the  month  of  April  and  sometimes  to 
May  11.  At  times  they  are  seen  upon  the  smaller  lakes  by  thou- 
sands, but  are  rarely  found  on  Lake  Michigan  (Parker).  Some  years 
the  migrants  remain  in  numbers  after  the  summer  residents  begin  to 
breed.  The  latter  pair  through  April.  By  the  first  week  in  May  they 
are  mostly  paired,  and  May  11,  1890,  Mr.  Deane  found  a  nest  at  Eng- 
lish Lake,  made  of  broken  dried  cane,  with  a  very  small  depression, 
containing  eight  eggs.  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Gould  took  full  sets  of  fresh  eggs 
from  the  same  locality  July  1,  1891.  Those  that  remain  to  breed  are 
generally  a  very  small  portion  of  the  Coots  found  with  us  in  April.  In 
1891  Mr.  Aiken  reported  it  still  an  abundant  summer  resident  in  Lake 
County,  but  less  plentiful  than  twenty  years  ago.  ,  They  are  said  to 
breed  in  the  following  counties  besides  those  noted:  Dekalb  (Feagler), 
Laporte  (Barber),  Boone  (Beasley),  Lake  (Meyer,  Aiken,  Parker). 

Coots  and  Gallinules  are  generally  known  as  "Mud  Hens."  The 
former  may,  however,  be  readily  distinguished  by  the  white  bill,  which 
is  conspicuous  for  quite  a  distance.  While  Coots  often  associate  with 
ducks,  and  swim,  and  sometimes  act,  something  like  them,  they  do  not 
rise  and  fly  away  as  ducks  do.  They  either  swim  to,  or  by  a  short 
flight  find,  concealment  among  the  reedy  or  grassy  edges  of  the  place 
they  frequent. 

In  fall  they  again  become  very  abundant  on  our  lakes,  and  remain  so 
until  freezing  weather.  With  October  1  they  commence  passing  south- 
ward, and  may  be  noticed  over  the  southern  part  of  our  State  from 
that  time  until  cold  weather.  Most  of  them,  however,  are  seen  there 
through  October,  and  we  see  very  little  of  the  great  number  that  re- 
main upon  the  northern  waters,  to  be  driven  south  in  a  body  by  the 
November  cold.  The  first  fall  migrant  noted  at  Brookville  was  Octo- 
ber 1, 1889,  and  the  latest  October  21, 1886.  Mr.  Parker  reports  them 
from  Cook  County,  Illinois,  November  14,  1892,  and  November  11, 
1893. 

The  latest  record  I  have  for  Indiana  is  from  Carroll  County,  where 
Prof.  Evermann  observed  it  November  21,  1884.  It  has  been  noted 
in  our  State  every  month  in  the  year  except  December  and  January. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  687 

G.     ORDER  LIMICOLiE.     Shore  Birds. 

XVII.     Family  PHALAROPODID^.     Phalakopes. 

a^.  Bill  broad,  somewhat  triangular  at  tip.  Crymophilus.     42 

a^.  Bill  slender,  tapering  to  a  point.  Phalaropus.     43 

42.    Gbnus  crymophilus  Vieillot. 

84.     (222).    Crymophilus  fulicarius  (Linn.). 

Red  Phalarope. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Under  parts,  with  sides  of  neck  and  upper  tail 
coverts,  dark  purplish  or  wine-red,  with  glaucous  bloom;  top  of  head 
and  around  bill,  sooty;  sides  of  head,  white,  this  color  mieeting  on  the 
nape;  rump,  white;  back,  black,  all  the  feathers  edged  with  tawny  or 
rusty  brown;  quills,  brownish-black,  with  white  shafts,  and  much 
white  at  bases  of  webs,  the  coverts  dark  ash;  the  ends  and  interior  webs- 
of  the  greater  row,  white;  some  of  the  secondaries  entirely  white;  bill, 
yellowish,  with  dusky  tip;  feet,  yellowish.  Adult  in  Winter. — Head 
all  around  and  entire  under  parts,  white,  with  a  dusky  circumocular 
area,  and  nuchal  crescent,  and  a  wash  of  ashy  along  sides  of  body; 
above,  nearly  uniform  ash;  wings,  ashy-blackish,  the  white  cross-bar 
very  conspicuous;  bill,  mostly  dark. 

Length,  7.50-8.75;  wing,  5.25-5.50;  culmen,  .80-.95;  tarsus,  .80-.85. 

Range. — Northern  parts  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  the 
Arctic  regions  and  migrating  south  in  winter.  In  the  United  States 
south  to  the  Middle  States,  Ohio  Valley  and  Cape  St.  Lucas.  Chiefly 
maritime. 

Nesty  a  shallow  depression  in  ground,  rarely  lined.  JEggs,  3-4;  drab- 
olive,  olive-buff  or  pale  brown,  heavily  spotted  with  dark  brown;  1.24 
by  .86. 

Rare  straggler  during  migrations. 

Phalaropes  are  queer  little  birds.  They  look  like  Sandpipers,  but 
their  lobate  feet,  resembling  those  of  Coots  and  Gallinules,  at  once 
distinguish  them.  They  seem  to  be  Sandpipers  when  along  the  shore, 
but  upon  the  water,  swim  as  well  as  Coots.  This  species  is  more 
often  found  along  the  sea  coast  than  in  the  interior,  where  it  is  indeed 
very  rare. 

Mr.  R.  R.  Moffitt  informs  me  he  killed  one  of  these  Phalaropes  in 
Jasper  County  April  10,  1885,  and  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  says  one 
was  procured  by  Dr.  J.  T.  Scoville,  near  Terre  Haute,  October  23, 
1889. 


688  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  following  notes  are  taken  from  the  interesting  account  of  this 
bird  in  its  summer  home  along  the  Arctic  seas  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson: 

"This  handsome  Phalarope  arrives  at  the  Yukon  mouth  and  adjacent 
parts  of  the  Bering  Sea  coast  during  the  last  few  days  of  May  or  first 
of  June,  according  to  the  season.  It  is  a  common  summer  resident  at 
Point  Barrow,  where  it  arrives  early  in  June  and  remains  till  the  sea 
closes,  in  October.  For  a  week  or  two  after  its  arrival  fifty  or  more 
flock  together.  In  the  morning,  after  the  birds  were  paired,  they 
could  be  found  scattered  here  and  there  by  twos  over  the  slightly 
flooded  grassy  flats.  At  times  these  pairs  would  rise  and  fly  a  short 
distance,  the  female  in  advance,  and  uttering  now  and  then  a  low  and 
musical  ^clink,  clink,'  sounding  very  much  like  the  noise  made  by 
lightly  tapping  together  two  small  bars  of  steel.  A  little  later  in  the 
day,  their  hunger  being  satisfied,  they  begin  to  unite  into  parties, 
until  fifteen  or  twenty  birds  would  rise  and  pursue  an  erratic  course 
over  the  flat.  As  they  passed  swiftly  along,  others  would  join  them, 
until  the  number  would  be  increased  to  two  hundred  or  four  hundred, 
perhaps.  During  all  their  motions  the  entire  flock  moves  with  such 
unison  that  the  alternate  flashing  of  the  under  side  of  the  wings  and 
the  dark  color  of  the  back,  like  the  play  of  light  and  shade,  makes  a 
beautiful  spectacle.  Very  early  in  June  the  females  have  each  paid 
their  court  and  won  a  shy  and  gentle  mate  to  share  their  coming  cares. 
The  eggs  are  laid  in  a  slight  depression,  generally  on  the  damp  flats, 
where  the  birds  are  found.  There  is  rarely  any  lining  to  the  nest.  To- 
ward the  end  of  June  most  of  the  young  are  hatched,  and  by  the  mid- 
dle of  July  are  on  the  wing.  Soon  after  the  young  take  wing  these 
birds,  gathering  in  flocks,  frequent  the  sea.  They  breed  all  along  the 
Arctic  shores  of  Alaska  and  Siberia,  wherever  suitable  flats  occur,  and 
even  reach  those  isolated  islands  forever  encircled  by  ice,  which  lie 
beyond"  (Natural  History  Coll.  in  Alaska,  pp.  97,  98). 

43.    Genus  PHALAROPUS  Brissox. 

a^.  Membranes  of  toes  scalloped;  wing  under  4.50.     Subgenus  Phalaropus. 

P.  lobatus  (Linn.).     85 

a^.  Membranes  of  toes  not  scalloped;    wing  over   4.50.     Subgenus  SxErxAXOPrs 

Vieillot.  P.  tricolor  (VieilL).     86 


Foot  of  Northern  Phalarope. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  689 

Subgenus  Phalaropus. 

85.     (223).    Phalaropus  lobatus  (Linn.). 

Northern  Phalarope. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  sooty-gray,  with  lateral  stripes  of  ochra- 
ceous  or  tawny;  neck,  rich,  rust-red,  nearly  or  quite  all  around;  under 
parts  otherwise,  white,  the  sides  marked  with  the  color  of  back;  upper 
tail  coverts  like  back,  some  lateral  ones  white;  wings,  blackish,  the 
ends  of  the  greater  coverts  broadly  white,  forming  a  conspicuous  cross- 
bar, continued  on  some  of  the  inner  secondaries;  bill  and  feet,  black. 
Varies  much  in  plumage  with  age  and  season,  but  easily  recognized  by 
the  small  size  and  generic  characters.    Immature. — Lacks  chestnut. 

Length,  7.00-8.00;  wing,  4.00-4.45;  culmen,  .80-.90;  tarsus,  .75-.80. 

Eange. — Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  breeding  in 
Arctic  latitudes.    South  in  vrinter  to  Guatemala  and  Bermuda. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  similar  to  those  of  Red  Phalarope,  but  eggs  smaller; 
1.20  by  .82. 

Eare  migrant.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge  informs  me  he  has  observed 
it  at  Ft.  Wayne.  Two  were  taken  in  Boone  County  June  7,  1889. 
They  were  all  that  were  seen,  and  appeared  to  be  mated.  (J.  E.  Beas- 
ley.)  This  is  very  late  for  them  to  be  found  here.  These  two  birds  are 
now  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indianapolis. 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  Mr.  Nelson's  account  of  this 
bird's  habits:  ^^As  summer  approaches,  on  the  Arctic  shores  and 
coast  of  Bering  Sea,  the  ducks  and  geese  fill  the  air  with  their  loud, 
resounding  cries,  and  the  rapid  wing  strokes  of  arriving  and  departing 
flocks  add  a  heavy  bass  to  the  chorus  which  greets  the  opening  of 
another  glad  season  in  the  wilds  of  the  cheerless  north. 

"Amid  this  loud-tongued  multitude  suddenly  appears  the  graceful, 
fairylike  form  of  the  Northern  Phalarope.  The  first  arrivals  reach 
Saint  Michaels,  in  full  plumage,  from  May  14  to  15,  and  their  num- 
ber is  steadily  augmented  until  the  last  few  days  of  May  and  first  of 
June,  when  they  are  on  hand  in  full  force  and  ready  to  set  about  the 
season's  cares.  Every  pool  now  has  from  one  to  several  pairs  of  these 
birds  gliding  in  restless  zigzag  motion  around  its  border.  They  may 
be  watched  with  pleasure  for  hours,  and  present  a  picture  of  ex- 
quisite gentleness,  which  renders  them  an  unfailing  source  of  interest. 
The  female  of  this  bird,  as  is  the  case  with  the  two  allied  species,  is 
much  more  richly  colored  than  the  male,  and  possesses  all  the  ^rights' 
demanded  by  the  most  radical  reformers. 

"As  the  season  comes  on  when  the  flames  of  love  mount  hig-h,  the 
dull  colored  male  moves  about  the  pool,  apparently  heedless  of  the 
44 — Geol. 


690  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

surrounding  fair  ones.  Such  stoical  indifference  appears  too  much 
for  the  feelings  of  some  of  the  fair  ones  to  bear.  A  female  coyly 
glides  close  to  him  and  bows  her  head  in  pretty  submissiveness,  but 
he  turns  away,  pecks  at  a  bit  of  food,  and  moves  off.  She  follows,  and 
•he  quickens  his  speed,  but  in  vain;  he  is  her  choice,  and  she  proudly 
arches  her  neck,  and  in  mazy  circles,  passes  and  repasses  before  the 
harassed  bachelor.  He  turns  his  breast  first  to  one  side  and  then  to 
the  other,  as  though  to-  escape,  but  there  is  his  gentle  wooer  ever 
pressing  her  suit  before  him.  Frequently  he  takes  flight  to  another 
part  of  the  pool,  all  to  no  purpose.  If  with  affected  indifference  he 
tries  to  feed,  she  swdms  alorig  side  by  side,  almost  touching  him,  and 
at  intervals  rises  on  wing  above  him,  and,  poised  a  foot  or  two  over  his 
back,  makes  a  half  dozen  sharp  wing  strokes,  producing  a  series  of 
sharp,  whistling  noises,  in  rapid  succession. 

"In  the  course  of  time,  it  is  said,  that  water  will  wear  the  hardest 
rock,  and  it  is  certain  that  time  and  importunity  have  their  full  effect 
upon  the  male  of  this  Phalarope,  and  soon  all  are  comfortably  mar- 
ried, while  mater  famiUas  no  longer  needs  to  use  her  seductive  ways 
and  charming  blandishments  to  draw  his  notice.  About  the  first  of 
June  the  dry,  rounded  side  of  a  little  knoll,  near  some  small  pond,  has 
four  dark,  heavily  marked  eggs  laid  in  a  slight  hollow,  upon  whatever 
lining  the  spot  affords,  or  more  rarely  upon  a  few  dry  straws  and  grass 
blades  brought  and  loosely  laid  together  by  the  birds. 

"Here  the  captive  male  is  introduced  to  new  duties,  and  spends  half 
his  time  on  the  eggs,  while  the  female  keeps  about  the  pool  close  by. 
In  due  time  the  young  are  hatched,  and  come  forth  beautiful  little 
balls  of  buff  and  brown. 

"By  the  middle  to  the  20th  of  July  the  young  are  fledged  and  on  the 
wing.  Soon  after  the  old  and  young  begin  to  gather  in  parties  of 
from  five  to  a  hundred  or  more  and  seek  the  edges  of  large  ponds  and 
flats  of  the  muddy  parts  of  the  coast  and  borders  of  the  tide  creeks. 
They  are  last  seen  about  the  last  of  September  or  first  of  October" 
(Nat.  Hist.  Coll.  in  Alaska,  pp.  99,  100). 

SuB(,KKU8  STEGANOPUS.    Vikillot. 

^^86.     (224).    Phalaropus  tricolor  (Vieill  ). 

Wilson's  Phalaxope. 

Adult  Female  in  Bummer. — -Porehead,  crown  and  middle  back, 
pearl-gray,  the  former  with  blackish  line  on  each  side;  stripe  on  each 
side  of  head,  and  down  the  neck,  deep  black,  changing  to  rich  dark 
chestnut,  and  continuing  along  side^  of  back  and  on  scapulars;  neck 


Birds  of  Indiana.  691 

and  breast,  buffy-cinnamon;  other  lower  parts,  upper  tail  coverts, 
nape,  stripe  above  eyes,  cheeks,  chin  and  throat,  white.  Adult  Male 
in  Summer. — Smaller  and  much  darker  in  color.  Winter  Plumage. — 
Upper  parts,  pale  gray;  lower  parts,  white;  chest  and  sides  of  breast, 
tinged  with  ashy.  Immature. — Brow,  back  and  scapulars,  blackish- 
dusky;  feathers  margined  with  buffy;  neck  tinged  with  buffy.  The 
upper  tail  coverts,  superciliary  stripe,  and  most  of  lower  parts  being 
white  in  all  these  plumages  will  greatly  aid  in  identification. 

Length,  female,  9.40-10.00;  wing,  5.20-5.30;  bill,  1.30-1.35;  tarsus, 
1.30-1.35;  adult  male,  length,  8.25-9.00;  wing,  4.75-4.80;  bill,  1.25; 
tarsus,  1.20-1.25. 

Range! — America;  Patagonia  and  Brazil,  north  to  Oregon,  Sas- 
katchewan and  Nova  Scotia;  chiefly  inland.  Breeds  from  northwest- 
em  Indiana  and  Utah  north.     Winters  south  of  United  States. 


Head  of  Wilson's  Phalarope.    Natural  size. 

Nest,  of  grass,  in  slight  depression,  in  ground,  in  marsh  or  damp 
meadows.  Eggs,  3-4;  grayish-buff,  varying  to  brownish-buff,  thickly 
speckled  or  spotted  with  dark  brown  or  brownish-black. 

Rare  migrant.  Summer  resident  northward.  Common  in  extreme 
northwestern  part  of  the  State.    Breeds. 

They  migrate  in  spring  in  late  April  and  May.  The  earliest  record 
from  this  State  is  from  Kouts.  A  specimen  taken  there  April  30, 
1890,  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Gano  is  in  the  collection  of  the  Cuvier  Club, 
Cincinnati,  0.  (Dury.)  Mr.  Eliot  Blackwelder  found  a  pair  in  Cook 
County,  Illinois,  April  21,  1895.  Mr.  C.  E.  Newlin  informs  me  that 
one  was  killed  near  Frankfort  about  May  11,  1883,  and  another  one 
about  the  same  date  in  1877.  Five  or  six  were  seen  and  a  pair  taken 
near  Lebanon,  in  Boone  County,  May  9,  1889.  They  were  received 
by  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley,  who  prepared  them  for  the  State  Museum  at 
Indianapolis. 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  shot  one  from  a  small  flock  at  English  Lake 
May  10,  1890.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  has  observed  it  at  different  points 
in  Lake  County,  notably  at  Water  Valley.  Mr.  G.  L.  Toppan  says  in 
that  county  it  occasionally  is  a  common  summer  resident,  and  breeds. 


692  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

*Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  of  its  breeding  in  Lake  County. 
He  says  they  are  common  about  July  4,  and  usually  leave  for  the 
south  very  early,  generally  by  the  last  of  July  or  first  of  August.  Oc- 
casionally they  may  be  found  well  into  September.  I  have  shot  these 
birds  in  Cook  County,  Illinois,  near  the  Indiana  line,  late  in  May. 

They  are  not  found  numerously  east  of  the  vicinity  of  the  lower  end 
of  Lake  Michigan.  Mr.  A.  L.  Kumlein  calls  our  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  female  is  not  only  more  brilliant  in  plumage,  but  also  larger 
than  the  male.  The  female  pursues  the  male  during  the  pairing  sea- 
son. The  male  attends  to  the  duties  of  incubation  almost  entirely 
alone.    (Field  and  Forest,  July,  1876.) 

To  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson,  who  is  authority  on  all  matters  relating  to 
these  graceful  yet  queer  Phalaropes,  we  are  indebted  for  our  knowl- 
edge of  its  habits.  He  studied  it  in  Cook  County,  Illinois, 
and  he  may  occasionally  have  crossed  into  Indiana.  At  any  rate,  since 
birds  do  not  know  political  boundaries,  we  shall  assume  that  they  be- 
have in  the  same  manner  in  Illinois  that  they  do  in  our  own  State,  and 
I  shall  give  a  portion  of  his  account  of  his  observations.  He  found 
their  nests  from  May  25  to  June  25.  (B.  N.  0.  C,  II,  1877,  pp. 
40-43.) 

In  northern  Illinois,  where  the  following  observations  were  made, 
Wilson's  Phalarope  is  the  most  common  summer  resident,  occurring 
about  grassy  marshes  and  low  prairies,  and  is  not  exceeded  in  num- 
bers by  even  the  ever-present  Spotted  Sandpiper.  As  is  the  case  with 
several  other  species  of  birds.  Lake  Michigan  appears  to  form  a  limit 
to  its  common  occurrence  in  the  eastern  portion  of  its  range. 

On  the  west  it  extends  to  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  between  these 
limits  it  has  been  recorded  during  the  breeding  season  from  the 
Saskatchewan  to  Arkansas  (Coues),  and  to  the  City  of  Mexico  (Nut- 
tall.)  It  is  more  closely  confined  to  its  favorite  haunts  than*  most 
water  birds,  and  this  may  in  a  measure  account  for  the  little  hitherto 
known  regarding  its  habits.  During  the  first  two  weeks  of  May,  the 
exact  date  varying  with  the  season,  this  beautiful  bird  first  makes  its 
appearance  in  northeastern  Illinois.  Its  arrival  is  heralded  by  a  few 
females,  which  arrive  first,  and  are  found  singly  about  the  marshes. 
At  this  time  the  females  have  a  peculiar  harsh  note,  which  I  have 
heard  but  a  few  times,  and  only  from  solitary  individuals,  before  the 
arrival  of  the  main  body. 

A  few  days  later  small  flocks,  embracing  both  sexes,  may  be  found 
along  the  borders  of  grassy  pools  or  lying  at  midday  on  the  sunny 
side  of  some  warm  knoll  in  the  marsh.  As  the  breeding  season  ap- 
proaches they  become  more  restless,  flying  from  place  to  place,  and 


Birds  of  Indiana.  693 

finally  separate  into  small  parties  of  two  or  three  pairs.  About  the 
middle  of  May  their  love-making  commences,  and  is  at  first  indicated 
by  the  increasing  solicitude  they  show  for  each  other's  welfare.  The 
appearance  of  a  person  in  their  vicinity  at  this  time  is  the  signal  for  all 
the  birds  near  to  come  circling  about,  though  not  within  easy  gun- 
shot. By  a  careful  approach  one  may  now  and  then  find  a  small  party 
swimming  about  in  some  secluded  pool. 

The  charming  grace  of  movement  exhibited  at  such  times,  com- 
bined with  their  tasteful  elegance  of  attire,  form  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  sights  one  could  witness  as  they  swim  buoyantly  from  side 
to  side  of  the  pool,  gracefully  nodding  their  heads,  now  pausing  an 
instant  to  arrange  a  feather  or  to  daintily  gather  some  fragment  of 
food,  and  now  floating  idly  about,  wafted  by  the  slight  breeze,  which 
at  intervals  ripples  the  surface  of  the  water.  A  more  common,  but 
scarcely  less  pleasing  sight,  is  presented  when,  unconscious  of  obser- 
vation, they  walk  sedately  along  the  border  of  the  water,  never  de- 
parting from  their  usual  grace  of  movement.  Their  food  is  generally 
found  in  such  places,  where  the  receding  water  furnishes  a  bountiful 
supply.  The  only  demonstrations  I  have  observed  during  the  pairing 
time  consist  of  a  kind  of  solemn  bowing  of  the  head  and  body;  but 
sometimes,  with  the  head  lowered  and  thrust  forward,  they  will  run 
back  and  forth  in  front  of  the  object  of  their  regard,  or  again,  a  pair 
may  often  be  seen  to  salute  each  other  by  alternately  bowing  or  lower- 
ing their  heads;  but  their  courtship  is  characterized  by  a  lack  of  the 
rivalry  and  vehemence  exhibited  by  birds. 

The  nesting  is  usually  in  some  thin  tuft  of  grass  on  a  level  spot,  but 
often  in  an  open  place  concealed  only  by  a  few  straggling  blades  of 
small  carices.  The  male  scratches  a  shallow  depression  in  the  soft 
earth,  which  is  usually  lined  with  a  thin  layer  of  fragments  of  old 
grass  blades,  upon  which  the  eggs,  numbering  from  three  to  four,  are 
deposited  about  the  last  of  May  or  first  of  June.  Owing  to  the  low 
situations  in  which  the  nests  are  placed,  the  first  set  of  eggs  is  often 
destroyed  by  a  heavy  fall  of  rain,  causing  the  water  to  rise  so  as  to 
submerge  the  nest.  In  this  case,  tha  second  set,  numbering  two  or 
three,  are  often  deposited  in  a  depression,  scratched  in  the  ground,  as 
at  first,  but  with  no  sign  of  any  lining.  Accidents  of  this  kind  cause 
the  second  set  of  eggs  to  be  deposited  sometimes  as  late  as  the  last  of 
June. 

The  young  usually  appear  about  the  third  week  of  June,  and  are 
able  to  fly  in  about  three  weeks.  Generally  a  number  of  pairs  nest 
upon  the  same  marsh.  In  some  instances  as  many  as  fifty  may  be 
counted  within  the  radius  of  a  mile;  but  notwithstanding  this,  their 


694  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

nests  are  extremely  difficult  to  discover — the  material  and  the  color  of 
the  eggs  correspond  so  closely  to  the  appearance  of  the  surrounding 
surface.  If  they  are  disturbed  while  building,  the  nest  is  usually 
abandoned.  Incubation  is  attended  to  by  the  male  alone.  The  female, 
however,  keeps  near,  and  is  quick  to  give  the  alarm  upon  the  ap- 
proach of  danger.  The  females  are  frequently  found  at  this  time  in 
small  parties  of  six  to  eight,  and  should  their  breeding  ground  be 
approached,  exhibit  great  anxiety,  coming  from  every  part  of  the 
marsh  to  meet  the  intruder,  and,  hovering  over  his  head,  utter  a  weak, 
nasal  note,  which  can  be  heard  only  a  short  distance.  This  note, 
which  is  possessed  by  both  sexes,  is  nearly  always  made  while  the  birds 
are  in  the  air,  and  its  production  requires,  evidently,  considerable 
effort,  the  head  and  neck  being  inclined  downward,  and  then  sud- 
denly raised  as  the  note  is  uttered,  the  flight  being  at  the  same  time 
momentarily  checked.  The  movements  of  the  birds  usually  render 
it  an  easy  matter  to  decide  whether  or  not  they  have  nrsts  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity.  After  the  first  alarm,  those  having  nests  at  a  dis- 
tance disperse,  while  others  take  their  course  in  the  form  of  an  ellipse, 
sometimes  several  hundred  yards  in  length,  with  the  object  of  their 
suspicion  in  the  center,  and  with  long  strokes  of  their  wings,  much  like 
the  flight  of  a  Killdeer,  they  move  back  and  forth.  As  their  nests  are 
approached  the  length  of  their  flight  is  gradually  lessened,  until  at 
last  they  are  joined  by  the  males,  when  the  whoh;  party  hover  low 
over  the  intruder's  head,  uttering  their  peculiar  note  of  alarm.  At 
this  time  they  have  an  ingenious  mode  of  misleading  the  novice  by 
flying  off  to  a  short  distance  and  hovering  anxiously  over  a  particular 
spot  in  the  marsh,  as  though  there  were  concealed  the  object  of  their 
solicitation.  Should  they  be  followed,  however,  and  a  search  be  made 
there,  the  maneuver  is  repeated  in  another  place  and  still  farther  from 
the  real  location  of  the  nest.  But  should  this  ruse  prove  unavailing, 
they  return  and  seem  to  become  fairly  desperate,  flying  about  one's 
head,  almost  within  reach,  manifesting  great  distress. 

If  possible,  still  greater  agitation  is  shown  when  they  have  un- 
fledged young,  they  even  betraying  their  charge  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  by  their  too  obvious  solicitude,  they  then  hovering  directly  over 
the  young  and  uttering  their  notes  of  distress.  The  young  have  a 
fine,"  wiry  peep,  inaudible  beyond  a  few  feet.  They  are  very  pretty 
little  creatures,  covered  with  yellowish-buff  colored  down,  with  black 
spots  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  body.  Even  when  first  hatched,  they 
are  quite  lively  and  difficult  to  capture. 

About  the  middle  of  July  the  females  suddenly  disappear,  and  a 
little  later  the  males  and  young  also  leave,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 


Birds  of  Indiana.  695 

stragglers,  which  occasionally  remain  until  the  last  of  August.  The 
main  portion  rarely  remain  as  late  as  the  10th,  and  are  usually  gone  by 
the  5th.  The  males  commence  their  fall  moult  before  they  leave;  but 
I  have  never  taken  a  specimen  in  which  the  winter  plumage  was  very 
evident. 

XVIIL     Family  RECURVIROSTRIDJE.     Avoceta  and  Stilts. 

a^.  Toes  4;  bill  carved  upward,  flattened.  Recurvirostra.     44 

a~.  Toes  3;  bill  nearly  straight,  not  flattened.  Himantopus. 

44.    Gkntjs  recurvirostra  Ltnn.kus. 

87.    (225).    Recurvirostra    americana    Gmel. 

American  Avocet. 

Adult  in  Summer. — White;  primaries  and  scapulars,  black;  head, 
neck  and  breast,  mostly  light  cinnamon.  Adult  in  W infer  and  Im- 
mature.— Similar;  head,  neck  and  breast  more  or  less  tinged  with 
bluish-gray. 

Length,  15.50-18.75;  wing,  8.9G-9.00;  bill,  3.40-3.65;  tarsus,  3.70- 
3.80. 

Range. — North  America;  Guatemala  and  "West  Indies;  north  to 
Saskatchewan  and  Great  Slave  Lake.  Eare  on  Atlantic  coast.  Breeds 
locally  from  Illinois  north.    Winters  from  Gulf  coast  south. 

Nest,  depression  in  ground  in  marsh.  JSggs,  3-4;  brownish-drab, 
spotted  with  chocolate;  1.93  by  1.35. 

Rare  migrant.  I  only  know  of  one  record  for  Indiana.  Mr.  Chas. 
Dury  informs  me  of  a  specimen  in  the  collection  of  the  Cuvier  Club, 
Cincinnati,  0.,  which  was  taken  at  "Calumet"  Lake,  Indiana.  It  is 
equally  rare  in  Ohio  and  Michigan,  but  perhaps  is  more  often  found 
in  Illinois,  where  Xelson  gives  it  as  a  rare  migrant,  in  small  parties, 
the  last  of  April  and  first  of  May  and  during  September  and  the  first 
half  of  October. 

XIX.     Family  SCOLOPACIDJE.     Snipes,  Sandpipiks,  Etc. 

a^.  Tarsus  with  long  transverse  scales  in  front  only  ;  bill  very  long,  curved  down- 
ward. NUMENIUS.      58 
a-.  Tarsus  with  long,  transverse  scales  both  in  front  and  behind. 

6^.  Eyes  far  back,  directly  above  ears;  bill  long;  tip  of  upper  mandible  thick- 
ened ;  plumage  unchanging.     Subfamily  Scolopacin^. 
c^.  Thigh  entirely  feathered ;  three  outer  primaries  attenuate. 

Philohela.     45 


696  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

c^.  Thigh  naked  below;  three  outer  primaries  not  very  narrow. 

Gallinago.     46 
b^.  Eyes  not  far  back,  considerably  before  the  ears ;  tip  of  upper  mandible  thin  ; 
summer  and  winter  plumage  different.     Subfamily  Tringin^. 
(P .  Toes  3.  Calidris.     51 

d'.  Toes  4. 

e^  Toes  not  webbed. 
/^.  Bill  not  shorter  than  middle  toe  with  claw ;  inner  webs  of  quills  not 
mottled.  Tringa.     49 

/2.  Bill  shorter  than  middle  toe  with  cla,w;  inner  webs  of  quills  mot- 
tled. Tryngites.     56 
e^.  Toes  more  or  less  webbed  at  base. 

g'^.  Tail  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  wing.         Bartramia.     55 
g^.  Tail  not  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  wing. 
h^.  Tail  longer  than  bill  from  frontal  feathers. 
i^.  Wing  less  than  4  inches  long.  Ereunetes.     50 

■i^.  Wing  not  less  than  4  inches  long. 
j^.  Bill  narrower  at  tip;  upper  surface  hard  and  smooth. 
k^.  Exposed  culmen  less  than  one-fifth  as  long  as  wing. 

Pavoncella. 
k'^.  Exposed  culmen  more  than  one-fifth  as  long  as  wing. 
P.  Wing  less  than  4.50  inches  long.  Actitls.     57 

P.  Wing  over  4.50  inches  long. 

m^.  Bill  slender ;  legs  dusky  or  yellow.      Totanus.     5S 

m'-.  Bill  stout;  legs  bluish.  Symphemia.     54 

,  j^.BiU    slightly    widened    at    tip;     upper    surface    slightly 

wrinkled  or  pitted.  Micropalama.     48 

h^.  Tail  shorter  than  bill. 

n^.  Tip  of  both  mandibles  with  a  groove  in  middle 
and  also  pitted  and  wrinkled. 

Macrorhamphus.     47 
n^.  Tip  of  both  mandibles  not  grooved,  smooth. 

Limosa.     52 

45.    Genus  PHILOHELA  Gray. 

88.     (228).    Philohela  minor  (Gmel.). 

American  Woodcock. 

Occiput,  with  thin,  transverse  bands  of  black  alternating  with  thin, 
narrower  ones  of  yellowish;  rusty  above,  variegated  and  harmoniously 
blended  black,  bro\vn,  gray  and  russet;  three  outer  primaries  very  nar- 
row and  stiff;  below,  pale  warm  brown  of  variable  shade. 

Length,  10.50-11.75;  wing,  4.80-5.70;  bill,  2.50  to  nearly  3.00;  tar- 
sus, 1.25. 

Eange. — Eastern  provinces  of  I^orth  America,  north  to  Labrador, 
Manitoba  and  York  Factory;  west  to  Nebraska  and  Dakota.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range.    Winters  from  Indiana  and  Virginia  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  woods  or  thicket,  of  leaves.  Eggs,  4;  buffy, 
spotted  with  rusty  brown  and  purplish-gray;  1.51  by  1.14. 


I 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


697 


Summer  resident.  Common  in  suitable  localities.  Some  years,  at 
least,  resident  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State,  especially  the 
Wabash  Valley,  and  perhaps  about  moist  places  that  do  not  freeze 
throughout  the  State. 

It  has  been  reported  from  Grand  Eapids,  Mich.,  January  1,  1888. 
(Cook,  Birds  of  Michigan).  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  reports  one  that  had 
been  wounded,  shot  near  Sandusky,  0.,  in  midwinter:  The  winter  of 
1888-9  they  wintered  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  Prof.  J.  A.  Balmer 
says  they  were  frequently  seen  that  winter  along  the  open  creeks  on 
the  prairies  near  Vincennes.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  reports  them  win- 
tering in  the  same  region  the  winter  of  1896-7. 


I 

I 


American  Woodcock,  showing  attenuate  primaries.    Natural  size. 

They  migrate  very  early  in  spring,  sometimes  in  February.     Mr. 
H.  W.  McBride  reported  them  from  Dekalb  County  February  14, 

1890.  Usually,  however,  the  greater  number  migrate  in  March  and 
early  April.  The  following  records  for  the  first  arrival  in  spring  for 
several  years  in  Indiana  and  Michigan  are  given:  Brookville,  1884, 
March  31;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  1887,  March  2;  1888,  March  15;  1889, 
March  23;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  1897,  March  20  (J.  Trombley);  Elkhart, 

1891,  March  29;  Greencastle,  1892,  March  10  (Black);  1893,  March 
10  (Earlle);  Laporte,  1894,  April  2;  Indianapolis,  1895,  March  8 
(Noe);  Edwards,  Vigo  County,  1896,  March  11.  It  will  be  observed 
that  the  earliest  dates  are  usually  from  northern  Indiana  and 
Michigan.  In  other  words,  they  were  noted  at  an  earlier  date  from 
those  localities  than  from  places  much  farther  south.  In  fact,  they 
were  found  in  the  northern  part  of  our  State  from  two  to  four  weeks 
before  they  were  supposed  to  appear  in  the  valleys  of  the  White  and 
Whitewater,  in  the  southern  half  of  the  State.  This  indicates  that 
they  proceed  at  once,  at  the  earliest  possible  dat^,  to  their  favorite 
breeding  grounds,  and  those  who  know  where  they  are,  or  who  acci- 
dentally happen  upon  them,  find  them. 


698  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Farther  south,  where  they  breed  in  very  limited  numbers,  and  where 
the  conditions  they  desire  are  not  often  found,  it  is  only  rarely  they 
^  are  seen,  and  then  during  the  later  migrations  or  the  mating  season. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Brookville  I  have  generally  found  them  between 
April  1  and  15.  Upon  their  arrival  they  are  found  in  thickets  along 
the  shores  of  lakes,  rivers  and  small  streams,  where  the  ground  is  wet 
and  soft,  so  it  csin  be  easily  probed  with  the  long,  sensitive  bills,  for 
their  favorite  food,  earthworms.  ■  Sometimes,  however,  they  are  found 
far  from  such  situations  during  the  spring  migrations.  April  1,  1897, 
I  found  two  in  rather  open  woods,  on  the  top  of  a  dry  ridge,  over 
three  hundred  feet  above  the  river  valley,  near  Brookville.  They  are 
nocturnal  not  only  in  their  migrations,  but  generally  in  all  their 
movements.  The  early  migrants  begin  mating  soon  after  arrival;  the 
later  ones  frequently  come  paired.  One  of  the  notable  characteristics 
of  the  mating  time  is  the  series  of  aerial  evolutions  and  the  nocturnal 
song  of  the  male. 

Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  and  Mr.  Alexander  Black  observed  these  repeated 
several  times  on  two  successive  evenings,  at  Greencastle,  March  10  and 
11, 1892.  The  first  evening  they  could  not  determine  the  bird,  but  the 
next  night  they  secured  the  performer,  which  proved  to  be  a  male 
Woodcock.  Mr.  Eugene  P.  Bicknell,  in  the  Auk,  Vol.  II,  July,  1885, 
pp.  261,  262,  gives  an  excellent  account  of  this  feature  of  the  mating 
habits,  which  he  observed  April  19,  1884:  "The  birds  would  start  up 
from  amid  the  shrubbery,  with  a  tremulous,  whirring  sound  of  the 
wings,  rising  with  spiral  course  into  the  air.  The  spiral  varied  con- 
siderable in  pitch,  sometimes  expanding  to  sweep  far  out  over  the 
neighboring  fields,  where  a  single  evolution  would  carry  the  bird  up- 
ward almost  to  the  extremity  of  its  flight,  which  was  sometimes  di- 
rectly over  the  point  of  departure.  The  rapid  trilling  sound  with 
which  it  started  off,  as  Woodcocks  do,  continued  without  interruption 
during  the  ascent,  but  gradually  became  more  rapid,  and  as  the  bird 
neared  its  greatest  height,  passed  into  pulsations  of  quavering  sound. 
Each  pulsation  was  shorter  and  faster  than  the  last,  and  took  the 
tremolo  to  a  higher  pitch,  sounding  like  a  throbbing  whirr  of  fine 
machinery  or  suggesting  in  movement  the  accelerating,  rhythmic 
sound  of  a  railway  car  gradually  gaining  full  speed  after  a  stop.  At 
last,  when  it  seemed  as  if  greater  rapidity  of  utterance  was  not  possible, 
the  vertex  of  the  flight  would  be  reached,  and  descending  with  in- 
creasing swiftness,  the  bird  would  break  forth  into  an  irregular  chip- 
pering,  almost  a  warble,  the  notes  sounding  louder  and  more  liquid  as 
it  neared  the  earth.  Suddenly  there  would  be  silence,  and  a  small, 
dark  object  would  dart  past  through  the  dusk,  down  amid  the  shrub- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  699 

bery.  Then,  at  silent  intervals,  a  single  strange  and  rather  startling 
note,  a  loud,  sharp  and  somewhat  nasal  speat  or  spneat,  which  sounded 
as  if  delivered  with  a  spiteful  directness  at  some  offensive  object." 

Audubon  says  they  ascend  in  these  spiral  girations  fifty  or  more 
yards  in  height,  and  he  thought  the  sounds  made  after  reaching  the 
ground  were  calls  to  the  female,  who,  hearing  them,  flies  to  the  male. 
After  pairing  comes  nesting.  The  nests  are  generally  but  depressions 
in  some  higher,  dry  spot  in  a  swamp  or  wet  woods  or  underbrush.  I 
have,  however,  found  the  nest  among  the  bushes  on  a  sandy  knoll  over 
a  hundred  yards  from  water  or  swampy  ground.  There  is  much  thai 
is  generally  known  regarding  its  habits  in  summer  and  fall,  but  few 
comparatively  are  they  who  have  seen  its  eggs  or  observed  its 
breeding  habits  or  heard  its  song.  I  have  found  its  nest  and  eggs 
March  24  (1884)  and  as  late  as  April  16  (1881).  Mr.  G.  G.  William- 
son  found  them  at  Muncie  March  29,  1889,  and  I  have  records  from 
other  localities,  different  years,  as  early  as  March  28  and  23. 

Mr.  y.  H.  Barnett,  Spearsville,  observed  an  old  Woodcock,  "with 
four  young,  as  large  as  chickens,  just  hatched,  April  13,  1894,"  and 
Mr.  Oliver  Davie  records  young  seen  near  Cleveland,  0.,  as  early  as 
April  9.  It  is  a  fact,  attested  by  careful  observers,  that  the  Wood- 
cock will  carry  its  young  away  from  danger  between  its  feet.  By  July  1 
the  young  are  quite  well  grown;  in  most  cases  are  as  strong  of  wing  as 
the  parents.  Then  shooting  begins.  They  still  frequent  the  same  choice 
cover  until  the  dry,  late  summer  hardens  the  ground  and  absorbs  the 
water  and  they  are  driven  by  necessity  from  much  of  their  feeding 
ground  to  seek  more  desirable  places.  The  summer  of  1894  was 
very  dry.  Through  August  of  that  year,  the  late  Mr.  C.  F.  Goodwin,  of 
Brookville,  observed  a  Woodcock  in  his  yard  night  after  night  for  at 
least  two  weeks.  His  home  was  on  the  principal  street  of  the  town;  the 
ground  was  heavily  sprinkled  and  was  soft  and  the  grass  green  and 
well  trimmed.  The  bird  came  close  to  his  window  and  was  quite  tame. 
The  yard  was  lighted  by  an  electric  street  light,  so  its  actions  could 
easily  be  noted  with  a  glass.  The  bird  would  busy  itself  by  the  hour 
prodding  the  ground  with  its  bill,  and  every  little  while  would  pull 
out  a  worm.  They  have  the  power  of  moving  the  tip  of  the  upper 
mandible,  so  they  can  use  the  bill  as  a  forceps  to  withdraw  their  food. 
In  the  American  Field,  A^ol.  XLIV,  December  28,  1895,  my  friend, 
Mr.  L.  H.  Haymond  (a  son  of  the  pioneer  in  Indiana  ornithology), 
has  contributed  an  excellent  article  on  this  bird  from  the  standpoint 
of  a  sportsman.  Its  habits  are  so  changeable,  and  so  frequently  it  is 
the  unexpected  that  happens,  that  this  writer  says  he  is  almost  com- 
pelled to  deduce  the  maxim  "never  to  be  surprised  at  anything  a 


700  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Woodcock  does."  He  shows  that  they  change  their  localities  through 
summer,  as  food  is  easy  or  hard  to  obtain;  that  to  one  who  has  studied 
their  favorite  grounds  they  are  to  be  found  there  through  all  the  late 
summer  and  fall;  that  they  feed  by  day  as  well  as  by  night,  at  times, 
at  least.  In  fall  they  are  sometimes  to  be  found  in  cornfields  and 
damp  meadows.  Conditions  make  demands  upon  them,  and  they 
seem  always  to  be  equal  to  the  emergency.  In  the  fall  they  may  pos- 
sibly occasionally  begin  their  migrations  in  October.  They  are  re- 
ported then,  but  whether  the  ones  observed  are  summer  residents  or 
migrants  is  not  known.  I  have  observed  them  at  Brookville  until 
November  10,  and  from  reports  obtained,  they  sometimes  stay  until 
the  end  of  that  month.  Their  leaving  depends  upon  the  weather.  A 
hard  freeze,  sufficiently  severe  to  prevent  them  boring,  will  cause  them 
to  go  south. 

Dr.  B.  H.  Warren,  State  Ornithologist  of  Pennsylvania,  recording 
the  result  of  his  investigations  of  the  food  of  Woodcocks  as  ascer- 
tained by  dissection,  found  the  young  examined  contained  "small 
fragments  of  worms."  The  food  of  others  was  earthworms,  beetles, 
larvae,  and  one  had  eaten  a  spider.  One  specimen,  taken  November  8, 
had  fed  exclusively  on  small  seeds  (Birds  of  Pennsylvania,  p.  80), 

46.    Gknus  GALLINAGO  Leach. 

^89.     (230).    Gallinago  delicata  (Ord.). 

Wilson's  Snipe. 

Crown,  black,  with  a  pale  middle  stripe;  back,  varied  with  black, 
bright  bay  and  tawny,  the  latter  forming  two  lengthwise  stripes  on 
the  scapulars;  neck  and  breast,  speckled  with  brown  and  dusky;  lining 
of  wings,  barred  with  black  and  white;  tail,  usually  of  sixteen  feathers, 
barred  with  black,  white  and  chestnut;  sides,  waved  with  dusky;  belly, 
dull  white;   quills,  blackish,  the  outer  white-edged. 

Length,  about  10.50-11.50;  wing,  5.00-5.60;  tail,  2.60;  bill,  2.50- 
2.70. 

Range. — America;  Columbia  and  West  Indies,  north  to  Labrador, 
Hudson  Bay  and  Alaska.  Breeds  from  northern  Indiana  and  Con- 
necticut north.  Winters  in  Indiana,  Ohio,  Illinois  and  South  Caro- 
lina south. 

Nestf  a  depression  in  a  grassy  meadow.  J^ggs,  3-4;  pale  olive,  olive- 
grayish  or  pale  olive-brown,  heavily  spotted,  especially  on  larger  end, 
with  deep  brown  and  purplish-gray;  1.55  by  1.09. 

Abundant  migrant.  Summer  resident  northward;  some  winters  a 
few  remain  in  suitable  localities.    It  was  taken  by  Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace 


Birds  of  Indiana.  701 

in  Wabash  County  January  1,  1892,  and  within  a  week  before  that 
date  two  others  were  killed  in  that  county.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  thinks 
some  may  winter  in  Knox  County.  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  reports  one 
killed  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  December  24,  1896,  and  several  others 
a  few  days  before.  The  same  authority  tells  me  they  have  been  taken 
a  number  of  times  in  midwinter  several  miles  west  of  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
where  there  are  springs  and  running  water  that  do  not  freeze  in  severe 
weather.  The  migrants  begin  to  move  early  in  March.  The  follow- 
ing dates  give  that  of  the  first  appearance  for  each  of  several  years,  at 
the  places  named:  Brookville,  1881,  March  29;  1882,  March  29;  1883, 


Wilson's  Snipe. 

April  7;  1886,  March  18;  1896,  March  7;  Cook  County,  111.,  1884, 
March  22;  1885,  March  29  (Parker).  English  Lake,  1887,  March  7 
(Deane).  Macsauber  Club,  Kankakee  River,  1890,  March  23  (Deane). 
Frankfort,  1893,  March  16;  1895,  March  8  (Ghere).  Greencastle, 
March  5  (Earlle).  Edwards,  Vigo  County,  1897,  March  11  (Kendrick). 
The  first  migrants  generally  appear  in  March,  but  it  is  usually  the 
last  of  the  month  or  early  in  April  before  they  become  common.  Usu- 
ally after  the  warm  rains  have  softened  the  earth  and  brought  into 
activity  the  insects,  beneath  the  surface,  they  appear.  March,  28, 
1896,  was  a  day  when  the  snow  melted  in  the  sun,  yet  was  to  be  seen 
upon  the  frozen  ground,  in  the  shade.  I  saw  a  snipe  by  the  side  of 
the  road  as  I  drove  along.  It  seemed  quite  tame,  and  flew  ahead  of  me 
a  short  distance  and  alighted  again  and  again  in  the  ditch.  At  last 
it  arose  and  attempted  to  alight  on  a  frozen  snow-bank,  evidently 
thinking  it  was  water.  It  seemed  very  much  surprised  when  it  came 
down  upon  something  hard,  for  it  descended  with  some  force,  and  as 
soon  as  it  could  recover,  arose  and  flew  away.  Usually  in  the  White- 
water Valley,  they  are  gone  by  the  20th  to  25th  of  April;  but  in  1881, 


703  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

they  remained  with  us  as  late  as  May  6.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  says 
more  or  less  of  Wilson's  Snipe  breed  at  English  Lake,  every  year.  Mr. 
G.  Frean  Morcom  has  a  set  of  eggs  taken  at  the  Macsauber  Club,  25 
miles  farther  up  the  Kankakee  Eiver.  It  has  also  been  reported  as 
breeding  in  the  following  other  counties:  Lake  (Meyer  and  Parker); 
Miami  (Cunningham).  They  have  been  observed  in  midsummer  in 
Wabash  County  (Wallace).  They  vary  much  in  numbers  and  time  of 
appearance  in  spring.  The  same  thing  is  noticeable  in  fall.  They  are 
very  peculiar  in  their  movements  and  in  the  selection  of  a  feeding 
ground.  Some  days  they  lie  close,  and  others  rise  almost  out  of  range 
of  the  gun.  They  utter,  as  they  arise  and  fly  against  the  wind,  a  note 
commonly  called  "scape,"  from  its  resemblance  to  that  sound,  and 
move  away  rapidly  in  a  zigzag  flight,  that  is  very  perplexing  to  the  in- 
experienced sportsman. 

In  the  fall,  they  usually  begin  to  arrive  in  northern  Indiana  from 
the  north,  early  in  September,  but  are  not  common  until  later  in  the 
month.  They  remain  about  the  marshes  through  October  and  often 
till  late  in  November.  The  fall  of  1889  was  notable  for  the  unusually 
early  appearance  of  these  birds  in  numbers  on  their  favorite  grounds. 
This  was  noted  by  all  collectors  and  sportsmen. 

Mr.  Parker  observed  it  in  Lake  County  and  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane 
wrote  me  as  follows  concerning  them:  "On  September  1st  they  were  so 
numerous  a  good  shot  could  have  killed  forty  or  fifty  birds  in  many 
localities  in  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Of  course  a  number  breed  every 
year  but  something  has  driven  them  by  thousands  from  the  north,^ 
some  claiming  it  is  due  to  very  dry  weather  north  of  us."  The  earliest 
record  I  have  for  southeastern  Indiana  is  Sept.  23,  1884.  From  that 
time  they  are  passing  through  October  and  November.  The  latest 
record  at  Brookville  is  November  17,  1894,  but  elsewhere  it  has  been 
reported  later,  and  in  some  localities  as  stated,  winters.  "Morning  and 
evening  and  throughout  cloudy  days  in  the  early  part  of  the  breed- 
ing season  the  male  has  a  curious  habit  of  mounting  high  overhead^ 
then  descending  obliquely  for  some  distance,  and  as  it  turns  upward, 
strikes  rapidly  with  its  wings,  producing  a  loud  whistling  sound  with 
each  stroke.  This  maneuver  is  repeated  again  and  again,  and  appears 
to  be  performed  for  the  same  purpose  as  is  the  ^booming'  of  the 
night-hawk.  Besides  this  sound  Wilson's  Snipe  has  a  peculiar  sharp 
cry  during  this  season,  which  is  uttered  when  the  bird  is  disturbed. 
I  first  became  acquainted  with  this  note  in  May,  1876,  when,  while 
walking  along  a  marshy  strip  of  land,  I  was  surprised  to  hear  a  loud 
ka-ka-ka-ka-ka,  uttered  with  great  force  and  in  a  rather  loud,  harsh 
tone.    Turning  quickly  I  was  still  more  astonished  to  find  the  author 


BjRDS  OF  Indiana.  703 

to  be  one  of  these  birds.  It  was  flying  restlessly  from  post  to  post 
along  a  fence  and  showed  the  greatest  uneasiness  at  my  presence,  the 
notes  being  repeated  at  short  intervals.  Although  the  nest  was  prob- 
ably near  I  could  not  discover  it"  (Nelson's  Birds  of  N.  E.  111.).  Ac- 
cording to  Audubon,  "the  food  of  our  common  Snipe  consists  princi- 
pally of  ground-worms,  insects,  and  juicy,  slender  roots,  of  different 
vegetables,  all  of  which  tend  to  give  its  flesh  that  richness  of  flavor  and 
juicy  tenderness  for  which  it  is  so  deservedly  renowned,  it  being  equal 
to  that  of  the  woodcock.  Many  epicures  eat  up  both  snipe  and  wood- 
cock with  all  their  viscera,  worms,  insects  to  boot,  the  intestines,  in 
fact,  being  considered  the  most  savory  parts.  On  opening  some  newly 
killed  snipe,  I  have  more  than  once  found  fine,  large  and  well-fed 
ground-worms,  and  at  times  a  leech,  which  I  must  acknowledge,  I 
never  conceived  suitable  articles  of  food  for  man,  and  for  this  reason 
I  have  always  taken  good  care  to  have  both  snipe  and  wood-cocks  well 
cleaned,  as  all  game  ought  to  be." 

Dr.  B.  H.  Warren  examined  25  snipe  and  found  articles  of  food 
were  beetles,  water  beetles,  and  earthworms,  together  with  weed  seeds, 
grass  blades  and  the  roots  of  plants.    (Birds  of  Pa.,  1890,  p.  82.) 

47.    Genus  MACRORHAMPHUS  Leach. 

■a^.  Length  11.00,  or  less.  M.  griseus  (Gmel.).     90 

«2.  Length  over  11.00.  M.  scolopaceus  (Say).     91 

90.    (231).    Macrorhamphus  griseus  (Gmel.). 

Dowitclier. 

Synonyms,  Gray  Snipe,  Gray  Back. 

Tail  and  its  coverts,  at  all  seasons,  conspicuously  barred  with  black 
and  white  (or  tawny);  lining  of  wings,  and  axillars,  the  same;  quills, 
dusky;  shaft  of  first  primary,  and  tips  of  the  secondaries,  except  long 
inner  ones,  white;  bill  and  feet,  greenish-black.  In  summer,  brown- 
ish-black above,  variegated  with  bay;  below,  brownish-red,  variegated 
with  dusk}";  a  tawny  suj^erciliary  stripe  and  a  dark  one  from  bill  to  the 
€ye.  In  winter,  plain  gray  above  and  on  the  breast,  with  few  or  no 
traces  of  black;  the  belly,  line  over  eye  and  under  eyelid,  white. 

Length,  about  10.00-11.00;  wing,  5.25-5.90  (average,  5.65);  bill, 
2.00-2.55  (2.30);  tarsus,  1.20-1.55  (1.35). 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  and  West  Indies  north  to  Arctic 
Ocean.    Breeds  within  Arctic  Circle.    Winters  from  Gulf  coast  south. 

Is  est,  a  hollow  in  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  3-4,  resemble 
those  of  Wilson's  Snipe;  1.65  by  1.13. 


704  Eepoet  of  State  Geo^^ogist. 

Eare  migrant,  more  often  seen  in  July,  August  and  September  after 
breeding  season.  These  are  usually  young  birds,  they  are  generally 
found  in  flocks  of  three  to  ten.  They  accompany  the  Yellow-legs, 
Pectoral,  Least  and  Semipalmated  Sandpiper.  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodrujff, 
of  Chicago,  informs  me  he  has  a  bird  of  this  species  in  his  collection 
that  was  taken  September  9,  1892.  He  has  notes  of  it  in  Cook 
County,  111.,  near  the  Indiana  line.  May  6,  1893;  September  23,  1893; 
and  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  has  taken  it  three  times  in  July;  July  4, 
1887;  July  19  and  21,  1893. 

I  do  not  know  the  relative  numbers  of  the  two  forms  of  this  bird 
found  within  the  State,  but  think  that  this  will  prove  to  be  much  the 
rarer. 


91.     (232).    Macrorhamphus  scolopaceus  (Say). 

Long-billed  Dowitcher. 

Synonyms,  Greater  Gray-back,  Ked-bellied  Snipe. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Similar  to  M.  griseus  but  averaging  larger; 
abdomen,  pale  cinnamon,  like  rest  of  lower  parts.  Bill  larger.  Win- 
ter plumage  and  Immature  known  from  last  species  by  larger  size. 

Length,  11.00-12.50;  wing,  5.40-6.00  (average  5.74);  bill,  2.10-3.00 
(2.72);  tarsus,  1.35-1.75  (1.58). 

Range. — South  America,  north  to  Alaska,  principally  migratory 
through  Mississippi  Valley  and  Western  States.  Not  common  on  At- 
lantic coast.    Breeds  in  Alaska.    Winters  from  Gulf  coast  south. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  indistinguishable  from  those  of  M.  griseus. 

Rare  migrant.  Of  all  the  references  to  Dowitcher  only  one  refers 
to  the  short-billed  form.  That  I  have  mentioned  under  the  last 
mentioned  species.  All  others  are  referrd  to  here,  but  as  most  of  them 
are  claimed  to  represent  this  form  it  is  probably  by  far  the  most  com- 
mon with  us.  In  the  spring  it  is  noted  in  March,  April  and  May,  and 
later  it  probably  appears  in  July,  and  remains  through  August  like 
the  last  mentioned  bird.  The  earliest  record  I  have  for  the  State  is 
March  11,  1889.  On  that  date  one  specimen  was  taken  and  another 
seen  at  English  Lake  (Deane).  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  took  a  specimen  at 
Greencastle  May  14,  1890,  and  the  next  day  Mr.  Alex.  Black  took  an- 
other which  has  been  very  kindly  placed  in  my  collection.  On  May 
28  or  29,  1891,  another  one  was  taken  by  Mr.  Black.  Mr.  Dury  re- 
ports this  species  in  spring  and  fall,  from  English  Lake.  He  also 
notes  it  from  English  Lake,  and  one  from  Kouts,  Ind.,  April  30,  1890. 
These  localities  are  represented  by  specimens  in  the  Cuvier  Club  col- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  705 

lection,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.    Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me  that  he  has 
observed  it  occasionally  in  Lake  County  in  flocks. 

Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  found  this  one  of  the  most  common  waders  on 
the  shore  of  Norton^s  Sound,  in  summer,  and  it  is  also  present  in 
smaller  numbers  all  along  the  Yukon,  where  there  are  suitable  locali- 
ties. He  found  it  at  the  Yukon  mouth.  May  12,  and  toward  the  end 
of  that  month  they  were  plentiful,  and  their  curious  habits  and  loud 
notes  make  them  among  the  most  conspicuous  denizens  of  the  marshes. 
There  they  mate  and  nest.  The  following  is  a  description  of  a  set  of 
four  eggs  taken  there  June  16:  "The  eggs,  four  in  number,  rested  in 
a  shallow  depression  formed  by  the  bird's  body  in  the  soft  moss  and 
without  a  trace  of  lining.  These  eggs  measures  respectiyely  1.80  by 
1.21;  1.70  by  1.20;  1.69  by  1.20;  1.72  by  1.23.'^ 

48.    Genus  MICROPALAMA  Bated. 

92.     (233).    Micropalama  himantopus  (Bonap.). 

stilt  Sandpiper. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  blackish,  each  feather  edged  and  tipped 
with  white  and  tawny  or  bay,  which  on  the  scapulars  becomes  scal- 
loped; auriculars,  chestnut;  a  dusky  line  from  bill  to  eye,  and  a  light 
reddish  superciliary  line;  upper  tail  coverts,  white,  with  dusky  bars; 
primaries,  dusky,  with  blackish  tips;  tail  feathers,  ashy-gray,  their 
edge  and  a  central  field,  white;  under  parts,  mixed,  reddish,  black  and 
whitish,  in  streaks  on  the  jugulum,  elsewhere  in  bars;  bill  and  feet, 
greenish-black. 

Immature  and  Adult,  in  Winter. — Ashy-gray  above,  with  or  with- 
out traces  of  black  and  bay,  the  feathers  usually  with  white  edging; 
line  over  the  eye,  and  under  parts,  white;  the  jugulum  and  sides, 
suffused  with  the  color  of  the  back,  and  streaked  with  dusky;  legs, 
usually,  pale. 

Length,  7.50-9.25;  wing,  5.00-5.30;  bill,  1.55-1.75;  tarsus,  1.55-1.70. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil,  Peru  and  West  Indies,  northeast 
of  Rocky  Mountains  to  Arctic  regions.  Breeds  within  the  Arctic 
Circle.    Winters  in  Louisiana  and  southward. 

Nest,  depression  in  ground,  lined  with  grass  and  leaves.  JSggs,  3-4, 
light-drab,  or  grayish-white,  with  bold  spots  and  marknigs  of  chest- 
nut-brown; 1.42  by  1.00. 

Rare  migrant.  Found  in  this  latitude  in  April,  July  and  August, 
September  and  October.  I  have  no  spring  records.  The  only  Indiana 
record  is  of  a  specimen  taken  by  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test,  at  Hed- 
ley's  Lake,  October  10,  1892.    This  is  in  my  collection,  for  which  the 

45 — Geol 


706  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

collectors  have  my  thanks.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  reports  two  occurrences 
near  Chicago,  one  August  8,  1873,  the  other,  September  10,  1873. 
(Birds  JSF.  E.  111.,  p.  126.)  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  collected  a  bright 
female,  from  a  flock  of  four  at  Mud  Lake,  July  25,  1893,  and  a  young 
bird  August  7,  1893.  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  reports  it  from  Cook 
County,  111.,  near  the  Indiana  line,  April,  1890;  July  25,  1893,  and 
September  23,  1893  (The  Auk,  April,  1896,  p.  180),  and  Mr.  J.  G. 
Parker,  Jr.,  adds  from  the  same  vicinity  the  record  of  a  young  bird 
August  7,  1893.  In  Ontario,  Mr.  Mcllwraith  has  noted  it  June  25, 
July  28,  and  September  23  and  26.  Since  it  breeds  far  to  the  north- 
ward, there  seem  to  be  individuals  wandering  about,  every  month  from 
June  to  October,  some  of  which,  perhaps,  do  not  go  to  the  breeding 
grounds. 

49.    Gknus  TRTNGA  Linn.eus. 

o^.  Wing  6.00,  or  more ;  middle  pair  of  tail  feathers  not  longer  than  the  rest.     Sub- 
genus Tringa.  T.  cauutus  Linn.     93 
a"^.  Wing  under  6.00;  middle  pair  of  tail  feathers  longer  and  more  pointed  than 
the  rest. 
b^ .  Tarsus  about  equal  in  length  to  bill. 

c^  Wing  more  than  4  00.     Subgenus  Actodromas  Kaup. 

d^.  Wing  5.00,  or  more;  rump  and  middle  upper  tail  coverts  plain  black  or 
dusky.  T.  maculata  Vieill.     94 

d''^.  Wing  less  than  5.00;  middle  upper  tail  coverts  plain  dusky. 

T.  bairdii  (Coues).     95 
c^.  Wing  under  4.00;  size  very  small.  T.  minutilla  Vieill.     96 

6^.  Bill  very  long,  nearly  as  long  as  tarsus  and  middle  toe;  decidedly  curved 
downward  at  the  end.     Subgenus  Pelidxa  Cuvier. 

P.  alpina  pacifica  (Coues).     97 

Subgenus  Tringa. 

93.     (234).    Tringa  canutus  Linn. 

Knot. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  brownish-black,  each  feather  tipped 
with  ashy-white,  and  tinged  with  reddish  on  scapulars;  below,  uni- 
form brownish-red,  much  as  in  the  robin,  fading  into  white  on  the 
flanks  and  crissum;  upper  tail  coverts,  white  with  dusky  bars,  tail 
feathers  and  secondaries,  grayish-ash  with  white  edges;  quills,  black- 
ish; gray  on  the  inner  webs  and  with  white  shafts;  bill  and  feet, 
blackish. 

Immature.— Aho\e,  clear  ash,  with  numerous  black  and  white  semi- 
circles; below,  white,  more  or  less  tinged  with  reddish,  dusky  speckled 
on  breast,  wavy  barred  on  sides. 

Length,  10.00-11.00;  wing,  6.50;  tail,  2.50;  tail,  nearly  square. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  707 

EANGE.^-Sea  coasts,  throughout  the  Northern  Hemisphere;  south 
in  winter  to  Brazil,  New  Zealand,  Damara  Land,  Africa  and  Australia. 
Breeds  in  the  Arctic  Circle.  Eesident  on  Gulf  coast  (Mcllhenny). 
In  migrations,  visits  the  larger  inland  waters. 

Nest,  a  depression  in  the  sand.  Eggs,  light  pea-green,  closely 
spotted  in  brown  with  small  specks  about  the  size  of  a  pin  head;  1.10 
by  1.00. 

Eare  migrant.  It  seems,  in  the  interior,  to  be  almost  exclusively 
found  along  the  great  lakes.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  notes  it  in  May  and 
June,  in  Ontario;  Dr.  Wheaton  noted  it  in  Ohio,  and  Mr.  E.  W.  Nel- 
son in  Cook  County,  111.,  in  May,  September,  and  October. 

Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  shot  a  EJQot — a  beautiful  specimen,  in  the  light 
gray  juvenile  plumage,  with  scale-like  markings  of  pure  white  on  the 
back, — on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  at  Miller's,  Ind.,  August  24, 
1896.  It  was  in  company  with  a  miscellaneous  flock  of  Sandpipers, 
August  21,  1897,  Mr.  Woodruff  took  three  young  of  the  year,  two 
males  and  one  female,  at  the  same  place. 

In  an  article  in  "The  Auk,''  for  January,  1893,  p.  25,  Mr.  Geo.  H. 
Macka}^  in  speaking  of  the  Knot  on  the  New  England  coast,  says: 
''It  formerly  sojourned  there  in  great  abundance,  but  now  appears  in 
greatly  reduced  numbers."  He  explains  this  diminution  in  numbers 
is  owing  to  their  destruction  by  the  practice  of  "firelighting,"  which 
formerly  prevailed,  but  which  is  now  prohibited  by  law. 

"The  mode  of  procedure  was  for  two  men  to  start  out  after  dark 
at  half-tide,  one  of  them  to  carry  a  lighted  lantern  the  other  to  reach 
and  seize  the  birds,  twist  their  necks,  and  put  them  in  a  bag  slung  over 
the  shoulder.  When  near  a  flock,  they  would  approach  them  on  their 
hands  and  knees,  the  birds  being  almost  invariably  taken  on  the 
flats."  They  are  said  to  have  been  shipped  by  the  barrel  to  Boston, 
as  many  as  six  barrels  having  been  observed  in  one  shipment.  Mr. 
MacKay  says:  "It  is  not  my  intention  to  convey  the  impression  that 
the  Knots  are  nearly  exterminated,  but  they  are  much  reduced  in 
numbers,  and  are  in  great  danger  of  extinction,  and  comparatively  few 
can  be  seen  in  Massachusetts,  w^here  formerly  there  were  twenty  to 
twenty-five  thousand  a  year,  which  I  consider  a  reasonable  estimate 
of  its  former  abundance." 

The  extensive  range  of  the  Knot  is  a  matter  of  general  information, 
yet  as  is  often  the  case,  we  know  much  more  about  many  birds  with 
comparatively  restricted  habitat.  During  our  winter  it  reaches  Aus-  . 
tralia.  New  Zealand,  Damara  Land,  Africa,  but  in  America  it  has  not 
been  reported  south  of  Brazil.  Very  little  is  known  of  its  breeding 
grounds.     It  has  been  reported  building  from  such  far  north  points 


708  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

as  Melville  Peninsula,  shores  of  Smith  Sound,  north  Georgian  Islands, 
and  Grinnell  Land,  but  its  eggs  remained  absolutely  unknown,  until 
Lieut.  A.  W.  Greely  took  it  on  the  Lady  Franklin  Bay  expedition,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Conger,  latitude  81°  44'  N.  (The  Auk,  II,  p.  313). 

Subgenus  ACTODROMAS  Kaup. 

94.     (239).    Tringa  maculata  (Vieill.). 

Pectoral  Sandpiper. 

Middle  tail  feathers  pointed,  projecting  a  quarter  of  an  inch  beyond 
the  rest,  wedge-shaped  at  the  end,  dusky,  edged  with  lighter;  outer  tail 
feathers,  pale  brownish-gray,  edged  with  white;  rump  and  upper  tail 
coverts,  black,  the  under  feathers  of  latter,  whitish,  marked  with 
dusky;  above,  feathers  black,  each  one  bordered  with  light  clay  color, 
brighter  on  crown,  back,  scapulars  and  tertials,  throat  and  rest  of  un- 
der parts,  white;  below,  neck  and  breast,  light  grayish-buff,  streaked 
with  black.  This  species  resembles  T.  hairdii  but  is  larger,  has  black 
instead  of  dusky  upper  tail  coverts,  and  middle  tail  feathers  longer 
and  more  pointed. 

Length,  8.00-9.50;  wing,  about  5.00-5.50;  bill,  1.10-1.20;  tarsus, 
1.00-1.10. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  and  Chili  north  to  Arctic  Ocean. 
Breeds  in  north  Alaska  and  other  Arctic  regions.     "Winters  from 
West  Indies  to  South  America.    Accidental  in  Europe. 

Nest,  in  grass.  Eggs,  4,  pale  grayish-buff,  ranging  to  pale  olive- 
greenish,  boldly  and  heavily  blotched  with  rich  vandyke  brown;  1.44 
by  1.02. 

Common,  sometimes  abundant,  migrant,  generally  in  flocks.  A  few 
may  be  summer  residents. 

Usually  found  from  the  latter  part  of  March  to  May  1,  and  through 
September  and  October.  The  earliest  record  I  have  is  from  Vigo 
County,  March  17,  1897  (Kendrick).  I  have  also  the  following  early 
spring  records:  Brookville,  March  29,  1881;  Greencastle,  March  28, 
1894;  March  22,  1895  (Earlle);  Greensburg,  March  27,  1894;  March 
26,  1896  (Shannon);  Liverpool,  March  29,  1885;  Cook  County,  111., 
March  20,  1886  (Parker).  Some  years  the  first  reported  appearance  is 
much  later,  as  is  shown  by  the  following:  Brookville,  April  9,  1887; 
Greencastle,  April  8,  1890  (Earlle).  The  following  are  dates  when 
last  observed  in  spring  migrations:  Brookville,  May  6,  1881;  Knox 
County,  April  24,  1894  (Chansler);  English  Lake,  May  10,  1891; 
May  6,  1888  (Deane);  Laporte,  May  6,  1896  (Barber).  Sometimes 
they  are  seen  singly  or  in  small  flocks  of  five  to  twelve,  but  often  in 


Birds  of  Indiana,  709 

large  droves  of  forty  or  fifty  to  several  hundred.  They  frequent 
swampy  ground,  but  throughout  the  southern  part  of  the  State  I  have 
usually  found  them  most  abundant  upon  the  poorly  drained  and  wet 
meadows,  through  the  month  of  April. 

In  the  Whitewater  Valley  they  were  the  most  abundant  I  ever  saw 
them  the  spring  of  1881.  Their  unusual  abundance  throughout  the 
Wabash  Valley  was  noted  in  the  spring  of  1894. 

They  go  into  the  Arctic  regions  to  breed.  Mr.  Nelson  found  them 
breeding  in  Alaska  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  Eiver,  and  Mr.  Mur- 
dock  at  Point  Barrow.  The  former  gives  a  bit  of  his  experience  with 
these  birds  on  an  island  in  the  Yukon  delta  the  last  of  May,  1879. 
On  the  night  of  May  24th  as  he  lay  wrapped  in  his  blanket  with  the 
tent  flap  raised,  he  says:  "As  my  eyelids  began  to  droop  and  the  scene 
to  become  indistinct,  suddenly  a  low,  hollow,  booming  note  struck 
my  ear,  and  sent  my  thoughts  back  to  a  spring  morning  in  northern 
Illinois,  and  to  the  loud  vibrating  tones  of  the  prairie  chickens. 
Again  the  sound  came  nearer  and  more  distinct,  and  with  an  effort  I 
brought  myself  back  to  the  reality  of  my  position,  and  resting  upon 
one  elbow  listened;  a  few  seconds  passed  and  again  arose  the  note;  a 
moment  later,  and,  gun  in  hand,  I  stood  outside  the  tent.  The  open 
flat  extended  away  on  all  sides,  with  apparently  not  a  living  creature 
near.  Once  again  the  note  was  repeated  close  by,  and  a  glance  re- 
vealed its  author.  Standing  on  one  leg  in  the  thin  grasses  ten  or  fif- 
teen yards  from  me,  with  its  throat  inflated  until  it  was  as  large  as 
the  rest  of  the  bird,  was  a  male  A.  maculata.  The  note  is  deep,  hollow, 
and  resonant,  but  at  the  same  time  liquid  and  musical,  and  may  be 
represented  by  a  repetition  of  the  syllables  too-u,  too-u,  too-u,  too-u, 
too-u,  too-u,  too-u,  too-u.  Before  the  bird  utters  these  notes  it  fills 
its  oesophagus  with  air  to  such  an  extent  that  the  breast  and  throat 
are  inflated  to  twice  or  more  its  natural  size,  and  the  great  air  sack 
thus  formed  gives  the  peculiar  resonant  quality  to  the  note.  At  times 
the  male  rises  to  twenty  or  thirty  yards  in  the  air  and  inflating  its 
throat  glides  down  to  the  ground  with  its  sack  hanging  below.  Again 
he  crones  back  and  forth  in  front  of  the  female,  pufl&ng  his  breast  out 
and  bowing  from  side  to  side,  running  here  and  there  as  if  intoxicated 
with  passion.  Whenever  he  pursues  his  love-making,  his  rather  low 
but  pervading  note  swells  and  dies  in  musical  cadences,  which  form 
a  striking  part  in  the  great  bird  chorus  heard  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  in  the  north.  The  Eskimo  name  indicates  that  its  notes  are 
like  those  of  the  Walrus,  hence  the  term  "Walrus-talker,"  (N.  H. 
Coll.  in  Alaska,  pp.  108,  109). 


710  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

As  soon  as  the  breeding  season  is  over  they  begin  to  return  to  us. 
About  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan  they  are  seen  some  years  the 
latter  part  of  July.  In  Cook  County,  111.,  Mr.  Parker  found  them 
A^ery  abundant  July  17,  1893,  and  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn  found  them  con- 
tinuing abundant  through  the  remainder  of  July  and  well  into  Au- 
gust. That,  however,  is  an  unusual  occurrence,  the  like  of  which  has 
not  been  noted  in  twenty  years'  obsei-vations.  In  1889  they  were 
noted  August  10th  (Parker). 

They  become  common  in  September,  and  remain  so  into  October. 
Lafayette,  September  14  to  October  5,  1895  (Test).  Mr.  E.  W.  Nel- 
son says  it  sometimes  remains  in  northeastern  Illinois  until  November 
1.  Messrs.  Ulrey  and  Wallace  note  that  in  September  they  are  found 
in  great  abundance  along  the  Wabash  River  (Proc.  I.  A.  S.,  1895, 
p.  150). 

96.     (241).    Tringa  bairdii  Couts. 

Baird's  Sandpiper. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Middle  tail  feathers  not  projecting  to  any  de- 
gree beyond  the  rest  and  not  noticeably  pointed;  middle  upper  tail 
coverts,  dusky,  bordered  with  dull  clay-color,  the  lateral  ones,  white; 
middle  tail  feathers,  nearly  black,  others  light  brownish-gray,  all  nar- 
rowly edged  with  whitish.  Below,  chest,  pale  buff,  streaked  and 
spotted  with  dusky  grayish-brown;  throat,  sides  and  belly,  white. 
Crown,  pale  grayish-buff,  broadly  streaked  with  brownish-black;  scap- 
ulars and  interscapulars,  irregularly  spotted  with  brownish-black  and 
pale  grayish-buff,  the  former  largely  predominating. 

Adult  in  Winter. — Above,  nearly  uniform  grayish-brown  tinged 
with  clay  color;  jugulum  and  sides  deeply  suffused  with  clay- 
color  or  dirty  buff,  the  former  very  indistinctly  streaked.  Imma- 
ture.— Above,  light  buffy-brown,  streaked  with  dusky,  the  feath- 
ers of  the  back  and  the  scapulars,  blackish,  conspicuously  bordered 
terminally  with  dull  white;  wing  coverts,  dark  grayish,  also  bordered 
terminally  with  white  or  light  buff.  Jugulum  suffused  with  buff  and 
indistinctly  streaked. 

Length,  7.00-7.60;  wing,  4.60-4.85;  bill,  .90-1.00;  tarsus,  1.00. 

Range. — America,  from  Patagonia  and  Chili,  northward  chiefly 
through  interior  of  North  America  to  Arctic  regions;  rare  on  Atlantic 
coast.  Not  reported  from  Pacific  coast  of  North  America.  Breeds  in 
Alaska  and  the  Barren  Grounds,  and  winters  south  to  limit  of  iU 
range. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  711 

Nest,  a  slight  depression  in  the  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs, 
"3-4,  light  creamy  buff,  sometimes  tinged  with  rusty,  thickly  speckled, 
or  spotted  with  deep  reddish-brown  or  chestnut;  1.30  by  .93. 

Rare  migrant.  Up  to  this  time  it  has  been  taken  in  Indiana  but 
twice,  both  times  in  August.  In  fact  the  single  instance  given  by  Dr. 
Wheaton  (Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  176)  in  March,  is,  except  the  general  ref- 
erence given  by  Nelson  (Birds  of  N.  E.  111.,  p.  127)  the  only  one  of 
its  occurrence  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  or  the  upper  lake  basin  at  that 
season,  that  has  come  to  my  notice. 

It  seems  to  be  common  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska  in  spring  (Cooke 
Bird  Mig.  in  Miss.  Valley,  p.  93)  and  may  pass  north  through  this 
western  route. 

Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  took  a  single  specimen  August  26,  1893,  at  Wa- 
bash, and  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  has  a  male  taken  at  Miller's,  Ind.,  Au- 
gust 24,  1896.  He  was  in  company  with  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff,  who  in- 
forms me  that  they  saw  several,  probably  five,  of  these  birds.  Mr. 
Parker  also  has  a  female  taken  at  Mud  Lake,  Cook  County,  111.,  Au- 
gust 22,  1893.  It  has  been  taken  in  Michigan,  August  15,  1893  (Co- 
vert), August  20,  1895  (Milliken). 

In  Ohio  it  has  been  reported  by  Dr.  Wheaton  in  September  and 
October.  The  latest  date  being  one  noted  by  Dury  and  Freeman, 
October  27,  1878,  at  Cincinnati. 

This  bird  is  much  more  numerous  farther  west,  where,  in  some 
parts.  Dr.  Coues  says  it  is  the  most  abundant  small  sandpiper  during 
migrations. 


96.     (242).    Tringa  minutilla  Vieill. 

Least  Sandpiper. 

Upper  parts  in  summer,  with  each  feather  blackish  centrally,  edged 
with  light  bay  and  tipped  with  ashy  or  white;  in  winter,  and  in  the 
immature,  simply  ashy;  tail  feathers,  gray,  with  whitish  edges,  the 
central,  blackish,  usually  with  reddish  edges;  crown  not  conspicuously 
different  from  hind  neck;  chestnut  edgings  of  scapulars  usually  scal- 
loped; below,  white,  the  jugulum  with  dusky  streaks  and  an  ashy  or 
brownish  suffusion;  bill,  black;  legs,  dusky  greenish.  Smallest  of  the 
Sandpipers. 

Length,  5.00-6.75;  wing,  3.50-3.75;  bill,  .75-.92;  tarsus,  .75. 

Eaxge. — The  whole  of  America,  breeding  almost  if  not  entirely 
north  of  United  States;  winters  from  Gulf  coast  south.  Accidental  in 
Europe. 


713  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  a  depression  in  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  3-4;  pale 
grayish-buffy,  varying  to  pale  brownish.,  thickly  spotted,  speckled  or 
sprinkled  with  deep  chestnut  and  dull  purplish-gray;  1.15  by  .83. 

Migrant;  in  spring  not  common.  They  pass  northward  through 
May,  when  they  are  found  in  small  flocks  and  return,  some  years, 
about  July  20;  leave  the  last  of  August  or  early  in  September.  In  the 
fall  they  are  much  more  numerous,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, are  often  common,  being  frequently  found  in  company  with  Semi- 
palmated  Sandpipers.  Mr.  Nelson  found  it  nesting  in  Cook  County, 
111.  (Birds  N.  E.  111.,  p.  127). 

The  earliest  date  at  which  it  has  been  noted  in  this  State  is  May  2, 
1890,  at  Waterloo  (Snyder).  It  was  noted  at  Greencastle  in  1891,  May 
4  (Hughes);  in  1892,  May  14,  and  last  seen  May  26;  in  1895,  May  11 
(Earlle).  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  tells  me  one  was  shot  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan,  in  Lake  County,  Ind.,  by  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Clingman,  June  1, 
1879.  Mud  Lake,  Cook  County,  111.,  is  a  favorite  feeding  ground  of 
these  birds,  as  in  fact  of  all  the  Sandpipers  and  other  small  shore  birds. 
It  may  be  used  as  a  calendar  for  recording  their  arrival  and  departure. 
Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn  obtained  three,  there,  from  a  flock  of  about  twenty, 
July  3,  1893,  and  he  found  them  afterwards  through  July  and  August 
at  the  same  place. 

There  Mr.  Parker  found  the  Least  Sandpiper  July  19,  1893,  and 
from  that  time  until  August  8th,  they  were  noted.  He  found  them 
common  August  15, 1887,  and  observed  two  at  Cheltenham,  September 
6,  1889.  It  was  found  at  Wolf  Lake  May  23  and  30,  1896  (Tallman). 
Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  obtained  it  at  Hedley's  Lake,  near  La- 
fayette, September  6,  1894.  One  specimen  was  taken  from  a  flock  of 
Solitary  Sandpipers  in  Wabash  County  August  29,  1893  (Ulrey  and 
Wallace  P.  I.  A.  S.,  1895,  p.  150).  I  found  one  at  Brookville  August 
28,  1897. 

These  little  Sandpipers  and  their  companions  are  commonly  called 
in  many  localities,  "Peeps."  Nuttall  says  that  "for  the  discovery  of 
their  food  their  flexible  and  sensitive  awl-like  bills,  are  probed  into 
the  mire,  marshy  soil  or  wxt  sand,  in  the  manner  of  the  snipe  and 
woodcock,  and  in  this  way  they  discover  and  rout  from  their  hidden  re- 
treats, the  larvae  and  the  soft  worms,  which  form  a  principal  part  of 
their  fare.  At  other  times  they  also  give  chase  to  insects  and  pursue 
their  calling  with  amusing  alacrity." 

"Fogs  hang  low  and  heavy  over  rock-girdled  Labrador.  Angry 
waves  pallid  with  rage  exhaust  themselves  to  encroach  upon  the  stern 
shores,  and  bafiled,  sink  back  howling  into  the  depths.  Winds  shriek 
as  they  course  from  crag  to  crag  in  mad  career,  till  the  humble  mosses 


Birds  of  Indiana.  713 

that  clothe  the  rocks  crouch  lower  still  in  fear.  Overhead  the  Sea  Gulls 
scream  as  they  winnow,  and  the  Murres,  all  silent,  ply  eager  oars  to 
escape  the  hlast.  What  is  here  to  entice  the  steps  of  the  delicate 
birds?  Yet  they  have  come,  urged  by  resistless  impulse,  and  have 
made  a  nest  on  the  ground  in  some  half-sheltered  nook.  The  material 
was  ready  at  hand,  in  the  mossy  covering  of  the  earth,  and  little  care 
or  thought  was  needed  to  fashion  a  little  bunch  into  a  little  home. 
Four  eggs  laid  (they  are  buffy-yellow,  thickly  spotted  over  with  brown 
and  drab),  with  the  points  together,  that  they  may  take  up  less  room 
and  be  more  warmly  covered;  there  is  need  of  this,  such  large  eggs 
belonging  to  so  small  a  bird.  As  we  draw  near,  the  mother  sees  us 
and  nestles  closer  still  over  her  treasures,  quite  hiding  them  in  the 
covering  of  her  breast,  and  watches  us  with  timid  eyes,  all  anxiety  for 
the  safety  of  what  is  dearer  to  her  than  her  own  life.  Her  mate  stands 
motionless,  but  not  unmoved,  hard  by,  not  venturing  even  to  chirp  the 
note  of  encouragement  and  sympathy  she  loves  to  hear.    • 

"Alas!  hope  fades  and  dies  out,  leaving  only  fear;  there  is  no  further 
concealment — we  are  almost  upon  the  nest — almost  trodden  upon,  she 
springs  up  with  a  piteous  cry  and  flies  a  little  distance,  realighting,  al- 
most beside  herself  with  grief,  for  she  knows  only  too  well  what  is  to 
be  feared  at  such  a  time.  If  there  were  hope  for  her  that  her  nest 
were  undiscovered,  she  might  dissimulate  and  try  to  entice  us  away  by 
those  touching  deceits  that  maternal  love  inspires.  But  we  are  actually 
bending  over  her  treasures,  and  deceptions  would  be  in  vain;  her  grief 
is  too  great  to  be  witnessed  unmoved,  still  less  portrayed;  nor  can  we, 
deaf  to  her  beseeching,  change  it  into  despair.  We  have  seen  and  ad- 
mired the  home — ^there  is  no  excuse  for  making  it  desolate;  we  have 
not  so  much  as  touched  one  of  the  precious  eggs,  and  will  leave  them 
to  her  renewed  and  patient  care."  (Coues,  Birds  of  N.  W.,  p.  483). 

Subgenus  Pklidna  Cuvier. 

97.     (243a).    Tringa  alpina  pacifica   (Coues). 

Red-backed   Sandpiper. 

Synonyms,  American  Dunlin,  Black  Breast. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  chestnut,  each  feather  with  a  central 
black  field,  and  most  of  them  whitish-tipped;  rump  and  upper  tail 
coverts,  blackish;  tail  feathers  and  wing  coverts,  ashy-gray;  quills, 
dusky  with  pale  shafts;  secondaries,  mostly  white,  and  inner  primaries, 
edged  with  the  same;  under  parts,  white;  belly,  with  a  broad,  jet  black 
area;  breast  and  jugulum,  thickly  streaked  with  dusky;  bill  and  feet. 


•M^:  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

black.  Adult  in  Winter,  and  Immature. — Above,  plain  ashy-gray,. 
with  dark  shaft-lines,  with  or  .without  red  or  black  traces;  below,. 
white;  little  or  no  trace  of  black  on  the  belly;  jugulnm,  with  a  few 
dusky  streaks  and  an  ashy  suffusion. 

Length,  7.60^8.75;  wing,  4.60-4.95;  bill,  1.40-1.75;  tarsus,  1.00-1.15. 

Range. — North  America  in  general;  breeds  in  Alaska  and  Arctic 
regions  and  eastern  Asia.  Winters  from  Gulf  coast  south;  except 
about  Great  Lakes,  rare  in  the  interior. 

Nest,  a  depression  in  ground  lined  with  grass  or  leaves.  Eggs,  3-4; 
brownish-grayish  or  olive  buff,  blotched,  spotted  and  stained  with 
chestnut-brown;  1.43  by  1.01. 

Migrant  the  latter  part  of  May,  early  in  June  and  October.  Some- 
times abundant  about  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the  small 
lakes  near  there,  in  full  breeding  plumage,  in  May;  elsewhere  rare. 

Mr.  Geo.  F.  Clingman  obtained  a  specimen  of  this  bird  from  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  Lake  County,  June  1,  1879  (Coale).  Mr. 
C.  A.  Tallman  informs  me,  he  has  taken  it  at  Wolf  Lake,  in  Indiana. 

The  earliest  record  I  have  is  from  Mr.  R.  Blackwelder,  who  took  it 
in  Cook  County  May  18,  1895.  Mr.  Tallman  took  it  in  the  same 
county  May  23  and  30,  1896.  May  25,  1887,  in  company  with  Mr.  H. 
K.  Coale,  I  found  it  very  abundant,  in  full  plumage,  between  Grand 
Crossing,  111.,  and  the  Indiana  line,  and  took  several  specimens. 

Mr.  F.  L.  Washburn  obtained  it  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  May  14,  1888. 
Mr.  Nelson  notes  its  occurrence  as  late  as  June  5,  and  in  the  fall  says 
it  returns  in  winter  dress  during  September,  and  remains  well  into 
October  (Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  pp.  127,  128).  It  does  not 
seem  to  be  as  plentiful  in  fall.  Mr.  Tallman  informs  me  of  taking  two 
specimens  at  Calumet  Lake  in  October  and  one  at  Mud  Lake  October 
12,  1893. 

In  Alaska  it  breeds  abundantly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  on  the 
shores  of  Norton^s  Sound  and  at  Point  Barrow,  where  they  arrive  from 
the  10th  to  the  end  of  May.  They  nest  from  the  first  of  June  to  the 
first  of  July.  The  young  are  mostly  on  the  wing  toward  the  end  of 
the  latter  month,  and  the  birds  begin  to  gather  into  flocks  along  the 
muddy  edges  of  the  brackish  pools  and  banks  of  tide  creeks.  They 
leave  in  October  (Nelson,  N.  H.  Coll.  in  Alaska,  pp.  110,  111). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  Tlo 

50.    Gknus  EREUNETES  Illigkr. 

98.     (246).    Ereunetes  pusillus   (Linn.) 

Semipalmated  Sandpiper. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  variegated  with  black,  bay  and  ashy 
•or  white,  each  feather  with  a  black  field,  reddish  edge  and  whitish  tip; 
rumiD  and  upper  tail  coverts,  except  the  lateral  ones,  blackish;  tail 
feathers,  ashy-gray,  the  central  darker;  primaries,  dusky,  the  shaft  of 
the  first,  white;  a  dusky  line  from  the  bill  to  the  eye,  and  a  white 
superciliary  line;  below,  pure  white,  usually  rufescent  on  the  breast, 
and  with  more  or  less  dusky  speckling  on  the  throat,  breast  and  sides; 
in  young  birds,  usually  wanting;  in  winter  the  upper  parts  mostly 
plain  ashy-gray;  but  in  any  plumage  or  under  any  variation  the  spe- 
cies is  known  by  its  small  size  and  semipalmated  feet. 

Length,  5.25-6.75;  wing,  3.65-3.90  (in  male);  wing,  3.85-4.00  (in 
female);  bil],  .68-.75  (.72)  in  male;  bill,  .80-.92  (.84)  in  female. 

Range.— America,  from  Brazil,  north  to  Arctic  coast.  Breeds  from 
Labrador  and  Hudson  Bay  northward.  Winters  from  Gulf  coast 
southward. 

Nest,  slight  hollow  in  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  3-4;  pale, 
dull,  grayish-buff,  speckled  or  spotted  with  dark  brown  and  purplish- 
gray;  1.21  by  .85. 

Migrant;  generally  uncommon,  but  often  common  and  perhaps  sum- 
mer resident  in  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  more  numerous  in 
spring  than  the  Least  Sandpiper,  with  which  it  is  often  found.  In 
spring-  They  have  been  noted  from  the  latter  part  of  April  into  the 
beginning  of  June.  It  is  most  numerous  in  May.  Prof.  Evermann 
noted  it  in  Carroll  County,  April  24,  1884,  and  April  21,  1885.  Mr. 
J.  0.  Dunn  found  it  common  in  Cook  County,  Illinois,  June  9,  1894, 
and  obtained  six  specimens.  Mr.  Nelson  notes  that  "many  remain 
through  summer.  From  repeated  dissections,  I  am  confident  that 
these  are  barren  birds,  and  probably,  as  Mr.  Maynard  suggests,  young 
of  the  preceding  y-ear"  (Birds  of  Northeastern  IllinoivS,  pp.  126,  127), 
Mr.  Dunn  has  also  taken  it  there  July  27,  1893,  still  in  summer  plum- 
age.   And  Mr.  Parker  reports  it  July  17  and  July  26,  1893. 

This  is  another  instance  of  the  unusually  early  migration  of  such 
species  that  year.  Usually  they  do  not  appear  until  after  the  middle 
of  August  and  remain  into  September,  occasionally  to  October.  Mr. 
Parker  noted  it  August  19,  1896,  in  Cook  County,  Illinois,  and  August 
24,  1896,  at  Miller's,  Tnd. 

Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  took  a  specimen  in  Vermillion  County,  Indiana, 
August  .'^0  and  31,  1897.    Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  it  near 


716  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Lafayette,  at  Hedley^s  Lake,  September  6,  1894,  and  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn 
shot  one  from  a  flock  of  five  small  Sandpipers  at  Peru  October  2, 
1893.  It  had  lost  one  foot  and  the  wound  had  healed.  It  has  also 
been  reported  from  Lake  County  (Woodruff,  Aiken);  Chalmers  and 
English  Lake  (Dury);  Steuben  County  (H.  W.  McBride);  Putnam 
County  (Clearwaters).  I  have  never  seen  it  in  the  Whitewater  Valley. 
The  extremely  early  apearance  of  a  number  of  the  Limicolas,  including 
the  Pectoral  and  Least  Sandpipers  and  this  species  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  about  the  middle  of  July,  will  be  noted. 


51.    Genus  CALIDRIS  Cuvieb. 

99.     (248).    Calidris  arenaria  (Linn.). 

Sanderling. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  feathers  with  black  centers  edged  with 
rufous  or  grayish  and  often  tipped  with  whitish;  head,  neck,  throat 
and  jugulum,  pale  cinnamon-rufous,  speckled  below  and  streaked 
above  with  blackish;  lower  parts,  white;  greater  wing  coverts,  broadly 
tipped  with  white,  and  outer  webs  of  inner  primaries  white  at  their 
base.  Adult  in  Winter, — Above,  pale  gray,  spotted  with  black  and 
whitish,  the  latter  at  tips  of  feathers;  jugulum,  white,  unspotted, 
faintly  tinged  with  dull  buff. 

Length,  7.00-8.75;  wing,  4.70-5.00;  bill,  .95-1.00;  tarsus,  .90-1.05. 

Eange. — Nearly  cosmopolitan,  but  breeding  only  in  Arctic  and 
subarctic  districts;  abundant  in  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  north  to 
Arctic  coast,  migrating  south  to  Patagonia  and  Chili.  Chiefly  littoral, 
but  frequenting  also  the  larger  inland  waters. 

Nest,  a  hollow  in  ground,  lined  with  grass  and  leaves.  Eggs,  3-4; 
light  olive  brown,  finely  spotted  wdth  darker,  the  markings  larger  and 
more  blended  on  larger  end;  1.41  by  .91. 

Migrant;  most  places  rare,  but  very  common  in  late  summer  and 
fall  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  and  perhaps  along  the  Ohio  River. 

Mr.  Nelson  notes  it  from  about  the  20th  of  May  to  the  10th  of  June, 
but  in  all  the  observations  that  have  come  to  my  notice  I  have  never 
found  it  reported  at  that  season.  They  appear  usually  in  flocks  of 
five  to  fifty  birds  by  themselves,  but  are  occasionally  associated  with 
other  Sandpipers,  particularly  the  Semipalmated  and  Pectoral, 
through  August.  Of  those  first  arriving  about  one-third  are  adults, 
with  the  reddish,  spotted  throat  of  the  breeding  plumage.  They  were 
common  at  Miller's,  Ind.,  August  1,  1897.  There  was  found  a  large 
flock  of  Sandpipers,  many  of  which  were  Sanderlings.     Two  weeks 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  717 

later,  on  August  14,  at  the  same  place,  this  species  was  scarce  (Wood- 
ruff). 

Mr.  Parkcjr  reports  them  from  same  section  August  24,  1896,  when 
he  found  them  common,  and  collected  both  adults,  in  rich  breeding 
plumage,  and  young.  In  1886  he  noted  it  in  Cook  County,  Illinois, 
August  28.  He  thinks  they  are  not  so  common  in  late  years.  Mr. 
H.  K.  Coale  found  them  common  on  September  11,  1881.  He  saw 
them  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  Lake  County,  Indiana.  He 
saw  them  there  again  September  2,  1883,  and  had  seen  them  Septem- 
ber 25, 1875.  He  informed  me  they  were  very  abundant,  and  that  the 
feathers  were  "full  of  parasites.'^  This  is  the  latest  record  I  have,  but 
Mr.  Nelson  has  them  recorded  from  Cook  County,  Illinois;  as  late  as 
October  20.  Mr.  George  L.  Toppan  has  also  observed  it  in  Lake  Coun- 
ty, Indiana.  Mr.  Dury  IhinJvs  he  had  a  specimen  from  English  Lake, 
but  has  not  been  able  to  find  it.  In  Ohio  it  is  common  on  Lake  Erie 
near  Cleveland.  Dr.  Langdon  notes  it  on  tlie  Ohio  River  near  Cincin- 
nati, where  it  was  also  taken  by  Dury  and  Freeman  September  15, 
1878.  Dr.Wheaton  took  it  near  Columbus  in  October,  1874(Wheaton, 
Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  479). 

52.    Uknus  LIMOSA  Brisson. 

a^  Tail  distinctly  barred ;  win;,' over  8.50.  L.  fedoa     (Linn.).     100 

a^.  Tail  black,  white  at  base  and  tip;  wing  under  8.50. 

L.  haemastica  (Linn.).     101 

100.     (249)     Limosa  fedoa  (Linn.). 

Marbled  Godwit. 

Tail,  barred  throughout  with  black  and  rufous;  rump  and  upper 
tail  coverts  like  the  back;  no  pure  white  anywhere;  general  plumage, 
rufous  or  cinnamon-brown;  below,  breast,  sides  and  flanks,  barred  with 
dusky;  above,  variegated  with  black  and  brown  or  gray;  quills,  rufous 
and  black;  bill,  flesh-color,  largely  tipped  with  black;  feet,  dark;  large. 
Immature. — Breast,  sides  and  flanks,  immaculate. 

Length,  16.50-20.50;  wing,  8.95-9.00;  bill,  3.50-5.06;  tarsus,  2.75- 
3.00. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Central  America  and  Cuba  north- 
ward to  Manitoba  and  Saskatchewan.  Breeding  chiefly,  in  the  inte- 
rior from  Iowa  and  Nebraska  northward.  Winters  from  Gulf  coast 
southward. 

Nest,  on  prairie,  usually  near  water.  Eggs,  3-4;  olive-drab  to  buffy, 
irregularly  blotched  and  spotted  with  dark  brown  and  purplish  gray; 
2.27  by  1.60. 


718  Report  of  State  GEOLOGib." 

Rare  migrant.  In  former  years  it  was  common,  an'A  possibly  bred. 
It  is  reported  as  breeding  in  Ohio,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa  fDavie).  Mr. 
Chas.  Dury  tells  me  it  was  abundant  at  Chalmers,  Ind.,  i.^  years  past. 
In  Carroll  County  Prof.  Evermann  found  it  in  April,  188 '.  This  is 
the  only  recent  record  I  can  find.  Though  in  1876  Mr.  N^lsou  con- 
sidered it  a  rather  common  migrant,  April  15  to  May  15,  and  Septem- 
ber 10  to  October  20. 

This  bird  is  much  more  abundant  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
whepe  it  was  found  breeding  abundantly  in  Traverse  Lake  region,  in 
western  Minnesota,  by  Messrs.  Roberts  and  Benner  (B.  N".  0.  C,  Vol. 
Y,  1880,  pp.  13,  18).    It  also  breeds  in  Manitoba. 

101.     (251).    Limosa  haemastica  (Linn.). 

Hudsonian  Godwit. 

Adult. — Smaller  than  last  species;  above,  blackish-brown,  irregu- 
lariy  spotted,  and  barred  with  pale  ochraceous;  rump,  blackish;  upper 
tail  coverts,  white;  tail,  black,  white  at  base  and  (narrowly)  at  tip; 
primaries,  brownish-black,  their  shafts  white;  below,  chestnut-rufous, 
barred  with  black  and  sometimes  tipped  with  whitish;  lining  of  wings 
and  axillars,  black.  Adult  in  Whiter  and  Immature. — Above,  plain 
brownish-gray;  below,  white;  breast,  shaded  with  brownish-gray  or 
buffy. 

Length,  14.00-16.75;  wing,  8.10-8.60;  culmen,  2.85-3.45;  tarsus, 
2.25-2.50. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America  and  the  whole  of  middle  and 
South  America.  Breeds  only  in  the  high  north,  notably  on  the  Barren 
Grounds  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Winters  south  beyond  the  United 
States. 

Nest,  a  depression  in  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  4;  deep  olive 
with  light  and  dark  brown  spots;  2.20  by  1.42. 

Rare  migrant.  I  know  of  no  recent  instance  of  its  capture.  In 
1879  Dr.  Brayton  said  it  was  not  very  rare  about  Lake  Michigan. 
This  wa5  substantially  as  Mr.  Nelson  found  it  in  1876,  when  he  noted 
it  as  occurring  from  April  15  to  May  10,  and  September  to  the  first 
of  October  (Birds  of  Northeastern  Illinois,  p.  128).  Now  I  consider  it 
of  ver}'  rare  occurrence.  I  failed  to  get  any  records  from  my  corre- 
spondents either  in  Illinois  or  Indiana  within  the  last  fifteen  years. 
Mr.  Ridgway  gives  it  as  an  abundant  migrant. 

It  has  been  seen  by  Mr.  McU wraith  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  and  Dr. 
Wheaton  notes  it  from  Ohio.  It  prefers  to  migrate  along  the  Atlantic 
coast. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


719 


53.    Gknus  TOTANUS  Bechstein. 

a^  Middle  toe  not  more  than  half  as  long  as  tarsus;  legs  yellow. 
Subgenus  Glottis  Koch. 
6^  Wing  over  7.00.  T.  melanoleucus  (Guuel.).     102 

b^.  Wing  under  7.00.  T.  flavipes  (Grael.).     103 

a^.  Middle   toe  nearly  or  tjuite  as  long  as  tarsus;    legs  not  yellow. 

Subgenus  Helodromas  Kaup.  T.  solitarius  (Wils.).     104 

Subgenus  Glottis  Koch. 

102.     (254).    Totanus  melanoleucus  (Gmel.). 

Greater  Yellow-legs. 


Head  and  foot  of  Greater  Yellow-legs.    Natural  size. 


Bill,  straight  or  slightly  bent  upwards,  very  slender,  grooved  half 
its  length  or  less,  black;  legs,  long  and  slender,  yellow;  in  summer, 
ashy-brown;  above,  varied  with  black  and  speckled  with  whitish;  be- 
low, white;  jugulum,  streaked;  breast,  sides  and  crissnm,  speckled  or 
barred  with  blackish,  these  latter  marks,  fewer  or  wanting  in  winter 
and  in  young;  upper  tail  coverts,  white,  with  dark  bars;  tail  feathers, 
marbled  or  barred  with  ashy  or  white;  quills,  blackish;  large. 

Length,  about  14.00;  wing,  7.50-7.75;  bill,  3.20-2.30;  tarsus,  2.60- 
2.75. 

Range. — America  in  general,  breeding  from  Iowa  and  possibly 
northern  Illinois  northward,  south  to  Patagonia.  Winters  from  Gulf 
coast  southward. 

Nest,  a  depjession  in  ground,  lined  with  grass."  Fggs,  3-4;  brown- 
ish-buff y,  irregularly  spotted  with  rich  Vandyke  or  marbled  brown; 
1.43  by  1.20. 

Migrant,  tolerably  common  in  suitable  places,  northward,  but  rare 
in  the  southern  half  of  the  State.     They  arrive  about  March  20  to 


720  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

April  15;  are  most  numerous  in  April;  some  are  seen  in  May  and  oc- 
casionally in  June.  Perhaps  a  rare  summer  resident  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  It  was  first  observed  in  Vigo  County,  where  it 
has  been  taken  earliest  in  spring — March  19, 1887  (Evermann);  March 
27,  1888  (Blatchley),  and  March  20,  1896  (Kendrick).  At  Brookville 
its  earliest  spring  record  is  March  26,  1887,  while  in  1883  it  was  not 
noted  until  April  7.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker  has  observed  it  at  Liverpool, 
Ind.,  March  30,  1895,  though  he  reports  it  as  early  as  March  20  from 
Cook  County,  Illinois.  In  1883  it  was  last  noted  at  Brookville  May  6, 
but  in  1884  it  was  seen  May  16.  In  1896  it  was  last  seen  at  Laporte 
May  6  (Barber),  and  in  1888  they  were  reported  from  English  Lake 
June  3  (Deane). 

In  the  southern  half  of  the  State  it  is  more  often  reported  in  spring, 
when  it  frequents  the  edges  of  ponds  and  water  courses,  marshes  and 
wet  meadows,  but  in  the  northern  portion,  among  the  lakes  and 
marshes,  it  is  more  common  in  late  summer  and  early  fall.  Mr.  Parker 
has  observed  it  to  be  most  common  northward  during  August.  It  was 
observed  by  Mr.  C.  L.  Cass  at  Clear  Lake,  Steuben  County,  August 
23,  1894.  Generally,  however,  they  appear  in  September,  passing 
southward  late  in  that  month  and  in  November. 

Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  observed  a  number,  and  shot  two,  in  Wabash 
County,  along  the  Wabash  Eiver,  September  24,  1893.  Messrs.  L.  A. 
and  C.  D.  Test  noted  it  at  Lafayette  last,  October  21,  1895.  In  Illi- 
nois, in  June,  1875,  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  found  several  of  these  birds 
about  the  Calumet  marshes,  where,  from  their  actions,  he  was  certain 
they  were  breeding,  but  did  not  find  their  nests.  The  10th  of  June, 
1876,  Mr.  Rice  observed  a  pair  about  a  prairie  slough  near  Evanston; 
a  few  days  later  a  set  of  eggs  was  brought  to  him,  which  from  the 
description  of  the  bird,  which  was  driven  from  the  nest,  both  he  and 
Mr.  Nelson  decided  must  belong  to  this  bird.  "The  nest  was  situated 
in  a  slight  depression  at  the  base  of  a  small  hillock  at  the  border  of  a 
prairie  slough,  and  was  composed  of  grass  and  blades.  The  eggs 
measure,  respectively  1.70  by  1.30,  1.72  by  1.31,  1.74  by  1.32,  1.80  by 
1.38  inches.  The  ground  color  is  a  deep  grayish-white,  marked  on 
three  eggs  with  spots  of  dark  brown  and  on  the  other  egg  with  spots 
and  well-defined  blotches  of  a  considerably  lighter  shade  of  the  same. 
In  addition  there  are  shell  markings  and  obscure  spots  of  lilac.  The 
markings  are  disposed  quite  abundantly  over  the  surface  of  the  egg, 
but  are  more  numerous  about  the  larger  end''  (Birds  of  Northeastern 
Illinois,  pp.  128,  129).  Both  Mr.  Meyer  and  Mr.  Tallman  have  been 
unable  to  determine  its  nesting  at  the  present  time,  either  in  Cook 
County,  Illinois,  or  Lake  County,  Indiana. 


BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  721 

*103.     (-255).    Totanus  flavipes  (Gmel.). 

Yellow-legs. 

A  miniature  of  the  last;  colors,  precisely  the  same;  legs,  compara- 
tively longer;  bill,  grooved  rather  farther.  May  always  be  distin- 
guished by  its  smaller  size. 

Length,  10.50-11.00;  wing,  5.50-6.50;  bill,  1.30-1.55;  tarsus,  2.00. 

Eange. — America,  from  Patagonia  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Breeds 
principally  in  the  interior  from  northern  Illinois  and  Minnesota 
northward.    Winters  from  Gulf  coast  southward. 

Nest,  a  hollow  in  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  3-4;  color,  varia- 
ble, usually  buffy,  spotted  or  blotched  with  dark  madder  or  vandyke 
brown  and  purplish-gray;  1.69  by  1.15. 

Common  migrant;  much  more  numerous  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  where  some  are  summer  residents  and  breed.  More  common  in 
the  fall,  when  they  are  often  found  associated  with  other  kinds  of 
Sandpipers  on  mud  flats  and  shores.  In  the  spring  they  sometimes 
begin  to  arrive  by  April  1,  and  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  they  have 
left  the  greater  part  of  the  State,  though  in  the  northern  part  they 
sometimes  are  found  well  towards  the  middle  of  May. 

The  earliest  arrivals  in  spring  were  in  1895.  That  year  Mr.  Parker 
took  one  at  Liverpool,  Ind.,  March  30,  and  Mr.  Earlle,  one,  April  1,  at 
Greencastle.  The  last  report  from  southern  Indiana  that  spring  was 
from  Bloomington,  where  it  was  noted  April  '^Q  (Juday).  In  the  White- 
water Valley  its  earliest  arrival  at  Brookville  is  April  7  (1883)  and  the 
latest  first  arrival  April  17  (1884  and  1896).  In  1896  it  was  last  seen 
at  Laporte  May  8  (Barber).  In  1890  flocks  were  seen  at  English  Lake 
May  4  and  11,  and  in  1891,  on  May  10,  several  large  flocks  were 
noted.  There  was  quite  a  flight  all  day  (Deane).  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer 
tells  me  he  found  its  nest  and  obtained  a  set  of  four  eggs  in  the  Calu- 
met marsh.  Lake  County,  in  1885. 

In  1893  they  appeared  there  on  the  return  migration,  the  earliest  I 
have  ever  known  them.  That  year  was  very  dry,  and  the  continued 
drouth  had  almost  exhausted  the  water  in  Mud  Lake,  111.,  and  left  its 
soft  bottom  an  exposed  mud  flat.  This,  which  had  been  a  favorite 
feeding  ground  in  fall,  was  unusually  attractive  to  them  that  year. 
Perhaps  the  dry  weather  extended  far  enough  north  to  influence  the 
shore  birds  in  their  early  movement.  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn  found  them 
July  3,  1893,  at  Mud  Lake  in  a  flock,  and  shot  two.  One  that  he  shot 
from  a  flock  of  Least  Sandpipers  had  one  foot  ofl^.  He  notes  that  a 
good  portion  of  the  Sandpipers  shot  had  legs  and  toes  missing.  On 
August  2,  while  wading  on  the  flat,  a  Yellow-legs  alighted  and  began 
46— Geol 


722  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

to  feed  within  twenty  feet  of  him.  It  was  shot  and  found  to  be  in 
very  poor  condition  and  in  winter  plumage.  Mr.  Parker  also  found 
them  very  abundant  at  Mud  Lake  July  25,  1893. 

These  birds  and  the  last  species  usually  are  quite  watchful.  They 
associate  with  other  smaller  waders,  and  when  their  sharp  eyes  discern 
danger,  their  loud  cries  warn  the  company,  which  seek  safety  in 
flight.  For  this  habit  they  have  been  called  by  shooters,  "Tattlers" 
and  "Telltales,"  by  which  names  they  are  generally  known.  In  1894 
Mr.  Dunn  found  them  common  at  Bass  Lake,  Starke  County,  Indiana, 
from  July  28  to  August  6,  and  in  1896  Mr.  C.  A.  Tallman  saw  two  in 
Cook  County,  Illinois,  July  24. 

Mr.  C.  Grave  found  them  on  the  Kankakee  Kiver  August  8,  1892. 
August  1  to  15,  1889,  they  were  very  common  in  all  the  marshes  about 
Chicago  (Parker). 

Throughout  August  they  continue  arriving  at  these  attractive 
grounds  in  northern  Indiana.  September  1,  1889,  they  were  very 
abundant  at  Water  Valley.  Very  large  flocks  were  seen  all  day 
(Deane).  In  September  they  are  observed  farther  south.  By  the  10th 
of  that  month  most  of  them  have  left  the  northern  part  of  the  State, 
while  some  linger  on  their  journey  southward  well  towards  the  end 
of  the  month.  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  September  29,  1894  (Cass);  Brook- 
ville,  Ind.,  September  21,  1885. 


Subgenus  Hklodromas  (Kaup). 

*104.     (256).    Totanus  solitarius  (Wils  ). 

Solitary   Sandpiper. 

Bill,  perfectly  straight,  very  slender,  grooved  little  beyond  its  mid- 
dle; dark  lustrous  olive-brown  tinged  with  greenish,  streaked  on  the 
head  and  neck;  elsewhere  finely  speckled  with  whitish;  jugulum, 
and  sides  of  neck,  with  brownish  suffusion  and  dusky  streaks;  rump 
and  upper  tail  coverts,  like  the  back;  tail,  axillars  and  lining  of  wings, 
beautifully  barred  with  black  and  white;  quills,  entirely  blackish;  bill 
and  feet,  very  dark  olive-green. 

Length,  7.50-8.60;  wing,  5.00-5.40;  bill,  1.15-1.30;  tarsus,  1.25-1.90. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  north  to  Alaska.  Breeds  from  In- 
diana, Ohio  and  Vermont  northward.  Winters  south  of  United 
States. 

Nest,  see  notes  on  nest  and  eggs  below. 

Common  migrant;  summer  resident  in  some  numbers  northward. 
Breeds.    This  bird  is  solitary  in  its  habits.    It  is  usually  found  alone. 


Birds  of  Indiana.        '  723 

by  some  creek  or  ditch  or  secluded  river  bar^  or  on  the  edge  of  a 
pond,  or  woodland  pool.    At  times  they,  also,  are  found  in  small  flocks. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  unsatisfactory  birds  upon  which  to  work. 
Both  as  regards  its  migrations  and  its  breeding,  much  information  is 
desired.  At  Brookville  I  have  never  found  it  earlier  than  April  21,  yet 
I  have  reports  of  its  occurrence  as  early  as  March  17  and  of  its  being 
common  by  March  30.     Probably  these  are  incorrect  identifications. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan  they  have  been  first  noted  April 
2'2  (1896)  to  May  10  (1894).  They  pass  northward  through  May. 
Last  seen:  At  Brookville,  1890,  May  17;  1889,  May  8;  1886,  May  6; 
Englisl!  Lake,  1890,  May  11;  1891,  May  10;  very  abundant  every- 
where, mostly  in  pairs  (Deane). 

Throughout  the  northern  part  of  the  State  some  are  summer  resi- 
dents, and  breed.  Possibly  a  few  do  southward,  also.  Information 
regarding  the  breeding  of  this  bird  is  greatly  desired,  and  among  the 
special  desiderata  are  its  eggs.  Many  times  eggs  purporting  to  belong 
to  this  species  have  been  found,  but  satisfactory  evidence  of  their 
identity  has  been  lacking. 

The  late  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheatoii  describes  an  egg  taken  by  Mr.  Oliver 
Davie  in  an  open  field  bordering  the  Scioto  Eiver  near  Columbus,  0. 
The  nest  was  on  the  ground  in  an  exposed  locality,  and  contained 
two  eggs  well  advanced  in  incubation,  only  one  of  which  was  pre- 
served, and  it  was  deposited  with  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  He 
says  that  this  egg,  "though  without  any  positive  claims,  possesses 
characters  which  entitle  it  to  consideration  as  possibly  that  of  this 
species.  It  is  of  a  pointed,  oval  shape,  and  not  nearly  so  pyriform  as 
are  the  eggs  of  most  of  this  family,  and  measures  1.25  by  .88,  so  that 
it  is  smaller  than  the  eggs  of  the  Spotted  Sandpiper.  The  ground 
color  is  clay-color  with  a  reddish  tinge,  thickly  marked  with  reddish 
and  blackish  brown"  (Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  486).  Dr.  Brewer  (in  Bull. 
Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  Vol  III,  1878,  p.  197)  gave  an  account  of  an  egg 
taken  by  Mr.  Jenness  Richardson  at  Lake  Bomaseen,  Vt.,  May  28, 
1878,  which  was  taken  with  the  bird,  which  was  on  her  nest,  a  small 
depression  in  the  ground,  when  found.  This  egg  was  a  light  drab, 
with  rounded,  brown  markings,  some  quite  small  and  dark,  nowhere 
confluent;  at  larger  end  a  few  faint  purplish  shell  marks;  1.37  by  .95. 

Mr.  Ridgway,  in  Birds  of  Illinois,  II,  p.  63,  says  "its  eggs  have  never 
yet,  so  far  as  is  known  to  the  writer,  been  taken."  It  is  not  improb- 
able that  this  species,  like  its  European  relative,  the  Green  Sandpiper 
(T.  ochropus),  deposits  its  eggs  in  deserted  nests  of  other  birds,  such 
as  the  Wood  Thrush  and  other  species  which  nest  in  moist  wood- 


724  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

lands.  It  seems  probable,  from  the  fact  that  adults  have  been  found 
accompanied  by  two  young,  that  the  number  of  eggs  is  two. 

Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine,  Sedan,  Dekalb  County,  informs  me  it  breeds 
in  that  county,  and  she  has  seen  young  birds  July  15.  Mr.  W.  0.  Wal- 
lace writes  me  he  caught  two  young  which  were  unable  to  fly,  on  the 
border  of  a  small  pond  in  Wabash  County,  in  the  summer  of  1892. 
Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  says  it  nests  in  Elkhart,  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Kendrick, 
in  Vigo  County.  They  begin  to  move  southward  in  August,  and  pass 
slowly  through  that  month  and  all  of  September.  I  noted  them  at 
Brookville  August  33,  1881.  Mr.  Parker  observed  it  at  Mud  Lake, 
Illinois,  September  19,  1894.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  found  it  in' Brown 
County  October  5,  1897;  Brookville,  September  25,  1884.  These  are 
the  latest  records  I  have  for  Indiana.  The  following  interesting  notes 
by  Dr.  Elliot  Coues  are  from  Birds  of  Northwest,  p.  500: 

"These  Tattlers  indulge  on  all  occasions  a  propensity  for  nodding, 
like  Lord  Burleigh  or  the  Chinese  mandarins  in  front  of  tea  shops; 
and  when  they  see  something  they  cannot  quite  make  out,  seem  to 
reason  with  themselves,  and  finally  come  to  a  conclusion  in  this  way — 
impressing  themselves  heavily  with  a  sense  of  their  own  logic.  They 
go  through  the  bowing  exercise  with  a  gravity  that  may  quite  upset 
that  of  a  disinterested  spectator,  and  yet  through  the  performance, 
so  ludicrous  in  itself,  contrive  to  preserve  something  of  the  passive 
sedateness  that  marks  all  their  movements. 

"This  bobbing  of  the  head  and  fore  parts  is  the  correspondent  and 
counterpart  of  the  still  more  curious  actions  of  the  Spotted  Tattlers, 
or  'Tip-ups,'  as  they  are  aptly  called  from  this  circumstance;  a  queer 
balancing  of  the  body  upon  the  legs  constituting  an  amusement  of 
which  these  last-named  birds  are  extremely  fond.  As  often  as  the 
'Tip-up'  or  'Teeter-tail,'  as  it  is  also  called,  stops  in  its  pursuit  of  in- 
sects, the  fore  part  of  the  body  is  lowered  a  little,  the  head  drawn  in, 
the  legs  slightly  bent,  whilst  the  hinder  parts  and  the  tail  are  alter- 
nately hoisted  with  a  peculiar  jerk,  and  drawn  down  again,  with  the 
regularity  of  clock-work.  The  movement  is  more  conspicuous  in  the 
upward  than  in  the  downward  part  of  the  performance;  as  if  the  tail 
were  spring  hinged,  in  constant  danger  of  flying  up,  and  needing  con- 
stant presence  of  mind  to  keep  it  down.  It  is  amusing  to  see  an  old 
male  in  the  breeding  season  busy  with  this  operation.  Upon  some 
rock  jutting  out  of  the  water  he  stands,  swelling  with  amorous  pride 
and  self-sufficiency,  puffing  out  his  plumage  until  he  looks  twice  as 
big  as  natural,  facing  about  on  his  narrow  pedestal,  and  bowing  with 
his  hinder  parts  to  all  points  of  the  compass.  A  sensitive  and  fastid- 
ious   person    might    see    something    derisive,    if    not    actually    in- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  725 

suiting,  in  this,  and  feel  as  Crusoe  may  be  presumed  to  have  felt  when 
the  savages  who  attacked  his  ship  in  canoes  showed  the  signs  of  con- 
tumaceous  scorn  that  De  Foe  records.  But  it  would  not  be  worth 
while  to  feel  offended,  since  this  is  only  the  entirely  original  and  pe- 
culiar way  the  Tip-up  has  of  conducting  his  courtships.  Ornitholo- 
gists are  not  agreed  upon  the  useful  purpose  subserved  in  this  way, 
and  have  yet  failed  to  account  for  the  extraordinary  performance.  The 
Solitary  Tattlers,  that  we  have  lost  sight  of  for  a  moment,  are  fond  of 
standing  motionless  in  the  water,  when  they  have  satisfied  their  hun- 
ger, or  of  wading  about,  up  to  their  bellies,  with  slow,  measured  steps. 
If  startled  at  such  times,  they  rise  easily  and  lightly  on  wing,  fly 
rather  slowly  a  little  distance,  with  dangling  legs  and  outstretched 
neck,  to  soon  realight  and  look  about  with  a  dazed  expression.  Just 
as  their  feet  touch  the  ground,  the  long,  pointed  wings  are  lifted  till 
their  tips  nearly  meet  above,  and  are  then  deliberately  folded." 

The  Eskimo  Curlews  and  some  other  birds  have  the  same  habit. 

The  Tattlers  are  unusually  silent  birds,  but  when  suddenly  alarmed 
they  utter  a  low  and  rather  pleasing  whistle  as  they  fly  off,  or  even 
without  moving. 

54.    Genus  SYMPHEMIA  Rafinbsquk. 

a^.  Wing  8.00.  S.  semipalmata  (Gmel.).     106 

a^.  Wing  8.50.  S.  semipalmata  inomata  Brewst.     106 

105.     (258).     Symphemia  semipalmata  (Gmel.). 

Willett. 

Synonym,  Semipalmated  Tattler. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Bill,  straight,  comparatively  stout,  groved  little, 
if  any,  more  than  half  its  length;  brownish-olive  above,  with  numerous 
black  marks;  white,  below;  the  jugulum,  streaked;  the  breast,  sides 
and  crissum,  barred  or  with  arrow-shaped  marks  of  dusky;  middle  tail 
feathers,  ashy,  barred  with  blackish,  side  ones,  whitish,  variegated 
with  grayish.  Winter. — Above,  plain  ashy-gray;  beneath,  dull  white, 
unspotted;  foreneck  shaded  with  grayish;  tail  not  barred;  upper  tail 
coverts,  most  of  the  secondaries  and  basal  half  of  primaries,  white; 
spread  wing,  with  conspicuous  white  patch;  ends  of  primaries, '  their 
coverts,  lining  of  wings  and  axillars,  black;  bill,  bluish  or  dark;  toes, 
with  two  conspicuous  basal  webs.  Immature. — Above,  brownish-gray, 
feathers  margined  and  sides  tinged  with  ochraceous. 

Length,  15.00;  wing,  8.00;  tarsus,  2.30;  bill,  2.20. 


726  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil  northward  to  Canada  and  Maine. 
Breeds  from  Louisiana  (where  it  is  resident)  northward.  Winters  on 
Gulf  coast  and  southward. 

Nesty  sHght  hollow  in  ground,  of  grass.  Eggs,  3-4;  variable,  clay- 
color  to  olive-brown,  with  spots  of  dark  brown  and  purple;  2.13 
by  1.53. 

Rare  migrant;  possibly  rare  summer  resident.  I  have  been  unable 
to  determine  the  standing  of  this  form  in  the  State. 

That  the  eastern  form  is  found,  seems  probable  and  since  the  rec- 
ords of  the  past  have  reported  this  form,  there  is  no  way  of  separating 
them.  It  is  of  irregular  and  rare  occurrence  in  April,  May,  August 
aad  September.  It  has  been  reported  from  the  following  counties: 
Franklin;  Decatur  (Guthrie);  Allen  (Stockbridge);  Dekalb  (Mrs.' 
Hine);  Putnam  (Clearwaters);  Lake,  (Aiken).  Their  call  is  well 
known  to  those  who  visit  plaxjes  it  frequents,  and  may  be  represented 
by  the  words  pil-willet,-it-pil-willet.  The  following  measurements  were 
given  by  Mr.  Brewster  in  "The  Auk,^'  1887,  p.  146.  Average,  wing, 
7.36;  tail,  2.91;  tarsus,  2.29;  culmen,  from  feathers,  2.19.  Extremes, 
wing,  7.06-7.75;  tail,  2.71-3.30;  tarsus,  2.08-2.42;  culmen,  .  from 
feathers,  2.02-2.31. 

106.     (258a).    Symphemia  semipalmata  inornata  Brewst. 

Western  Willet. 

Similar  to  last,  but  slightly  larger,  the  upper  parts  are  paler,  gray- 
ish-drab, and  not  so  conspicuously  marked  with  black;  breast,  more 
buffy,  less  streaked  and  no  blackish  bars  on  middle  tail  feathers.  In 
winter  only  to  be  distinguished  by  the  difference  in  size,  which  is  not 
always  satisfactory. 

Wing,  8.50;  tarsus,  2.60;  bill,  2.45. 

Range. — Western  North  America,  east  to  Mississippi  Valley  and 
Gulf  States;  in  winter,  south  to  Mexico,  and,  during  migrations,  spar- 
ingly along  coast  of  southern  Atlantic  States.  Breeds  from  coast  of 
Texas  to  Manitoba. 

Nest,  a  depression  on  ground  or  on  tussock  of  grass,  of  grass  and 
weeds.    Eggs,  3-4;  not  appreciably  different  from  those  of  last. 

Rare  migrant;  possibly  rare  summer  resident.  Owing  to  lack  of 
material  it  is  impossible  to  say  to  what  extent  it  is  found  in  Indiana. 
Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  obtained  five  from  a  flock  of  thirteen  at  Miller's, 
Ind.,  August  14,  1897.  I  have  a  specimen  in  my  collection  that  was 
shot  by  Mr.  Geo.  M.  Shirk  from  the  top  of  a  barn  in  Franklin  County 
the  fall  of  1878.  This  would  indicate  that  it  is  to  be  found  throughout 


Birds  of  Indiana.  727 

the  State.  The  following  measurements  are  given  by  Mr.  Brewster 
from  "The  Ank/'  1887,  p.  146.  Average:  wing,  8.11;  tail,  3.29;  tarsus, 
2.66;  culmen,  from  feathers,  2.46.  Extremes:  wing,  7.88-8.26;  tail, 
3.10-3.50;  tarsus,  2.45-2.95;  culmen,  from  feathers,  2.28-2.70. 


55.    Genus  BARTRAMIa  Lessoh. 

"107.     (261).    Bartramia  longicauda  (Bechst.). 

Bartramian  Sandpiper. 

Synonyms,  Bartram's  Tattler,  Prairie  Plover,  Field  Plover,  Upland 
Plover,  Prairie  Snipe. 

Above,  blackish,  with  a  slight  greenish  reflection,  variegated  with 
tawny  and  whitish;  below,  pale  tawny  of  varying  shade,  bleaching 
on  throat  and  belly;  jugulum,  with  streaks;  breast  and  sides,  with 
arrow-heads  and  bars  of  blackish;  axillars  and  lining  of  wings,  pure 
white,  black  barred;  quills,  blackish;  inner  webb  of  outer  primary 
barred  with  white;  tail,  varied  with  tawny,  black  and  white,  chiefly 
in  bars;  bill  and  legs,  pale,  former  black-tipped. 

Length,  11.00-12.75;  wing,  6.50-7.00;  bill,  1.10-1.15;  tarsus,  1.90- 
2.05. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil  and  Peru  northward  to  Alaska  and 
Nova  Scotia.  Breeds  from  southern  Indiana  and  Kansas  northward. 
Winters  in  Mexico  and  West  Indies  southward.  Accidental  in  Europe 
and  Australia. 

Nesty  on  ground,  in  depression.  Eggs,  4;  creamy  buff  or  white, 
marked  all  over  with  small  spots  of  umber  or  reddish  brown,  most 
numerous  at  larger  end;  1.79  by  1.30. , 

Migrant  and  summer  resident.  Over  the  greater  part  of  southern 
Indiana  it  is  only  known  as  a  very  rare  migrant.  However,  throughout 
the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  in  some  locations,  at  least,  and  to  the  north- 
ward of  that  river,  when  it  turns  toward  the  east,  it  is  a  summer  resi- 
dent in  some  numbers,  and  toward  Lake  Michigan  it  is  conjmon. 
It  apparently  breeds  over  the  original  prairie  region  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Ridgway  reported  it  breeding  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  and  in  the 
former  county  Mr.  Chansler  informs  me  he  has  found  both  eggs 
and  young  in  com  fields,  after  the  com  was  planted.  Mr.  Dury  re- 
ports it  breeding  in  several  places  in  northern  Indiana,  and  Mr.  Aiken 
says  it  breeds  commonly  in  Lake  County,  where  also  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale 
found  young  able  to  run  July  4,  1881.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  took  a  set 
of  four  eggs  in  the  Calumet  marsh,  in  Lake  County  in  May. 


728  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

In  southeastern  Indiana  it  is  exceedingly  rare.  The  only  record  of 
its  occurrence  is  that  given  by  Dr.  Haymond  (Rep.  Ind.  Geol.  Surv., 
1869,  p.  231). 

Generally  they  arrive  about  the  middle  of  April,  but  Mr.  A.  H. 
Kendrick  reports  a  flock  of  twenty,  from  Vigo  County,  March  19, 
1896.  Usually  they  become  common  at  once.  During  the  migrations 
they  are  very  shy.  After  a  time  they  become  more  approachable  and 
during  the  breeding  season  seem  to  have  no  fear,  exposing  themselves 
freely  to  lead  the  intruder  from  the  vicinity  of  their  nesting  grounds. 
The  nests  are  often  made  in  meadows  and  fields  bordering  a  marsh. 
When  in  close  proximity  to  the  nest  the  bird  has  many  tricks  with 
which  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  unwelcome  guest.  She  is  crip- 
pled so  badly  that  she  cannot  walk;  she  cannot  fly;  she  flops  along  the 
ground,  and  sometimes  rolls  over.  One  can  easily  catch  her.  If  it  is 
his  first  experience,  he  will  try.  Each  time,  as  he  attempts  to  seize  her, 
she  seems  to  have  a  sudden  gift  of  strength  by  reason  of  which  she 
eludes  his  grasp.  After  a  few  ineffectual  efforts,  one  is  surprised  how 
recovered  the  bird  is,  how  her  strength  is  restored,  and  with  it  sound- 
ness of  limb,  for  she  leaves  the  wondering  pursuer  and  flies  away.  He 
is  now  quite  a  distance  from  where  the  bird  was  first  seen.  That  is 
what  was  wanted.  She  has  accomplished  her  purpose.  She  has  led 
him  away  from  her  nest. 

In  the  fall,  the  prairie  farmer,  as  he  goes  to  breaking  for  wheat,  and 
the  chicken  shooter  is  familiar  with  these  birds  along  the  dead 
furrows  and  smaller  drains,  but  they  always  arise  beyond  gun  range. 

They  leave  late  in  August  or  early  in  September.  August  27  to 
September  15. 

56.    Genus  TRYNGITES  Cabanis. 

108.     (262).    Tryngites  subruficoUis  (Vieill.). 

Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. 

Quills,  largely  white  on  the  inner  web,  and  with  beautiful  black 
marbling  or  mottling,  best  seen  from  below;  tail,  unbarred,  gray,  the 
central  feathers  darker,  all  with  subterminal  black  edging  and  white 
tips;  crown  and  upper  parts  blackish,  the  feathers;  with  whitish  or 
tawny  edging,  especially  on  the  wings;  sides  of  the  head,  neck  all 
around,  and  under  parts,  pale  rufous  or  fawn  color,  speckled  on  the 
neck  and  breast  with  dusky;  bill,  black;  feet,  greenish-yellow.  (Mc- 
Ilwraith). 

Length,  7.00-8.90;  wing,  5.10-5.50;  bill,  .T5-.80;  tarsus,  1.15-1.30. 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  729 

Eange. — America,  from  Uruguay  north  to  Arctic  coast.  Breeds 
from  southern  Ontario  northward  in  the  interior  to  Yukon  and  An- 
derson Eiver.    Winters  south  of  the  United  States. 

Nest,  on  ground,  lined  with  moss  and  grass.  Eggs,  3-4;  huffy  gray- 
ish-white, varying  to  pale  olive  huff,  holdly  spotted,  longitud- 
inally (and  somewhat  spirally)  dark  vandyke  or  madder-brown  and 
purplish-gray. 

Eare  migrant.  Thus  far  has  only  been  reported  from  this  region  in 
August  and  September.  Usually  appears  singly  or  in  small  flocks, 
but  sometimes  in  large  flocks.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  shot  numbers  of  them 
in  August,  1874,  from  a  dry  prairie  at  May  wood.  Cook  County,  111., 
only  ten  miles  from  Chicago,  where  there  were  hundreds  of  them. 
(Cooke  Eept.  Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p.  97). 

The  only  time  it  has  been  taken  in  this  State  was  September  10, 
1892,  when  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  took  one  from  a  shallow  pond  about 
four  miles  northwest  of  Lafayette.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  collected 
two  specimens  on  the  shore  of  Calumet  Lake,  Cook  County,  111.,  in 
September,  1887.  There  are  two  records  for  Michigan  in  September 
and  one  for  Ohio  (Cleveland),  in  August. 

Mr.  Mcllwraith  records  its  breeding  in  Ontario  a  few  miles  from 
Lake  Erie  (Birds  of  Ont.,  1894,  pp.  156,  157),  and  Dr.  Hatch  men- 
tions it  as  a  summer  resident  of  northern  Minnesota.  (Birds  of  Minn., 
p.  143). 

57.    Genus  ACTITIS  Illiger. 

*109.     (263).     Actitis  macularia  (Linn.). 

Spotted  Sandpiper. 
Synonyms,  Peet-weet,  Sandpiper. 

Above,  olive,  with  a  greenish  lustre,  finely  varied  with  black;  line 
over  eye,  and  entire  under  parts,  pure  white,  with  numerous  sharp  cir- 
cular black  spots;  entirely  wanting  in  young  birds;  secondaries,  broadly 
white-tipped,  and  inner  primaries  with  a  white  spot,  most  of  the  tail 
feathers  like  the  back,  with  sub  terminal  black  bar  and  a  white  tip; 
bill,  pale  yellow,  tipped  with  black;  feet,  flesh-color.  Immature. — 
Similar;  above,  more  huffy;  under  parts,  white,  unspotted;  slight  gray- 
ish tinge  on  breast. 

Length,  about  7.00-8.00;  wing,  4.05-4.60;  bill,  .90-1.05;  tarsus,  .90- 
1.05. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  northward  to  Hudson  Bay  and  Yu- 
kon. Breeds  nearly  throughout  North  American  range.  Winters  on 
coast  of  Gulf  States. 


730  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  a  depression  in  ground  lined  with  grass,  leaves  and  weeds. 
Eggs,  4;  light  buff  or  white,  spotted  with  blackish-brown;  1.34  by  .92. 

Common  summer  resident;  a  well-known  frequenter  of  the  banks  of 
streams,  ponds  and  lakes,  and  of  sandbars  everywhere  throughout  the 
State.  This  and  the  Solitary  Sandpiper  have  the  habit  of  bowing  the 
heads  and  tilting  tlie  rear  parts  as  though  they  were  continually  try- 
ing to  balance  themselves.  They  are  known  under  many  common 
names,  such  as  "Sandsnipe,"  "Tip-up,"  "Sandpiper/^  but  the  best 
name  I  have  heard  that  is  applicable  to  both  is  an  old  farmer's  appella- 
tion "Teeter-snipe.'' 


Head  of  Spotted  Sandpiper.    Natural  size. 

This  species  is  much  more  noisy  than  the  Solitary  Sandpiper,  and 
from  its  note  is  often  called  by  what  it  seems  to  say:  "Peet-weet."  On 
the  whole  these  birds  are  more  numerous  and  more  conspicious  than 
the  Solitary.  They  usually  arrive  about  the  middle  of  April.  Some 
years  it  is,  however,  reported  in  March,  although  I  have  never  found 
it  that  early  in  the  Whitewater  Valley. 

It  has  been  reported  as  first  seen  in  the  years  named  as  follows:  De- 
kalb County,  1897,  March  18  (Feagler);  Vigo  County,  1897,  March 
20;  1896,  March  21  (Kendrick);  Decatur,  1896,  March  28  (Shannon); 
Dekalb  County,  1895,  April  4  (Mrs.  Hine).  The  following  dates  give 
the  records  of  its  appearance  at  Brookville,  Ind.,  for  a  number  of 
years  past:  April  19,  1881;  April  14,  1883;  April  21,  1885;  April  22, 
1886;  April  15,  1887;  AprH  13,  1888;  April  21,  1889;  April  25,  1892; 
April  20, 1893;  April  22, 1896;  April  22,  1897. 

I  have  observed  them  mating  as  soon  as  they  arrive,  some  years  by 
April  15.  Have  found  them  building  their  nests  April  27,  and  the 
complement  of  eggs  May  12.  I  also  have  found  young,  but  recently, 
out  of  the  nest  as  late  as  July  8.  The  nests  are  usually  made 
away  from  the  water,  on  high  ground  and  among  the  grass.  A  rail- 
road or  other  embankment  is  a  favorite  place.  The  eggs,  like  those 
of  all  the  waders,  lie  with  their  pointed  ends  together. 

They  generally  leave  the  first  half  of  September,  occasionally  re^ 
main  into  October.     The  last  reported:  Warren  County,  September 


Birds  of  Indiana.  731 

26,  1897  (V.  H.  Barnett);  1892,  Liverpool,  September  3  (Parker); 
1894,  Greensburg,  September  9  (Shannon);  1895,  Cook  County,  111., 
September  7  (Blackwelder);  Lafayette,  Ind.,  October  5  (L.  A.  and  C. 
D.  Test). 

58.    Grnus  NUMENIUS  Brisson. 
a^  Bill  over  3.00. 

6^.  Kill  under  4.50.  N.  hudsonicus  Lath.     Ill 

62.  Bill  over  4.50.  N.  longirostris  Wils.     110 

a\  Bill  under  3.00.  N.  borealis  (Forst.).      112 

110.     (264).    Numenius  longirostris  (Wils). 

Long-billed  Curlew. 

Synonym,  Sickle  Bill. 


Long-billed  Curlew. 

Bill,  of  extreme  length  and  curvature,  measuring  from  5.00-8.00 
or  9.00  inches;  total  length,  about  2  feet;  wing,  10.00-12.00  inches; 
tail,  4.00;  tarsus,  2.25-3.50  (inches).  Plumage,  very  similar  to  that  of 
Godwit,  prevailing  tone  rufous,  of  varying  intensity  in  different  parts 
of  the  same  bird,  usually  more  intense  under  the  wing  than  elsewhere; 
below,  the  jugulum,  streaked,  and  the  breast  and  sides  with  arrow- 
heads and  bars  of  dusky;  above,  variegated  with  black,  especially  on 
the  crown,  back  and  wings;  tail,  barred  throughout  with  black  and 
rufous;  no  pure  white  anywhere;  secondaries,  rufous;  primaries,  black- 
ish and  rufous;  bill,  black,  the  under  mandible,  flesh  colored  for  some 
distance;  legs,  dark. 

Eange. — Guatemala  and  West  Indies  northward  to  New  England 
and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  Gulf  coast,  where  it  is  resident,  north- 
ward.   Winters  from  the  Carolinas  southward. 

Nest,  a  hollow  in  ground,  lined  with  a  little  grass.  Sggs,  3-4;  clay 
color,  olive  and  buffy,  spotted  or  blotched  with  sepia,  umber  or  choco- 
late; 2.60  by  1.85. 

Rare  migrant.  Formerly  more  numerous  and  perhaps  occasionally 
breeding  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 


732  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

It  winters  in  the  Southern  States  and  is  occasionally  found  in  win- 
ter in  southern  Illinois  (Cooke,  Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  pp.  97,  98). 

The  spring  migration  occurs  in  April  and  May,  while  that  in  the 
fall  begins  in  August  and  continues  as  late  as  October  13. 

I  saw  a  specimen  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  F.  M.  Noe,  Indianapolis, 
which  he  said  was  killed  by  Herman  Eckert,  April  2, 1896,  in  a  swamp 
near  Jasper,  Dubois  County.  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  records  a  specimen 
in  his  collection  from  Liverpool,  Ind.,  (The  Auk,  April,  1896,  p.  181). 
Mr.  C.  E.  Newlin  informs  me  there  is  a  specimen  in  the  Frankfort 
High  School  that  was  taken  in  Clinton  County.  It  has  been  reported 
from  the  following  counties,  also:  Franklin  (Dr.  Haymond,  Ind.,  Geol. 
1869,  p.  231);  Knox  and  White,  specimens  in  collection,  Cuvier  Club, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio  (Dury);  Decatur,  May,  1883  (Guthrie);  Allen  (Stock- 
bridge). 

This  Curlew  is  very  rare  in  Michigan  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  63). 
There  are  but  a  few  records  of  its  occurrence  in  Ohio,  (Wheaton 
Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  492),  and  in  Illinois  it  is  now  rare,  though  it  was 
formerly  abundant  and  Nelson  reported  it  nesting  in  the  Calumet 
marshes  in  the  spring  of  1873  (Ridgway  Birds  of  Illinois,  II,  p.  71). 

111.     (265).     Numenius  hudsonicus  Lath. 

Hudsoniau  Curlew. 

Bill,  medium,  3.00  or  4.00  inches  long;  length,  16.00-18.00;  wing, 
8.00-10.00;  tarsus,  2.25-2.30.  Plumage,  as  in  the  last  species  in  pat- 
tern, but  general  tone  much  paler;  quills,  barred;  axillars,  buff,  dis- 
tinctly barred  with  dusky;  crown,  uniform  dusky,  divided  by  a  buff 
stripe  through  the  middle. 

Range. — America,  from  Patagonia  to  Alaska  and  Arctic  America. 
Breeds  in  Alaska,  Anderson  Eiver  and  Barren  Lands  of  the  Arctic  re- 
gion.    Winters  on  Gulf  coast  and  southward. 

Nest,  like  that  of  last  species.  Eggs,  4;  pale  olive,  spotted  with  dull 
brown;  2.27  by  1.57. 

Rare  migrant.  Occurs  with  the  preceding  (Dr.  Bray  ton).  Much 
rarer  than  the  Long-billed  Curlew.  Although  this  species  is  given  as 
a  common  migrant  in  most  parts  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  by  Prof. 
Cooke  (Bird  Mig.  in  Miss.  Valley,  p.  98),  I  have  been  unable  to  as- 
certain where  it  has  been  found  commonly  during  migrations. 

Dr.  Coues  (Birds  N.  W.,  p.  510)  considers  it  much  less  abundant 
everywhere  in  the  L^nited  States  than  either  of  the  other  species.  Mr. 
Mcllwraith  says  of  it  in  Ontario,  it  is  most  frequently  observed  of  the 
three  at  Hamilton,  Ont.    One  May  he  was  on  the  beach  when  there 


Birds  of  Indiana.  733 

appeared  to  be  a  migratory  movement  of  the  Hudsonian  Curlews 
toward  the  north.  "They  flew  high  in  regular  order,  like  geese,  and 
showed  no  inclination  to  alight  till  a  boy,  with  a  long  shot,  brought 
down  one,  wing  broken,  from  a  passing  flock.  Knowing  their  habits 
he  quickly  tied  it  to  a  stake  in  a  moist  meadow,  and  concealing  him- 
self close  by,  had  good  shooting  during  the  afternoon,  for  the  loud 
outcry  made  by  his  prisoner,  brought  down  every  passing  flock." 
(Birds  of  Ont.,  1894,  p.  159). 

They  migrate  chiefly  along  the  eastern  coast  and  go  very  far  north 
to  breed.  But  few  remain  in  Alaska  in  summer.  In  the  interior  they 
have  been  found  plentifully  but  they  nest  in  the  Barren  Grounds  of 
the  Arctic  regions. 

112.     (266),    Numenius  borealis  (Forst.). 

Eskimo  Curlew. 
Synonyms,  Doughbird,  Doebird. 

Bill,  small,  under  3  inches  long;  length,  12.00-15.00  inches;  wing, 
8.00-8.50;  tarsus,  1.70-1.80;  tail,  3.00,  Plumage,  in  tone  and  pattern 
almost  exactly  as  in  last  species,  but  averaging  more  rufous,  especially 
under  the  wings,  and  primaries,  not  barred;  breast,  with  transverse 
V-shaped  marking. 

Eange. — America,  from  Patagonia  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  chiefly  in 
the  interior  of  the  United  States,  not  on  Pacific  coast.  Breeds  within 
the  Arctic  Circle.    Winters  from  coast  of  Gulf  States  southward. 

Nesl,  similar  to  that  of  the  last  two.  Eggs,  3-4;  pale  olive,  green- 
ish, olive,  or  olive-brownish,  distinctly  spotted,  chiefly  at  the  larger 
end,  with  deep  or  dark  brown;  2.04  by  1.43. 

Bare  migrant.  There  are  specimens  in  the  collection  of  Cuvier 
Club,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  that  were  taken  at  Vincennes  and  Chalmers 
(Dury). 

This  is  the  smallest  of  the  Curlews  and  is  commonly  known  as 
"Doughbird,"  or  "Doebird."  It  is  rare  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  un- 
known on  the  Pacific  and  migrates  chiefly  through  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  where  it  is  the  most  abundant  species  from  the  neighborhood 
of  that  river  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  In  Illinois  it  is  a  rather  com- 
mon migrant  (Ridgway).  In  Ohio  and  Michigan  it  is  not  common. 
They  pass  north  in  spring  through  April  and  early  May,  and  return 
in  the  fall  in  September  and  October.  It  has  been  taken  at  Kalama- 
zoo, Mich.,  as  late  as  October  28  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  63).  Dr. 
Coues  found  them  very  abundant  in  Labrador  in  August.  They  are 
often  found  in  company  with  Golden  Plover. 


734  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

"The  Curlews  associate  in  flocks  of  every  size,  from  three  to  as 
many  thousand,  but  they  generally  fly  in  so  loose  and  straggling  a. 
manner,  that  it  is  rare  to  kill  more  than  a  half  a  dozen  at  a  shot. 
When  they  wheel,  however,  in  any  of  their  many  beautiful  evolutions, 
they  close  together  in  a  more  compact  body,  and  offer  a  more  favorable 
opportunity  to  the  gunner. 

"Their  flight  is  firm,  direct,  very  swift,  when  necessary,  much  pro- 
tracted, and  is  performed  with  regular,  rapid  beats.  They  never  sail 
except  when  about  to  alight,  when  their  wings  are  much  incurved 
downward,  in  the  manner  of  most  waders.  As  their  feet  touch  the 
ground,  their  long,  pointed  wings  are  raised  over  the  back,  until  the 
tips  almost  touch,  and  then  are  deliberately  folded,  much  in  the  manner 
of  the  Solitary  Sandpiper.  ( RhyacopMlus  solitarius).  Their  note  is 
an  often  repeated  soft,  mellow,  though  clear,  whistle,  which  may  be 
easily  imitated.  By  this  means  they  can  readily  be  decoyed  within 
shot,  if  the  imitation  is  good  and  the  gunner  is  careful  to  keep  con- 
cealed. The  smaller  the  flock  the  more  easily  are  they  allured,  and  a 
single  individual  rarely  fails  to  turn  his  course  toward  the  spot  whence 
the  sound  proceeds.  When  in  very  extensive  flocks,  they  have  a  note 
which,  when  uttered  by  the  whole  number,  I  can  compare  to  nothing 
but  the  chattering  of  a  flock  of  Blackbirds.  When  wounded  and  taken 
in  hand,  they  emit  a  very  loud,  harsh  scream,  like  that  of  a  common 
hen,  under  similar  circumstances,  which  cry  they  also  utter  when  pur- 
sued.^^ 

"Their  food  consists  almost  entirely  of  the  crowberry  (Empetrumi 
nigrum),  which  grows  on  all  the  hillsides  in  astonishing  profusion. 
It  is  also  called  the  ^bear  berry'  and  ^curlew  berry.'  It  is  a  small  berry,^ 
of  a  deep  purple  color,  almost  black,  growing  upon  a  procumbent, 
running  kind  of  heath,  the  foilage  of  which  has  a  peculiar  moss-like 
appearance.  This  is  the  principal  and  favorite  food,  and  the  whole  in- 
testine, the  vent,  the  legs,  the  bill,  throat,  and  even  the  plumage,  are 
more  or  less  stained  with  the  deep  purple  Juice.  They  are  also  verjr 
fond  of  a  small  species  of  snail  that  adheres  to  the  rock  in  immense 
quantities,  to  procure  which  they  frequent  the  land-wastes  at  low  tide. 
Food  being  so  abundant  and  so  easily  obtained,  they  become  exces- 
sively fat.  In  this  condition  they  are  most  delicious  eating,  being  ten- 
der,  juicy  and  finely  flavored;  but  as  might  be  expected,  they  prove 
a  very  difficult  job  for  the  taxidermist.  This  species  breeds  in  great 
numbers  in  the  Anderson  River  region,  usually  making  up  its  nest 
complement  by  the  third  week  in  June."  (Coues,  Birds  N".  W.,  pp. 
511,  512). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  735 

XX.     Family  CHARADRIID^.     Plovers. 

a^.  Plumage  above  speckled,  below  black  in  breeding  season.      Charadrius.     59 
^2.  Plumage  of  upper  parts  not  speckled ;  neck,  with  dark  rings ;   toes,  always 
three.  tEg-ialitis.     60 

59.    Grnus  charadrius  Linn.eds. 
a^.  Hind  toe  well  developed,  without  claw.  0 

Subgenus  Squatarola  Cuvier.     C.  squatarola  (Linn.).     113 
a*.  Hind  toe  absent.     Subgenus  Charadrh**.  C.  dozninicus  Miill.     114 

Subgenus  Squatarola  Cuvier. 

113.     (2r0).    Charadrius  squatarola  (Ltnn.). 

Black-bellied  Plover. 
Synonyms,  Ox-eye,  Bull- head. 


Black-bellied  Plover.    Natural  size. 

Adult  in  Breeding  Season. — Earely  seen  in  the  United  States;  face 
^nd  entire  under  parts,  black;  upper  parts,  variegated  with  black  and 
white,  or  ashy;  tail,  barred  with  black  and  white;  quills,  dusky,  with 
large  white  patches.  Adults  at  other  times  and  Immature. — Below, 
white,  more  or  less  shaded  with  gray;  the  throat  and  breast,  more  or 
less  speckled  with  dusky;  above,  blackish,  speckled  with  white  or  yel- 
lowish; the  rump,  white,  with  dark  bars;  legs,  dull  bluish.  Old  birds 
-changing  show  every  grade,  from  a  few  isolated  feathers  on  the  under 
parts  to  numerous  large  black  patches.  They  may  be  recognized  in 
any  plumage  by  the  small  hind  toe. 

Length,  10.50-12.00;  wing,  7.50;  culmen,  1.10;  tarsus,  1.95. 

Eange. — Nearly  cosmopolitan.  Breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and 
winters  from  Louisiana  and  Florida  southward.  It  has  been  recently 
shown  that  the  Black-bellied  Plover  and  a  number  of  other  birds,  in- 
cluding the  Knot,  Hudsonian  Curlew,  and  Turnstone,  which  have 
been  credited  with  spending  the  breeding  season  in  the  Arctic  regions, 


736  Eepoet  op  State  Geologist. 

axe  abundant  residents  of  the  Louisiana  coast,  but  do  not  breed.  It 
is  probable  that  only  those  who  are  prepared  for  the  reproduction  of 
their  race  make  the  whole  migration.  (See  article  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Mc- 
Ilhenny.    The  Auk,  XIV,  1897,  pp.  285-289.) 

Nest,  a  depression  in  the  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  3-4;  olive- 
buff,  or  brownish-drab,  ihickly  and  heavily  marked  with  brownish- 
black  or  deep  black;  2.04  by  1.43. 

Bare  migrant,  more  numerous  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  State. 
In  spring  it  visits  us,  going  north  from  April  1st  to  June  1st,  and  re- 
turns early  in  August,  remaining  through  October.  The  spring  mi- 
gration is  prolonged  throughout  the  State,  but  in  the  fall  they  seem 
to  remain  about  Lake  Michigan  well  into  September  before  proceeding 
southward.  Those  seen  with  us  are  generally  solitary  birds.  Late  in 
May  they  are  seen  in  pairs.  The  birds  are  generally  in  full  breeding 
plumage.  Mr.  Nelson  says,  in  northern  Illinois,  "a  few  remain  during 
the  summer,  and  undoubtedly  breed. ^^  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIII, 
1876,  p.  122.) 

The  earliest  arrival  in  spring  was  in  Knox  County,  March  30,  1888 
(Balmer).  The  latest  record  is  near  Indianapolis,  where  one  was  killed 
May  30,  1894,  by  Mr.  C.  W.  Lambart  (Noe).  In  the  fall  it  has  first 
been  noted  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  at  Miller^s,  August  8, 
1897,  where  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  took  a  fine  adult  male,  and  the  latest 
record  for  that  vicinity,  is  November,  1891,  when  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker, 
Jr.,  observed  three  at  Hyde  Lake,  111.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  reports  it  from 
Michigan  as  late  as  October  20.  The  following  are  additional  spring 
records:  Lake  County,  one  killed  in  1871  (Aiken),  Lebanon;  one. 
May  3;  another.  May  5,  1894  (Beasley).  A  pair  was  taken  at  Davies' 
Station,  Starke  County,  May  15,  1884  (Coale).  August  24,  1896,  Mr. 
F.  M.  Woodruff  took  one  on  the  beach  at  Miller^s.  Dury  and  Freeman 
obtained  a  male  near  Cincinnati,  September  21,  1879  (Jour.  Cin.  Soc. 
Nat.  Hist.,  July,  1880,  p.  104). 

The  Black-bellied  Plover  prefers  to  migrate  by  way  of  the  sea  coast. 
It  has  usually  been  supposed  it  only  bred  far  north  in  Arctic  lands. 
In  America  it  has  been  found  breeding  on  the  Arctic  coast,  east  of 
the  Anderson  Eiver.  Dr.  P.  L.  Hatch  has  given  the  first  account  of 
its  breeding  in  the  United  States.  He  says:  "In  the  summer  of  1875 
a  clutch  of  four  eggs  were  sent  me,  with  the  female,  which  proved  to 
be  a  Black-bellied  Plover.  It  was  obtained  in  the  vicinity  of  upper 
Lake  Minnetonka,  in  my  own  county.  Since  then  several  nests  have 
been  reported  by  persons  competent  to  determine  them,  and  I  accept 
the  conclusion  that  this  species  breeds  to  a  limited  extent  in  some 
portions  of  the  State."    (Birds  of  Minn.,  p.  149.) 


Birds  of  Indiana.  737 

Subgenus  Chahadrius  Linnacu;^. 

114.     (272).    Charadrius  dominicus  Mull. 

Golden  Plover. 


American  Golden  Plover,  Winter  Plumage. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Black  above,  speckled  with  bright  yellow;  fore- 
head and  a  broad  line  over  the  eye,  white;  tail  feathers,  grayish-brown, 
with  imperfect  white  or  ashy  bars;  below,  black;  axillars,  gray  or  ashy. 
Winter. — i^bove,  blackish,  speckled  with  whitish  and  yellow;  under 
parts,  as  in  last  species.  The  absence  of  the  small  hind  toe,  in  a  bird 
of  this  size,  will  determine  any -doubtful,  specimen. 

Length,  about  10.50;  wing,  6.80-7.20;  culmen,  .85-.90;  tarsus,  1.50- 
1.65. 

Range. — America,  from  Patagonia  to  Arctic  Ocean.  Breeds  on  the 
coast  and  islands  of  Arctic  America,  except  the  coast  of  Bering  Sea. 
Winters  from  Florida  and  Louisiana  southward. 

Nest,  a  hollow  in  ground,  slightly  lined  with  grass.  Sggs,  4;  varies 
from  pale  buffy-brown  to  dark  grayish-buff,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
brownish-black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end;  1.90  by  1.30. 

Migrant.  Formerly  very  abundant  over  the  original  prairie  region, 
but  are  now  seen  in  greatly  reduced  numbers,  though  still  common, 
and  to  the  east  and  south  of  that  quite  rare.  They  usually  migrate  in 
flocks  of  from  15  to  100.  Sometimes  there  are  hundreds  and  even 
thousands  seen  in  a  flock  in  spring.  They  are  found  upon  the  mead- 
ows, pastures  and  prairies  in  spring,  and  in  fall,  also,  upon  stubble  and 
plowed  fields.  With  the  occupation  of  the  level  land,  the  extension  of 
commercial  enterprises,  and  the  continued  warfare  upon  the  game 
i)irds  by  the  rapidly  increasing  population  of  our  counties  in  north- 
^7-Geol. 


738  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

western  ludiaiia  and  oii  the  cities  across  the  border,  these  birds  are 
being  fast  destroyed.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says,  in  1886,  he  could 
go  within  eight  miles  of  Chicago,  in  April,  and  see  thousands  of  them. 
In  1890  he  noted  they  are  now  seen  chiefly  only  in  small  flocks.  Mr. 
Parker  saw  ten  enormous  flocks  at  Liverpool,  Ind.,  April  30,  1895. 

Mr.  Blackwelder  also  notes  their  decrease.  In  1897  he  says  it  is  still 
plentiful,  though  the  number  is  fast  decreasing.  In  1887  Mr.  C.  E. 
Aiken  found  them  plentiful  near  Crown  Point.  In  1888  Prof.  Ever- 
mann  reported  them  common  in  Vigo  County,  March  24,  having  first 
been  seen  the  day  previous.  In  addition  they  are  reported  as  common 
in  Clinton  County  (Ghere),  and  on  the  prairies  of  Carroll  County, 
southwest  of  Delphi  (D.  C.  Ridgley).  On  the  contrary.  Prof.  Ever- 
mann  does  not  give  it  in  his  report  of  the  birds  of  Carroll  County.  It 
has  not  been  reported  from  the  following  counties,  where  more  or  less 
good  ornithological  work  has  been  done:  Monroe,  Brown,  Ripley, 
Johnson,  Marion,  Howard,  Tippecanoe,  indicating  it  is  at  least  not 
common  there  and  it  is  rare  throughout  the  Whitewater  Valley,  and 
in  the  following  counties:  Boone  (Beasley),  Putnam  (Earlle),  Deca- 
tur (Shannon),  Delaware  (Williamson).  In  addition  to  the  date  of 
first  appearance  given  by  Prof.  Evermann  from  Vigo  County  in  1888, 
it  was  first  seen  at  Muncie,  March  30,  1888  (Williamson);  in  Putnam 
County,  1894,  March  28  (Earlle);  and  in  1897  in  Vigo  County,  March 
23  (Kendrick).  The  earliest  record  from  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan is  in  Cook  County,  111.,  March  22,  1884  (Parker).  In  1896  it  was 
first  noted  at  Greensburg,  April  11  (Shannon),  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chicago  April  18,  and  last  seen  that  spring  May  9  (Blackwelder).  The 
latest  spring  record  in  Boone  County  is  May  10,  1894  (Beasley).  It 
is  also  recorded  from  Cook  County,  111.,  May  10,  1884  (Parker),  and 
Starke  County,  Ind.,  May  6,  1888  (Deane). 

In  general  it  may  be  said  a  few  early  birds  begin  to  arrive  shortly 
after  the  middle  of  April;  the  greater  number,  however,  not  until 
near  the  middle  of  that  month.  After  a  short  stay  they  pass  northward, 
a  few  lingering  into  the  early  part  of  May.  They  are  just  putting 
on  their  breeding  plumage  when  they  are  with  us,  and  are  very  beau- 
tiful in  their  mottled  dress.  Their  appearance  is  very  irregular. 
Sometimes  they  are  found  in  great  numbers,  and  other  years  few 
or  none  are  seen.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  I  have  only  found  a 
few  in  April. 

They  go  far  north  to  breed,  and  there  only  are  found  in  full  breed- 
ing phimage.  Beyond  the  Arctic  Circle,  on  the  Barren  Grounds  of 
British  America  and  the  coasts  and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  they 
rear  their  young.     Nelson  says  it  is  one  of  the  commonest  breeding 


BiiiDB  ojj^  Indiana.  739 

wadery,  over  the  grastj  and  moss-grown  country,  extending  along  the 
shore  of  Bering  Sea.  They  occasionally  lay  by  June  1.  Dall  found 
it  common  along  the  Yukon.  Nelson  says  its  clear,  plaintive  call-note 
may  be  represented  by  the  syllables  too-lu-e,  and  also  gives  an  inter- 
pretation of  its  song.    (N.  H.  Coll.,  in  Alaska,  p.  124.) 

Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says  the  young  return  in  August  ahead  of  the 
older  birds.  He  has  observed  them  in  Cook  County  about  August  10, 
1889.  According  to  migration  reports  of  1885,  they  were  noted  that 
year  at  Femwood,  111.,  July  15;  next  seen,  August  3;  common,  August 
20;  disappeared,  October  12.  They  vary  in  abundance  through  Au- 
gust, September  and  early  October.  Some  few,  however,  remain  some 
years  well  into  November.  They  were  last  noted  as  follows  in  the 
years  indicated:  Cook  County,  111.,  1883,  October  6;  1893,  September 
19  (Parker);  1895,  October  26  (Blackwelder);  Boone  County,  Ind., 
1894,  September  29  (Beasley);  Starke  Count)^,  English  Lake,  1891,  a 
few,  November  9;  1892,  one,  November  15  (Deane).  Ordinarily  they 
do  not  frequent  the  reedy  marshes  and  swamps,  but  the  long-con- 
tinued drouth  transformed  the  marshes  at  English  Lake,  those  years, 
into  "muddy  flats,"  and  a  few  Golden  Plover  were  found  on  them. 

60.    Gknds  ^GIALITIS  Boie. 

a^.  Tail  half  the  length  of  wing  or  more;  rump  pale  brownish;  two  black  bands 
on  breast.     Subgenus  Oxyechus  Reichenbach.       A.  vocifera  (Linn.).     115 
a^.  Tail  less  than  half  as  long  as  wing;  rump  same  color  as  back;  breast  with  one 
band  or  none.     Subgenus  -/Egialitis. 
h^.  All  toes  distinctly  webbed  at  base.  A.  semipalxnata  Bonap.     116 

6^.  No  web  between  the  base  of  inner  and  middle  toe. 
c^.  Black  band  across  breast  wholly  or  partially  interrupted  in  middle. 

A.  meloda  (Ord).     117 
c^.  Black  band  continuous  across  breast. 

A.  meloda  circumcincta  Ridgw.     118 

Subgenus  Oxyechus  Reichenbach. 

*U5.     (273).    ^gialitis  vocifera  (Linn.). 

Killdeer. 
Synonym,  Killdeer  Plover. 

Adult. — Quaker-brown,  with  a  greenish  tinge,  sometimes  most  of 
the  feathers  tipped  and  edged  with  orange-brown;  rump  and  upper 
tail  coverts,  ochraceous;  breast,  crossed  by  two  black  bands;  forehead 
and  entire  under  parts,  except  as  stated,  white;  bill,  black;  feet,  pale; 
eyelids,  scarlet.  Immature. — Similar  to  adult,  but  feathers  of  upper 
parts  more  or  less  distinctly  margined  with  pale  rusty  or  ochraceous. 


740  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  10.00-11.25;  wing,  6.20-6.75;  tail,  3.60-4.10;  culmen, 
.70-.90;  tarsus,  1.40-1.55. 

•  Range. — America,  from  Columbia  and  West  Indies  north  to  Mani- 
toba and  Newfoundland.  Breeds  throughout  its  North  American 
range.  Winters  in  southern  Illinois  and  southern  Indiana  and  Vir- 
ginia southward. 

Nest,  on  ground.  Eggs,  4;  buffy-white,  with  chocolate  markings, 
principally  at  the  larger  end;  1.47  by  1.04. 

Common  summer  resident.  Resident  in  greater  or  less  numbers, 
some  winters,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  Often,  over  a  good 
part  of  the  State,  they  are  not  absent  more  than  two  months.     The 


Killdeer. 

bulk  of  them  spend  their  winters  along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Every- 
where it  is  the  earliest  and  best  known  of  its  family  to  arrive.  In  the 
Whitewater  Valley,  some  winters,  it  remains;  others,  it  leaves  for 
a  few  weeks  in  December.  The  following  give  the  date  it  was  first 
seen  each  year  at  Brookville:  1881,  February  15;  1884,  March  12; 
1886,  March  14;  1887,  March  6;  1889,  February  16;  1890,  February 
15;  1893,  March  3;  1895,  March  22.  In  Knox  County  Mr.  E.  J. 
Chansler  says  it  is  resident,  some  seasons  common,  others  rare.  Some 
years  it  is  found  as  early  as  February  over  almost  the  entire  State. 
The  following  dates  of  first  appearance  north  of  the  latitude  of  In- 
dianapolis are  taken  from  years  of  early  spring  migrations:  Lafayette, 
February  26,  1889  (Test);  1894  and  1896  were  early  years.  The  for- 
mer they  were  noted  as  follows:  Laporte,  March  3  (Barber);  Sedan, 
Dekalb  County,  March  2  (Mrs.  Hine);  Plymouth,  Mich.,  March  4 
(Alexander);  Sandusky,  0.,  March  4  (Moseley);  Chicago,  111.,  March 
10  (Dunn).  The  latter  year  at  the  following  places:  Camden,  Feb- 
ruary 28  (Sterling);  North  Manchester  (Bell),  Waterloo  (Mrs.  Hine), 


BiHDS  OF  Indiana.  741 

and  Chicago,  March  26  (Blackwelder).  The  earliest  record  given  from 
Chicago  is  that  by  Mr.  Dunn,  March  10,  and  the  latest  of  first  arrival 
is  April  2,  1885  (Parker).  The  following  are  other  dates  of  first  ar- 
rival there:  March  26,  1884  (Parker);  March  27,  1897  (Tallman).  It 
is  to  be  observed  that  the  first  arrivals  in  early  years  are  from  about 
one  to  four  weeks  later  reaching  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  than  they  are 
in  reaching  the  same  latitude  in  eastern  Indiana,  Michigan  or  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie,  and  the  difference  in  the  date  of  becoming  com- 
mon is  almost  as  notable.  Years  when  the  migration  is  later  they 
reach  these  points  at  approximately  the  same  dates.  Doubtless,  some 
years,  the  early  opening  of  the  rivers  running  southward  into  the  Ohio 
afford  an  opportunity  for  early  migrations,  while  the  conditions 
around  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan  are  uncongenial.  Therefore, 
by  way  of  the  valleys  of  the  Wabash,  Whitewater  and  Miami  Rivers, 
they  find  their  way  to  the  upper  Lake  Basin,  near  Lake  Erie.  Usually 
they  are  commonly  found  throughout  the  district  mentioned  by  the 
latter  part  of  March.  Their  call,  "Killdeer"  from  which  they  take 
their  name,  is  well  known  to  the  people  of  the  State.  Beside  this,  it 
has  a  lower  call,  often  uttered  as  the  birds  run  rapidly  ahead  of  one, 
in  the  pasture  or  stubble,  or  on  the  river  bar.  It  is  represented  by 
te-e-e-e-e-t,  uttered  with  a  sort  of  mechanical  emphasis.  The  eggs  are 
laid  in  a  depression  on  the  ground.  Four  constitute  a  set,  and  the 
small  ends  are  laid  together,  forming  a  cross.  They  lay  in  pastures, 
corn  fields,  on  prairies  and  gravel  bars,  above  the  ordinary  summer 
flood.  I  have  taken  the  full  complement  of  eggs,  April  15,  and  some- 
times the  young  are  found  in  June. 

After  the  young  are  grown,  they  and  the  adults  collect  into  small 
flocks  and  the  borders  of  our  streams  and  lakes  are  enlivened  by  them. 
Most  of  them  go  south  in  October,  but  many  remain  until  November 
and  even  December  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 

Subgenus  ^Eoialitis  Boie. 

116.     (274).    ^gialitis  semipalmata  (Bonap.). 

Semipalmated  Plover. 
Synonyms,  Ring  Plover,  Rino-neck. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  grayish-brown;  forehead,  ring  around 
neck,  and  lower  parts,  white;  fore  part  of  crown,  lores,  and  broad  pec- 
toral collar  (continued  around  back  of  neck,  below  the  white  nuchal 
collar),  black  or  dusky;  bill,  yellow  or  orange,  black-tipped.  In  Win- 
fer. — The  black  markings  replaced  by  grayish-brown,  like  tlie  back, 
etc.  Immature. — Like  winter  adults,  but  bill  wholly  l)lack,  anrl 
feathers  of  upper  parts  margined  narrowly  with  buff.     (Eidgway.) 


74^  liErOKT    OF    STATJi    GEOLOGIST. 

Length,  6.50-7.50;  wing,  about  4.65-5.00;  culmen,  ,48-. 55;  tarsus, 
.95-1.05. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  and  Peru  north  to  Arctic  coast. 
Breeds  from  Labrador  and  Alaska  northward.  Winters  on  coast  of 
Gulf  States  and  southward. 

Nest,  in  depression  on  ground,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  2-4;  white 
or  pale  buff,  irregularly  spotted  with  chocolate  or  black;  1.26  by  .94. 

Migrant,  generally  rare,  not  uncommon  at  times  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lake  Michigan.  Sometimes  found  in  small  flocks,  numbering  as  many 
as  twenty-five.  Often  seen  singly  or  in  pairs  in  company  with  Kill- 
deers.  In  fall,  particularly,  they,  singly  or  a  few  in  number,  are  often 
found  associated  with  Semipalmated  and  Least  Sandpipers.  Their 
habits  are  much  like  the  Killdeers,  and  their  not6  is  a  soft,  mellow 
whistle. 

They  are  present  in  the  spring  migrations  late  in  April  and  through 
May.  Mr.  Deane  obtained  specimens  from  a  flock  of  about  twenty- 
five  on  English  Lake,  May  6,  1888.  Those  shot  were  very  fat.  Mr. 
Coale  obtained  two  females  in  Lake  County,  May  27,  1877.  Mr.  C.  A. 
Tallman  noted  them  at  Wolf  Lake  May  23,  1896.  Mr.  Nelson  noted 
it  as  early  as  April  25  in  northeastern  Illinois.  He  also  found 
adults  and  young,  recently  fledged  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  July  2, 
1873,  and  thought  possibly  they  had  bred  there.  Davie  says  'Haoth 
eggs  and  young  have  been  taken  near  Chicago,  111.,  in  July.^'  It  has 
been  found  breeding  in  Minnesota  (Dr.  Hatch). 

Usually  they  return  in  August  and  remain  about  suitable  places 
into  September.  Dry  summers  the  submerged  flats  and  bars  and  ex- 
posed shores  of  the  smaller  lakes  and  streams  in  northern  Indiana  are 
attractive  places  for  them,  and  at  such  times  they  are  quite  common. 
The  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  are  also  frequented  by  them  at  that 
season. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  notes  it  as  early  as  July  15.  Mr?  J.  0.  Dunn 
obtained  one  at  Bass  Lake,  Starke  County,  August  1,  1894,  and  found 
it  at  Peru  October  2,  1893.  They  sometimes  remain  until  the  last  of 
October  (Nelson).  There  is  a  specimen  in  the  collection  of  the  Indi- 
ana State  Museum,  at  Indianapolis,  from  Jasper  County. 

In  addition,  it  has  been  reported  from  the  following  counties:  Tip- 
pecanoe (Dr.  E.  Test),  Putnam  (Clearwaters),  Allen  (Stockbridge),  La- 
porte  (Byrkit).  It  has  never  been  noted  in  the  Whitewater  Valley. 
Dr.  Coues  found  them  breeding  abundantly  in  Labrador.  They  have 
also  been  found  breeding  on  the  Arctic  coast,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Anderson  River  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  in  Alaska. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  743 

117.     (277).    ^gialitis  meloda  (Ord). 

Piping  Plover. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Above,  pale  brownish-gray;  forehead,  lores, 
nuchal  collar,  and  lower  parts,  white;  a  band  across  fore  part  of 
crown,  and  one  on  each  side  of  breast,  not  meeting  in  front,  black  or 
dusky;  bill,  yellow  or  orange,  black  at  tip.  In  Winter. — These  black 
markings  replaced  by  light  brownish-gray,  and  the  hill  almost  entirely, 
or  wholly,  black.  Immature. — Like  the  winter  plumage,  but  feathers 
of  upper  surface  with  distinctly  paler  terminal  margins. 

Length,  6.25-7.50;  wing,  4.50-4.80;  culmen,  .45-.50;  depth  of  bill  at 
base,  .20-.22;  tarsus,  .85-1.00. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  West  Indies  to  Labrador. 
Breeds  from  Virginia  and  southwestern  Ontario  north.  Winters  from 
Carolinas  southward. 

Eggs,  laid  on  beach,  4;  creamy-white,  speckled  with  black  and 
purplish  gray;  1.27  by  .96. 

Eare  migrant  over  most  of  the  State;  probably  summer  resident, 
with  the  nest  along  Lake  Michigan.  It  has  been  reported  by  L.  A. 
and  C.  D.  Test,  from  Lafayette,  September  18,  1895,  which  is  the 
usual  time  of  their  departure.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  obtained  both 
forms  of  the  Piping  Plover  from  the  same  flock  at  English  Lake, 
May  17,  1891.  This  bird  is  not  as  often  seen  with  us  as  the  next.  I 
doubt  not  these  two  forms  will  be  considered  one  ere  long.  The  differ- 
ences do  not  seem  to  be  such  that  they  should  remain  separated. 

i 

118.    (277a).    iEgialitis  meloda  circumcincta  Ridgw. 

Belted  Piping  Plover. 

Similar  to  ^.  meloda,  but  with  a  continuous  black  band  across  the 
breast.    Size  of  last. 

Eange. — Interior  of  North  America.  Breeds  from  northern  Indi- 
ana, northern  Illinois  and  probably  Nebraska  north  to  Lake  Winni- 
peg.   Winters  along  Gulf  coast. 

Eggs,  as  in  last. 

Migrant  over  most  of  the  State;  summer  resident  in  considerable 
numbers  along  Lake  Michigan.    Breeds. 

With  us  this  variety  and  the  species  last  named  are  found  together, 
the  greater  number,  however,  being  this  form.  Mr.  Nelson  notes  their 
arrival  near  Chicago  the  middle  of  April.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  took  one 
at  Tolleston,  Lake  County,  May  1,  1880,  and  a  pair  near  Whiting,  May 


744  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

2b,  1879.  Ill  the  southern  pai'i  of  the  State,  Mr.  Kobert  Ridgway  saw 
a  pair  on  a  sand-bar  in  the  White  River  north  of  Wheatland  late  in 
May,  1885.  Mr.  Deane  noted  them  at  English  Lake,  May  17,  1891. 
Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  took  specimens  August  13,  1894,  at  Miller's. 
It  has  been  noted  in  Indiana  May  1,  and  found  continuously  until 
late  in  August.  They  are  often  paired  when  they  arrive  and  proceed 
at  once  to  nesting.  They  continue  coming  till  June;  consequently 
the  nesting  season  is  much  prolonged. 

Some  thirty  pairs  were  breeding  along  the  beach  within  a  space  of 
two  miles,  April  24,  1876,  at  Waukegan,  111.  They  nest  on  the  flat, 
pebbly  beach  between  the  sand-dunes  and  shore.  (Nelson,  Birds  N.  E. 
111.,  p.  133.)  August  1, 1897,  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  found  downy  young, 
also  three  pairs  nesting  at  Miller's,  Ind.  This  gives  a  period  of  over 
three  months  from  the  date  given  by  Mr.  Nelson  for  the  breeding 
season.  Either  there  is  an  unusual  extension  of  the  season  or 
more  than  one  brood  is  reared  in  a  year.  Prof.  H.  Duemling,  of  Ft. 
Wayne,  has  a  specimen  in  his  collection  taken  near  that  place  (Stock- 
bridge).    They  are  said  to  remain  until  the  last  of  September. 


XXI.     Family  APHRIZID^.     Surf  Birds  and  Turnstones. 

aK  Bill  pointed,  upturned  at  end;  tarsus  not  longer  than  bill.        Arenakia.     61 

SiBFAMiLY  ARENARIIN.E.     Turnstones., 
61.    Gesus  ARENARIA  Brisson. 

119.     (283).    Arenaria  interpres   (Linn.). 

Turnstone. 

Adult  in  8u7nmer. — Pied  above,  with  black,  white,  brown,  and 
chestnut  red,  the  latter  color  wanting  in  winter  and  in  young  birds; 
below,  from  the  breast  (which  is  more  or  less  completely  black),  throat, 
most  of  the  secondaries,  bases  of  the  primaries,  and  bases  and  tips  of 
the  tail  feathers,  white;  bill,  black;  feet,  orange.  In  Winter. — White 
parts  as  in  summer,  most  of  other  parts  dusky  or  brownish.  Imma- 
ture.— Above,  brownish-gray,  feathers  bordered  with  whitish;  upper 
tail  coverts,  white;  throat,  foreneck  and  breast,  white,  streaked  with 
flusky;  lower  parts,  white. 

Length,  9.00-9.90;  wing,  6.00;  bill,  .80-.90;  tarsus,  1.00. 

Range. — Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In  America,  from  Patagonia  to 
Greenland  and  Alaska.  Breeds  from  Hudson  Bay  to  the  Arctic  coast. 
Winters  from  coast  of  Gulf  States  southward. 


BiKDS  OK   Indiana.  745 

•    Ncsl,  'A  lioJlow  in  ground,  lined  with  grass.     J^^ggs,  2A;  greenish- 
drab,  spotted  all  over  with  brown;  1.60  by  1.17. 

Rare  migrant.  Except  along  Lake  Michigan  it  is  almost  unknown. 
There  are  but  two  records  from  the  interior  of  the  State.  Dr.  Hay- 
mond  observed  it  in  Franklin  County  (Ind.  Geol.  Rept.  1869,  p.  228). 
May  20,  1888,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  observed  it  in  Starke  .  County. 
Messrs.  Eliot  Blackwelder  and  C.  A.  Tallman  identified  two  Turn- 
stones at  Wolf  Lake,  Ind.,  May  23,  1896;   two  were  also  seen  there 


f  Turnstone. 


June  9  of  that  year.  August  8,  1897,  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  took  two  in 
breeding  plumage  at  Miller's,  and  August  21  took  a  young  male  at  the 
same  place.  Nelson  has  noted  them  in  Cook  County,  111.,  about  Sep- 
tember 20. 

They  may  be  said,  therefore,  to  Ije  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Michigan  through  the  latter  half  of  May  and  the  first  third  of  June, 
and  from  early  August  until  about  the  middle  of  September.  In  the 
fall,  at  least,  they  are  generally  found  with  flocks  of  small  Sandpipers. 

They  breed  far  northward  along  the  coast  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  and 
in  Alaska.  Mr.  Geo.  B.  Sennott  found  them  on  the  coast  of  Texas 
during  the  breeding  season.  (Bull.  V .  S.  C.  &  G.  Sur.  of  Terr.;  Vol. 
\^,  No.  3,  1879,  p.  431). 

Mr.  E.  A.  Mcllhenny  says  it  is  an  abundant  resident  on  the  coast  oC 
Louisia.na  (The  Auk,  Vol.  XIV,  1897,  p.  289).  Do  those  only  who 
are  to  breed  make  the  long  journey  beyond  the  Arctic  Circle,  oi-  do(;s 
this  bird  breed  sometimes  on  our  southern  coast?  Mr.  Mcllhenny 
has  stated  that  several  other  species  previously  supposed  to  spend  llic 
summer  far  north  are  summer  residents  of  the  Louisiana  coast. 


746  Kkpokt  of  8'i'A'ri';  (JeoIvOcuht. 

H.     Order  GALLING.     Gallinaceous  I^irds. 

Suborder  PHASIANI.  Pheasants,  Grouse,  Partridges,  Quails. 

XXII.     Family  TETRAONID^.     Grouse,  Pheasants,  Etc. 

a^.  Wing  under  6.00;  tarsus  bare;    sides  of  toes  without  comb-like  projections. 
Subfamily  Perdicin^. 
6 ^  Head  not  crested.  Colinus.     62 

a^.  Wing  over  6.00 ;  upper  half  or  more  of  tarsus  feathered  ;  toes  in  winter  with  a 
fringe  of  horny  points.     Subfamily  Tetraonin^. 

c^.  Tarsus  feathered  about  half  way  to  toes.  Bonasa.     63 

c^.  Tarsus  feathered  to  toes. 

d^.  Toes  feathered;  plumage  in  winter  white.  Lagopus. 

d"^.  Toes  not  feathered. 

e^.  Neck  with  tuft  of  elongated,  stiff  feathers  on  each  side;  tarsus  naked 
behind.  Tympanuchus.     64 

e^.  Neck  without  peculiar  feathers. 
/^  Tail  rounded.  Dendragapus. 

f^.  Tail  pointed ;  middle  feather  projecting  beyond  the  others. 

Pedioc^.tes. 

Slbfamily  PERDICIN^E.     Partridges. 
62.    Genus  COLINUS     Lesson. 

"^120.    (289).    Colinus  virginianus  (Linn.). 

Bobwhite. 
Synonyms,  Quail,  PARTRrcfiE. 

Male. — Coronal  feathers,  erectile,  but  not  forming  a  true  crest;  f ore- 
liead,  superciliary  line  and  throat,  white,  bordered  with  ])lack;  crown, 
neck  all  round  and  upper  part  of  breast,  brownish-red;  other  under 
parts,  tawny- whitish,  all  with  more  or  fewer  doubly  crescentic  l)lack 
bars;  sides,  broadly  streaked  with  brownish-red;  upper  parts,  varie- 
gated with  chestnut,  black,  gray  and  tawny,  the  latter  edging  the 
inner  quills.  Female. — Known  by  having  the  throat  buff  instead  of 
white,  less  black  about  the  fore  parts,  and  general  colors  less  intense; 
rather  smaller  than  the  male. 

Length,  9.50-10.75;  wing,  4.30-4.70;  tail,  2.40-2.90. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States  and  southern  Ontario,  west  to  east- 
ern Minnesota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Indian  Territory  and  eastern  Texas : 
south  to  Georgia,  Alabama  and  other  Gulf  States. 

Nest,  on  ground.    Eggs,  10-18;  white;  1.19  by  .94. 

Resident;  generally  common.  Breeds.  The  Bobwhite  is  generally 
known  in  Indiana  as  the  "Quail."     To  some  it  is  the  "Partridge 


&^" 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


74' 


At  llic!  begiiijiiiig  oi'  llici  setilemeiii  ol'  this  State,  wlieu  virgin  forests 
composed  of  trees  both  large  and  tall,  covered  most  of  the  present  area, 
there  was  not  much  ground  suitable  for  the  "Bobwhite."  They  were 
doubtless  confined  to  the  bushy  river  bottoms,  old  Indian  clearings, 
small  prairies,  and  other  partially  open  spaces.  With  the  advent 
of  the  pioneer,  the  day  of  their  extension  was  at  hand.  They  fol- 
lowed in  the  path  of  his  axe,  and  occupied  the  neighborhood  of 
clearings.  They  accompanied  him  as  he  planted,  where  he  had  over- 
thrown the  ancient  growth.  As  civilization  spread,  they  followed. 
Their  enemies  being  few,  they  throve.  Their  numbers  increased,  and 
they  grew  very  tame.  The  pioneer  did  not  hunt  them,  as  they  are 
hunted  now.     One  was  occasionally  killed  with  a  rifle,  but  the  trap 


Bobwhite,  male  and  female,  natural  size. 


was  the  principal  means  of  taking  them.  Nevertheless  they  became 
very  abundant,  and  were  found  throughout  our  State.  But  shotguns, 
first  muzzle,  then  breech-loaders,  came  to  war  against  them,  and  the 
trained  dog  was  brought  to  assist.  Enemies  in  furry  coats — foxes, 
skunks,  minks,  weasles,  cats — either  because  of  the  destruction  of 
other  foods  or  because  they  were  so  abundant  and  so  tame,  made  war 
upon  them. 

Enemies  in  scales — snakes — found  their  nests  upon  the  ground  a 
convenient  source  of  food  supply.  The  open  meadows  and  clear  fields 
afforded  opportunities  for  swift-moving  hawks  and  prairie  owls  to 
live  there  as  they  could  not  in  the  days  of  the  forest,  and  Bobwhite 
suffered,  as  did  the  other  farm  birds.    To  the  pot-hunter  more  than 


748  ilEPOKT  OF  State  Geologist. 

any  olhiiv  unc  vuxx^l',  cxcc^pt  the  severe  winters,  we  may  charge  the 
destruction  of  these  beautiful  birds.  In  the  more  thickly  settled  por- 
tions of  the  State,  in  the  neighborhood  of  large  cities,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago,  where  boys  with  firearms  and  target  guns  range 
the  country,  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  men  take  up  the  cus- 
tom, shooting  at  all  sorts  of  birds,  killing  many  and  scaring  the  others 
away.  Bob  whites  and  all  other  game  birds  can  scarcely  be  seen.  Mr. 
J*arker  informs  me  it  is  very  rare  in  Cook  County,  111.,  and  Mr.  L.  T. 
Meyer  said,  in  188G,  in  Lake  County,  Ind.,  they  were  rapidly  becom- 
ing extinct.  In  both  these  counties  they  were  formerly  very  common. 
Mr.  Meyer  speaks  of  them  being  so  tame,  they  formerly  came  about 
the  farm  buildings  and  roosted  with  the  chickens.  A  succession  of 
hard  winters  or  one  of  unusual  severity  sometimes  reduces  their  num- 
bers very  low.  The  winter  of  1878-79  they  were  almost  exterminated 
by  reason  of  the  severe  weather  and  their  inability  to  procure  food. 
In  the  spi-ing  whole  covies  were  found  dead  where  they  had  huddled 
Idgether  and  frozen.  Few  were  found  for  several  years  thereafter. 
They  were  slow  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  that  winter.  From 
1884-5,  Prof.  Evermann  says  they  were  rare  in  Carroll  County,  where 
they  were:  formerly  abundant.  During  the  winter  of  those  years  he 
estimat^es  that  he  did  not  see  100  quail  in  the  county.  (The  Auk,  Oc- 
tober, 1888,  p.  349.)  The  years  1890-91  they  were  more  numerous,  in 
southern  Indiana,  at  least,  and  I  doubt  not  throughout  the  State,  than 
th5?y  had  been  prior  to  the  winter  of  1878-9.  The  year  1892  and  the 
succeeding  winter,  over  the  northern  two-thirds  of  the  State,  at  least, 
was  very  unfavorable  to  them.  The  spring  and  early  summer  of  that 
year,  the  more  level  and  little-drained  land  of  northern  Indiana  was  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent  submerged,  and  their  nests  were  washed  away 
and  their  eggs  spoiled  by  water  and,  many  places,  they  were  prevented 
from  nesting.  June  17,  1892,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  wrote  me  the 
Kankakee  region  had  then  been  practically  under  water  for  two 
months,  and  that  it  had  been  a  hard  season  on  quail.  He  thought  the 
majority  of  their  nests  had  been  destroyed.  The  winter  following  this 
was  quite  severe,  and  throughout  northern  Indiana  there  was  much 
snow,  the  ground  remaining  covered  a  long  time.  From  wherever  I 
have  reports,  the  destruction  of  Bob  white  is  noted.  Mr.  M.  W. 
Salmon,  of  Kilmore,  Clinton  County,  says  "the  few  quails  that  sur- 
vived the  deep  snow  and  cold  of  January  (1893)  were  weak  and  be- 
came a  prey  to  Hawks,  etc.  They  were  almost  annihilated.  Of  this 
ITlrey  and  Wallace  have  also  spoken  (Proc.  I.  A.  S.,  1895,  p.  69). 

About  the  middle  of  October  I  have  noticed  the  Bobwhites  of  south- 
ern Indiana  lioixin  to  chansfe  their  habits.    From  the  cheerful,  matter- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  749 

ul-iact  bird  about  the  farm,  they  become  erratic.  Hiinters  say  they 
are  crazy.  They  seem  possessed  with  a  desire  to  migrate,  coming  into 
towns  and  cities  in  some  numbers.  They,  at  such  times,  are  lost  and 
bewildered.  They  are  found  in  trees  and  among  the  shrubbery  of  gar- 
dens, in  outbuildings  and  among  lumber  piles.  I  have  seen  them  in 
the  cellar  window-boxes  and  over  the  transoms  of  the  front  doors  of 
houses.  They  fly  into  stores  and  dash  against  their  glass  fronts. 
Throughout  the  day  their  characteristic  call  is  heard,  each  one  calling 
to  its  mate  who-e-he,  who-e-he,  which  we  sometimes  interpret  as 
"Where  are  you?^^  "Where  are  you?^^  I  have  noticed  this  as  early  as  Oc- 
tober 12  (1890).  Some  years  it  is  much  more  noticeable  than  others. 
On  the  farms  the  results  of  this  movement  are  seen.  Farms  where 
a  number  of  covies  have  been  reared  will  be  found  to  have  no 
Bob  whites  on  them  by  November  1.  Other  farms,  not  far  away,  will 
have  the  number  of  these  birds  greatly  increased. 

Some  years  they  appear  to  desert  the  uplands  and  seek  the  river 
valleys.  The  fall  of  1890  hunters  spoke  of  the  scarcity  of  Bobwhites 
when  the  season  opened.  The  uplands,  which  are  first  hunted,  were 
found  to  contain  almost  no  birds,  although  a  few  weeks  before  they 
were  abundant  there.  They  were,  however,  abundant  in  the  river 
valleys,  where,  among  the  bottom  corn-fields,  they  were  not  hunted 
till  later.    Most  of  them  apparently  attempted  to  migrate  southward. 

The  Ohio  Eiver  bottoms  contained  immense  numbers  of  Bobwhites, 
and  many  crossed  the  river  into  Kentucky,  others  were  killed  in 
attempting  to  cross.  I  have  been  told  that  when  they  reached  Ken- 
tucky they  were  exhausted  and  many  of  them  were  killed  without  the 
use  of  a  gun,  or  were  trapped  without  much  effort. 

By  spring  the  flocks  have  generally  been  scattered.  However,  in 
protected  localities,  they  frequently  remain  together  quite  late,  much 
later  than  some  begin  mating.  A  flock  of  fourteen  was  observed  dust- 
ing themselves  in  the  sand,  April  27,  1897. 

The  spring  call  of  this  bird  is  what  has  given  it  the  present  name. 
"Bob-white,  Oh  !Bob-white'' sounds  from  many  a  stake  of  the  old  worm 
fence,  in  May  and  June.  No  more  cheery  sound  is  heard  throughout 
rural  America  than  this  call  at  mating  time.  It  has  been  fittingly  set 
in  a  beautiful  poem  by  the  master  hand  of  my  friend,  Lee  0.  Harris, 
one  of  the  best  poets  of  our  State.  April  is  the  beginning  of  mating 
time,  and  sometimes  nesting  begins  by  May  1.  Two  and  sometimes 
three  broods  are  reared  in  a  year.  The  nest,  of  grasses,  is  built  upon 
the  ground.  It  is  often  placed  in  a  fence-row;  an  old  rail  fence  comer 
is  a  favorite  spot,  beside  a  stump,  in  a  little  protected  place  in  a  pas- 
ture or  in  a  thinly  vined  berry  patch.    I  have  found  them  on  the  l)ank 


750  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

ui  11  little  dt'prt'ssioii  tliruugli  ii  pasture,  where  luauy  eattle  coiitiaually 
passed,  with  no  protection,  and  only  their  faith  in  the  cattle  keeping 
the  path  a  yard  away,  could  have  impelled  the  birds  to  build  there. 
The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  from  12  to  25.  The  average  being  15  to 
18.  Sometimes  one  hears  of  nests  having  as  many  as  thirty  or  forty. 
Undoubtedly  such  a  number  is  the  result  of  two  or  more  laying  in  the 
same  nest.  This  they  occasionally  do,  and  also  sometimes  they  and 
chickens  lay  in  the  same  nest.  There  have,  undoubtedly,  been  great 
changes  in  the  habits  of  these  birds.  The  female  does  the  sitting 
and  cares  for  the  family.  Occasionally,  when  she  has  been  killed,  the 
male  has  been  known  to  assume  the  task  of  sitting  and  fulfilling  the 
duties  of  the  mate. 

Mr.  John  Wright,  of  Bartholomew^  County,  told  me  of  a  nest  in  a 
fence-row,  near  which  he  often  passed.  He  noted  the  eggs  day  after 
day,  as  they  increased  in  number,  and  frequently  saw  the  female.  One 
day  he  was  surprised  to  see  the  male  sitting  upon  the  nest.  Examina- 
tion showed  some  feathers  of  the  female  near  by,  marking  the  site  of  a 
tragedy  in  which  she  had  been  the  victim.  The  male  had  taken  up  her 
duties.  He  watched  him,  and  he  stuck  to  his  job.  The  young  were 
hatched  and  faithfully  they  were  cared  for  by  the  parent.  He  led 
them  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  corn  field  and  near  there  he  and  they 
spent  the  winter.  My  father  also  t^Us  of  a  similar  instance.  I  have 
found  the  nest  with  fresh  eggs  as  late  as  July  9  (1887).  Mr.  Robert 
Ridgway  has  found  a  nest  containing  fresh  eggs,  October  16,  and 
there  is  one  instance,  given  from  Missouri,  by  Major  Bendire,  of  a 
Bobwhite  sitting  on  her  eggs  in  January. 

The  Bobwhite  is  the  bird  of  civilization.  It  and  the  farmer  each 
fares  best  when  they  recognize  they  have  united  interests  and  one  is 
dependent  upon  the  other.  While  the  birds  eat  wheat,  oats,  rye,  barley, 
corn,  buckwheat  and  other  crop  seeds,  they  get  the  most  of  it  from 
gleaning  the  fields,  and  at  the  same  time  eat  seeds  of  smart-weed, 
butter-weed,  rag-weed,  partridge-berries,  nanny-berries,  wild  grapes 
and  various  other  wild  fruits  and  weed  seeds.  They  also  eat  blades  of 
grass  and  other  green  foods,  and  in  winter,  acorns  and  beechnuts. 
Through  the  breeding  season,  and,  in  fact,  the  entire  summer,  they  eat 
many  insects — ^beetles,  grubs,  larvae — enemies  of  trees,  crops,  and 
meadows.  Dr.  Howard  E.  Jones  examined  the  crop  of  one  accidentally 
killed  in  a  potato  patch  in  Ohio  and  found  it  contained  seventy-five 
potato-bugs. 

Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler,  of  Bicknell,  Knox  County,  informs  me  he  has 
seen  an  old  bird,  with  her  brood,  devouring  chinch  bugs.  The  mother 
would  jump  up  and  strike  the  cornstalks,  knocking  down  many  bugs. 


Birds  or  Indiana.  751 

wliicli  the  young  ate  as  soon  as  they  touched  the  ground.  These  are 
some  of  the  innumerable  ways  in  which  Bobwhite  attempts  to  help  his 
friend,  the  farmer. 

How  soon  will  the  farmer  realize  the  situation?  A  dozen  covies  of 
these  birds  upon  a  farm  will  do  much  to  reduce  the  insect  foes,  and  to 
lessen  their  damage,  and  also  to  destroy  the  seeds  of  innumerable 
noxious  weeds. 

There  have  undoubtedly  been  many  changes  in  the  habits  of  the 
Bobwhite  since,  it  came  in  contact  with  our  race.  Formerly  they  were 
very  sensitive  about  having  their  nests  disturbed.  Now  my  friend,  Mr. 
E.  E.  Quick,  assures  me  they  have,  by  reason  of  association,  become 
accustomed  to  man  and  will  permit  one  to  remove  their  eggs  from 
the  nest  and  handle  them.  Prof.  Cooke  is  satisfied  the  habit  of 
"lying  to  a  dog'^  is  acquired.  He  shows  that  in  the  western  part  of 
Indian  Territory  they  no  more  think  of  stopping  when  they  see  a  dog 
than  they  would  for  a  coyote;  while,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory, where  they  have  become  acquainted  with  dogs,  they  lie  quite  well 
for  them  (Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p.  102).  Whether  or  not  they  have 
the  power  to  withhold  their  scent  was  a  long-disputed  question.  From 
the  experience  of  some  close  observers  it  would  seem  that  they  cer- 
tainly think  they  have  this  power. 

Proper  regulations  should  be  made  by  legislation  for  their  protec- 
tion, and  thorough  education  be  given  the  people  as  to  the  value  of 
these  birds.  Mr.  Thos.  Mcllwraith  informs  us  that  some  time  ago  the 
government  of  Ontario  passed  an  act  prohibiting,  under  any  circum- 
stances, for  a  period  of  three  years,  the  killing  of  quail.  This  law,  co- 
incident with  mild  winters,  had  the  effect  of  increasing  their  numbers. 
Afterwards  they  again  became  less  numerous.  Doubtless  there  should 
be  a  law  in  our  States  protecting  them  for  several  years,  and,  after  they 
have  been  given  a  chance  to  increase,  they  should  be  guarded  through 
a  close  season,  as  at  present.  They  are  too  valuable  to  permit  them. to 
become  exterminated.  I  desire  to  call  particular  attention  to  the 
Hawks  and  Owls,  which  are  treated  later,  in  order  that  the  reader  may 
become  acquainted  with  the  kinds — for  there  are  only  certain  kinds — 
that  may  be  said  to  be  destructive  to  our  game  birds.  The  really 
harmful  are:  Cooper^s  Hawk,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Goshawk,  and  the 
Duck  Hawk. 


762  lUoroRT  of  State  ({eolouist 


Si  MKA.MiTA   TETRAONINJ:.     (iKorsE. 


<>"..    Gknus  BONASA  Stkphkns. 

121.     (-300).    Bonasa  umbellus  (Linn. 

Ruffed  Grouse. 


■^t 


Heiid  of  PtiiflFed  Grouse,  uaturiil  size. 

Adult  Male. — Variegated  reddish  or  grayish-brown;  the  back,  with 
numerous  oblong,  pale,  black-edged  spots;  neck-tufts,  glossy-black; 
below,  whitish,  barred  with  brown;  tail,  varying  from  gray  to  rufous, 
with  a  broad  subterminal  black  zone,  and  tipped  with  gray.  Fe- 
male.— Similar,  but  neck-tufts  very  small. 

Length,  15.50-19.00;  wing,  7.00-7.50;  tail,  5.50-7.00. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States  west  to  Great  Plains,  from  South 
Carolina  and  Arkansas  to  Minnesota,  Vermont  and  Ontario. 

Nest,  a  hollow  in  ground,  lined  with  leaves  or  grass.  FJggs,  8-14; 
milky-wliit-e  to  pinkish-bufV,  often  with  I'ound  spots  of  pale  reddish- 
brown  or  dral);  1.58  by  1,18. 

Resident.  Breeds.  The  RufPed  Grouse  is  found  in  varying  abun- 
dance throughout  the  State.  It  is  a  bird  of  the  forest.  Where  there 
is  the  most  forest,  other  things  being  equal,  are  to  be  found  the  most 
Grouse.  Some  places,  where  the  woods  are  permitted  to  remain,  they 
aie  common.  The  rougher,  less  fertile,  and  the  wet,  poorly-drained 
portions  of  the  State  are  where  the  most  timber  is  to  be  found,  and 
there  they  are  the  most  numerous.  In  the  lower  Whitewater  Valley 
they  are  still  to  be  found  in  some  numbers. 

The  rougher  hills  covered. with  dense  woods  and  underbrush  are 
the  places  where  they  live.  Mr.  L.  H.  Haymond  thinks  they  are 
nowhere  to  be  met  with  in  sucli  numbers  as  in  northern  Indiana, 
northern  Ohio,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  While  they  prefer  the  dense 
covert,  they  are  occasionally  found  in  buckwheat  stubble,   in  the 


BiKPS  ov  Indiana.  753 

open,  ill  (ho  J'aJI.  They  are  then  even  known  to  enter  towns.  I 
liave  a  specimen  that  was  shot  from  an  apple  tree  in  the  yard  of  a 
neighbor  in  Brookville.  Throughout  the  level  and  more  thickly  set- 
tled portions  of  the  State  they  are  becoming  scarce. 

JVIr.  Parker  says  they  are  rare  in  Cook  County,  111.,  but  that  a  few 
are  to  be  found  in  Lake  County,  Ind.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  says  they 
are  common  in  Dekalb  County.  It  has  been  reported  in  recent  years 
from  the  following  additional  counties:  Monroe,  frequent  (Martin); 
Carroll,  rare  (Evermann);  Brown,  common  resident  (Kindle);  Deca- 
tur (Guthrie) ;  Howard,  rare  (Woody);  Starke  (Deane);  Allen  (Stock- 
bridge);  Putnam  (Clearwaters);  Tippecanoe  (Dr.  E.  Test);  Steuben 
(Mrs.  L.  M.  Sniff);  Laporte  (Barber);  Elkhart  (Juday);  Knox,  rare 
(Chansler);  Boone,  rare  (Beasley);  Parke,  rare  (Clickener);  Benton, 
specimen  in  the  State  Museum;  Kosciosko  (Haymond);  Porter  (Par- 
ker); Wabash,  becoming  rare  (Ulrey  and  Wallace).  In  the  White- 
water Valley  this  bird  is  known  as  "Pheasant."  In  some  other  locali- 
ties it  is  called  "Partridge."  These  names  but  serve  to  confuse  one, 
as  it  is  neither;  it  is  a  Grouse.  The  term  "Partridge"  is  also  quite 
widely  applied  to  the  Bobwhite. 

One  of  the  characteristic  sounds  from  the  woods,  where  the  Ruffed 
Grouse  dwells,  particularly  in  early  spring,  is  the  drumming  of  the 
male.  I  have  notes  of  its  drumming  in  this  State  as  early  as  March 
25,  and  through  April  and  May  it  is  most  commonly  heard,  and  one 
record  is  June  3,  1888  (Deane).  It  is  said,  some  places,  to  begin  drum- 
ming in  February  and  to  have  been  known  to  drum  almost  every 
month  in  the  year.  The  sound  is  most  often  heard  during  the  breed- 
ing season.  I  take  the  liberty  of  giving  what  Major  Bendire  tells  us 
is  the  description  of  the  method  of  drumming,  by  Mr.  Manly  Hardy, 
of  Brewer,  Maine,  a  reliable  and  careful  observer.  He  says:  "Tlie 
cock  G-rouse  usually  selects  a  mossy  log,  near  some  open  hedge,  clear- 
ing or  wood-road,  and,  partly  screened  by  bushes,  where  he  can  see 
and  not  be  seen.  When  about  to  drum,  he  erects  his  neck  feathers, 
spreads  his  tail,  and,  with  drooping  wings,  steps  with  a  jerking  motion 
along  the  log  some  distance  each  way  from  his  drumming  place,  walk- 
ing back  and  forth  several  times,  and  looking  sharply  in  every  direc- 
tion; then,  standing  crosswise,  he  stretches  himself  to  his  fullest 
height,  and  delivers  the  blows  with  his  wings  fully  upon  his  sides,  his 
wings  being  several  inches  clear  from  the  log.  After  drumming,  he 
settles  quietly  down  into  a  sitting  posture  and  remains,  silently  listen- 
ing for  five  or  ten  minutes,  when,  if  no  cause  of  alarm  is  discovered, 
he  repeats  the  process. 

48— Geol 


754  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

"The  drumming  place  is  resorted  to  by  the  male  from  year  to  year. 
It  may  be  a  log,  a  rock,  an  old  stump,  or,  when  such  are  not  available, 
a  small  hillock  may  be  made  to  answer  the  purpose  equally  as  well." 
(Bendire,  L.  H.  N.  A.  Birds,  I,  p.  61). 

The  nest  is  generally  a  slight  hollow  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  or  stump, 
or  under  the  edge  of  an  old  log,  in  a  fallen  tree-top  or  brush  pile. 
In  this  is  put  a  few  straws,  a  little  grass  or  a  few  leaves.  They  gen- 
erally lay  from  nine  to  twelve  eggs.  There  are  records  where  as  many 
as  sixteen  to  twenty-three  eggs  have  been  found  in  one  nest.  The 
nests  which  have  come  under  my  observation  have  contained  eggs  in 
May.  That  is  the  month  when  most  of  them  lay.  Full  sets  of  eggs 
have  been  found  as  far  north  as  Central  New  York,  as  early  as  April  1 
(Bendire).  Unfavorable  weather  at  breeding  time  is  disastrous  to  the 
Ruffed  Grouse.  Unlike  the  Bob  white,  they  usually  lay  but  one  sitting 
a  season,  and,  should  these  be  destroyed,  or  the  delicate  young  in  their 
early  days  become  chilled  by  cold  winds  accompanying  a  season  of 
rain,  if  they  lay  again,  as  they  are  said  sometimes  to  do,  the  set  is  a 
small  one,  but  usually  the  year's  increase  is  lost.  Mrs.  Hine  informs 
me  she  once  found  a  sitting  Ruffed  Grouse  late  in  July.  Mr.  Hay- 
mond  mentioned  the  year  1889  as  the  most  disastrous  year  to  these 
birds  within  his  recollection.  The  previous  year,  1888,  there  was  a 
favorable  breeding  season,  and  they  were  found  in  great  abundance. 
They  are  fully  grown,  or  nearly  so,  by  October  1.  After  this  date  they 
rarely  take  to  the  trees,  though,  when  old  and  young  are  together 
through  the  summer,  they  are  commonly  to  be  found  in  them  (L.  H. 
Raymond). 

The  food  of  the  Ruffed  Grouse  is  quite  varied.  Grasshoppers  and 
crickets  are  favorite  articles  of  food.  Besides  these,  caterpillars,  ants, 
beetles,  etc.,  are  eaten.  They  live  largely  upon  insects  and  fruits,  in- 
cluding all  the  berries,  during  the  summer. 

In  the  fall  they  have  been  noted  to  eat,  abundantly,  leaves  and 
blossoms  of  red  clover,  acorns,  chestnuts,  beechnuts,  various  seeds  and 
partridge  berries.  In  winter  they  eat  seeds,  grains,  buds  of  laurel, 
apple,  fern,  wintergreen  (GauUheria),  partridge  berries  (Mitchella), 
sumac  berries,  dogwood  (Cornus),  viburnum  berries,  and  wild  grapes. 
The  crop  of  a  Ruffed  Grouse,  taken  at  Brookville,  May  10,  1879, 
contained  the  following:  Three  large  beetles  ( Phyllophaga  Jiir- 
suta),  entire,  but  slightly  crushed;  numerous  green  seed-pods  of  the 
blood  root  (Sanguinaria  canadensis);  and  a  large  mass  of  leaves  of 
white  clover  (Trifolium  repens),  and  ground  ivy  (Nepeta  glechonia). 
The  gizzard  contained  numerous  seed  stones  of  the  Black  Gum  tree 


Birds  of  Indiana.  765 

{JSy^sa  ntuUiJlora),  and  remains  oi*  several  oi  the  beetles  beiure  men- 
tioned (Jour.  Cin.  Soc.  N.  H.,  July,  1880,  pp.  126,  127). 

An  excellent  article  upon  this  species,  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
sportsman,  by  "Monoquet"  (Mr.  L.  H.  Haymond,  of  Warsaw),  was 
published  in  the  American  Field,  and  is  referred  to  in  the  bibliog- 
raphy. 

64.    Genus  TYMPANUCHUS  Glogkb. 

"^122.     (305).    Tympanuchus  americanus  (Reich.). 

Prairie  Hen. 
Synonyms,  Praikie  Chicken,  Pinnated  Grouse. 

Adult  Male. — Sides  of  neck  with  an  erectile  tuft  of  ten  or  more 
rather  stiff,  elongated  feathers  with  round  ends,  the  longest  of  which 
are  2.50  or  more  in  length;  tail  feathers,  without  bars  or  other  mark- 
ings, except  the  narrow  whitish  tip.  Adult  Female. — Smaller,  with 
lesser  neck  tufts. 

Length,  about  18.00-19.00;  wing,  8.60-9.40  (9.04);  tail,  4.00-4.30 
(4.16). 

Range. — Prairies  of  Mississippi  Valley;  south  to  Louisiana  and 
Texas;  west  to  northern  Indian  Territory,  middle  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
and  eastern  North  and  South  Dakota;  east  to  Kentucky,  Indiana, 
northwestern  Ohio,  southeastern  Michigan,  and  southwestern  Ontario, 
Canada;  north  to  southern  Manitoba. 

Nest,  on  ground.  Eggs,  11-14;  pale  cream,  olive  buff  or  light  brown, 
often  finely  spotted  with  reddish-brown;  1.66  by  1.24.  Usually  one 
brood. 

Resident;  formerly  very  abundant  over  the  original  prairie  district, 
and  now  approximately  confined  to  that  district.  In  most  places  be- 
coming scarce,  in  some  very  rare. 

Generally  known  by  one  of  the  following  names:  "Prairie  Chicken," 
"Chicken,"  or  "Pinnated  Grouse." 

Within  recent  years  they  have  been  reported  from  the  following 
counties:  Common  in  Newton,  1894  (Pfrimmer);  in  Starke,  1892, 
1894  (Dunn);  rare  in  Carroll,  1889  (Evermann),  1894  (Ster- 
ling); Steuben,  1894  (Cass);  Boone,  1895  (Beasley);  Knox,  1888 
(Balmer);  Clinton,  1887  (Halleck);  Wabash,  1895  (Ulrey  and  Wal- 
lace). Its  occurrence  has  also  been  noted  in  the  following  counties: 
Lake,  1896  (Parker);  Laporte,  1892  (Parker),  1894  (Barber);  Benton 
(specimen  in  State  Museum);  Allen  (Stockbridge);  Dekalb,  Steuben 
and  Noble  (McBride). 


756  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

It  J8  kiiowii  that  this  species  extends  its  range,  Sijnietimes,  but  i 
have  nothing  at  hand  to  show  that  it  did  in  this  State.  In  counties 
like  Carroll  and  Wabash  it  has  confined  itself  to  the  prairie  district. 

Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  has  shown  that  west  of  the  Mississippi  River  it 
has,  to  a  certain  extent,  developed  the  habit  of  migration,  which  is 
more  apparent  some  years  than  others. 

They  begin  mating  some  years  early  in  March.  The  following  ac- 
count of  the  love-making  of  these  birds,  by  Judge  J.  D.  Caton,  a 
careful  and  well-known  naturalist,  is  given:  "The  spring  of  the  year 
is  the  season  of  courtship  with  them,  and  it  does  not  last  all  the  year 
round,  as  it  does  with  humans,  and  they  do  it  in  rather  a  loud  way, 
too ^' and,  instead  of  taking  the  evening,  as  many  people  are  inclined 
to  do,  they  choose  the  early  morning.  Early  in  the  morning  you  may 
see  them  assemble  in  parties,  from  a  dozen  to  fifty  together,  on  some 
high,  dry  knolls,  where  the  grass  is  short. 

"The  cock  birds  have  a  loose  patch  of  naked,  yellow  skin  on  each  side 
of  the  neck,  just  below  the  head,  and  above  these,  on  either  side,  just 
where  the  head  joins  the  neck,  are  a  few  long  black  feathers,  which 
ordinarily  lay  backward  on  the  neck,  but  which,  when  excited,  they 
can  pitch  straight  forward.  Those  naked,  yellow  patches  on  either  side 
of  the  neck  cover  sacs,  which  they  blow  up  like  a  bladder  when- 
ever they  choose.  These  are  their  ornaments,  which  they  display  to 
the  best  advantage  before  the  gentler  sex  at  these  love-feasts.  This 
they  do  by  blowing  up  these  air  sacs  till  they  look  like  two  ripe  oranges 
on  each  side  of  the  neck,  projecting  their  long  black  ears  right  for- 
ward, ruffling  up  all  the  feathers  of  the  body  till  they  stand  out 
straight,  and  dropping  their  wings  to  the  ground  like  a  Turkey  cock. 
Now  they  look  just  lovely,  as  the  cosy,  timid  maidens  seem  to  say  as 
they  cast  side  glances  at  them  full  of  admiration  and  love. 

"Then  it  is  that  the  proud  cock,  in  order  to  complete  his  triumph, 
will  rush  forward  at  his  best  speed  for  two  or  three  rods  through  the 
midst  of  these  love-sick  damsels,  pouring  out  as  he  goes  a  booming 
noise,  almost  a  hoarse  roar,  only  more  subdued,  which  may  be  heard 
for,  at  least,  two  miles  in  the  still  morning  air. 

"This  heavy  booming  sound  is  by  no  means  harsh  or  unpleasant; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  soft  and  harmonious.  When  standing  in  the 
open  prairie  at  early  dawn,  listening  to  hundreds  of  different  voices, 
pitched  on  different  keys,  coming  from  every  direction,  and  from  vari- 
ous distances,  the  listener  is  rather  soothed  than  excited.  If  this  sound 
is  heavier  than  the  deep  keynotes  of  a  large  organ,  it  is  much  softer, 
though  vastly  more  powerful  and  may  be  heard  at  a  much  greater  dis- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  757 

tance.  One  who  has  heard  such  a  concert  can  never  after  mistake  or 
forget  it. 

"Every  few  minutes  this  display  is  repeated.  I  have  seen  not  only 
one,  but  more  than  twenty  cocks  going  through  this  funny  operation 
at  once,  but  then  they  seem  careful  not  to  run  against  each  other,  for 
they  have  not  yet  got  to  the  fighting  point.  After  a  little  while  the 
lady  birds  begin  to  show  an  interest  in  the  proceedings  by  moving 
about  quickly  a  few  yards  at  a  time,  and  then  standing  still  a  short 
time.  When  the  actions  are  continued  by  a  large  number  of  birds 
at  a  time  it  presents  a  funny  sight,  and  you  can  easily  think  they  are 
moving  to  the  measure  of  music. 

"The  party  breaks  up  when  the  sun  is  half  an  hour  high,  to  be  re- 
peated the  next  morning  and  every  morning  for  a  week  or  two  before 
all  make  satisfactory  matches.  It  is  toward  the  latter  part  of  the 
love  season  that  the  fighting  takes  place  among  the  cocks,  probably 
by  two  who  have  fallen  in  love  with  the  same  sweetheart,  whose  mod- 
esty prevents  her  from  selecting  between  them.^^ 

Their  nests  are  placed  on  the  ground,  in  prairies,  meadows,  the 
edges  or  dryer  parts  of  marshes  and  such  other  places  as  Bobwhites 
would  be  likely  to  select,  and  are  lined  with  grass. 

The  number  of  eggs  is  usually  from  8  to  13.  In  fact,  there  are  two 
extremes  of  all  the  records  I  have  from  this  State;  generally  they  are 
from  9  to  11.  Instances  are  recorded,  from  Nebraska,  where  the  num- 
ber was  twenty-one  (Kline,  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  August,  1882, 
p.  150).  Their  eggs  are  frequently  destroyed  by  high  water,  fire,  the 
plow  and  mower,  in  addition  to  the  many  natural  enemies  of  this  bird. 
The  year  1892,  which,  by  reason  of  the  high  water  in  northern  Indiana 
through  May  and  June,  was  destructive  to  Bobwhite  nests,  was  equally 
so  to  those  of  the  Prairie  Hen.  Mr.  Deane  informed  me,  June  5,  of 
seven  nests  found  at  English  Lake,  under  water.  The  year  before,  he 
wrote  me  of  two  nests  having  been  found  where  the  meadows  had  been 
turned  over.  Under  date  May  4,  1890,  Mr.  Deane  wrote  me  that  that 
day  Mr.  E.  A.  Stafford,  who  had  a  dog  with  him,  at  Kouts,  Ind.,  ob- 
served the  dog  flush  a  Prairie  Chicken,  which  at  that  moment  or  just 
before  had  laid  an  egg  upon  the  bare  ground. 

Nests  are  generally  found  with  fresh  eggs  from  late  in  April  to  early 
June.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  found  a  nest  at  Tolleston,  July  4,  1880,  with 
13  eggs.  Major  Bendire  notes  an  instance  where  fresh  eggs  were 
found  in  August,  indicating  that  occasionally  a  second  brood  is 
brought  forth.  The  female  sits  and  cares  for  the  young.  The  exact 
period  of  incubation  is  unknown,  but  it  is  between  three  and  four 
weeks.    The  young  and  adults  at  this  season  feed  almost  exclusivelv 


758  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

upon  iusecLs,  grasshoppers  forming  a  promiiieiil  part.  Cereals, 
grass,  and  weed  seed  are  eaten.  In  the  fall,  when  buckwheat 
is  ripening  in  September,  their  favorite  feeding  ground  is  a 
buckwheat  patch.  The  flocks  collected  at  this  season  remain  together, 
except  as  they  are  killed,  until  mating  time  next  spring.  Flocks  con- 
tain from  ten  to  forty  birds. 


XXIII.     Family  PHA8IANIDJE.     Pheasants,  Etc. 

a'.  Head  and  neck  naked;  forehead  with  conspicuoug  appendage. 

Meleagris.     65 

Subfamily  MELEAGRIN^.    Turkeys. 
65.    Gknus  meleagris  Lixn^cs. 

*123.    (310).    Meleagris  gallopavo  Linn. 

Wild  Turkey. 

Breast  of  male,  with  a  tuft  of  long,  coarse,  hair-like  black  bristles; 
tail,  bright  umber,  or  dull  ferruginous-brown,  narrowly  barred  with 
black,  and  crossed  near  the  end  with  a  broad  subterminal  band  of 
black;  spurs,  moderately  developed.  Female  much  smaller  and  duller- 
colored  than  the  male;  tip  of  tail  and  all  of  the  upper  tail  coverts, 
dark  chestnut;  prevailing  hue  of  metallic  reflections,  coppery. 

Length,  48.00-50.00;  extent,  60.00;  wing,  21.00;  tail,  18.50;  weight, 
16  to  40  lbs.  Female  measurements,  smaller  in  proportion;  weight, 
about  12  lbs.  (Kidgway). 

Range. — Eastern  United  States,  north  to  southern  Canada,  for- 
merly to  Maine;  south  to  Florida  and  middle  Texas;  west  to  the  edge 
of  the  Great  Plains.    (Bendire.) 

Nest,  on  ground,  lined  with  dead  leaves  and  grass.  Eggs,  10-14; 
creamy-white  to  creamy-buff,  spotted  and  dotted  with  different  shades 
of  brown;  2.55  by  1.79. 

Resident.  Breeds.  Formerly  occurred  in  numbers  throughout  the 
State;  now,  in  most  places,  extinct.  My  father  tells  me  of  turkey 
hunts  in  Franklin  and  Jefferson  counties;  of  having  killed  them 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  present  town  of  Brookville,  and  of 
trapping  them  in  rail  or  log  pens,  some  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago. 
The  turkey  pens  had  holes  dug  in  the  ground  under  one  side  large 
enough  to  admit  the  turkeys.  A  trail  of  com  led  down  into  the  hole, 
and  inside  the  pen  wa^  plenty  of  com.  The  birds  followed  the  line  of 
shelled  com,  and  suddenly  found  themselves  inside  the  pen.  The}' 
nevermore  thought  of  looking  down  for  the  way  by  which  they  came. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  75U 

and  woi'c  ca.i)tives  until  released.  For  many  years  I  thought  the  last 
Wild  Turkeys  were  killed  in  Franklin  County  about  1878  or  '80. 
More  recently  I  have  been  informed  by  residents  of  Salt  Creek  Town- 
ship that  some  were  killed  in  that  township  in  1885  or  1886. 

Prof.  Evermann  says  they  were  common  in  Carroll  County  up  to 
1870.  Dr.  Brayton,  in  1879,  said  they  were  occasionally  seen  in 
Marion  County.  They  were  seen  in  Crawford  County  last  year  n89f>- 
1897)  (W.  S.  Blatchley). 

They  were  last  noted  in  the  following  counties,  about  the  time  men- 
tioned: Lake,  about  1880  (Meyer);  Newton,  1884  (Pfrimmer);  Wa- 
bash, 1880  (Ulrey  and  Wallace).  In  1886  it  was  reported  as  occasion- 
ally seen  in  Laporte  County  (Byrkit).  In  my  paper  on  Indiana  Birds, 
in  1890,  I  gave  it  as  probably  found  in  the  following  counties,  from 
which  I  have  no  later  record  of  its  occurrence:  Grant,  Monroe,  Dekalb, 
and  Jefferson.  In  Monroe,  in  1887,  Prof.  Blatchley  said  it  was  oc- 
casionally taken,  and  Mr.  H.  F.  Blair  reported  the  capture  of  one 
from  a  flock  of  seven  near  Deputy,  Jefferson  County.  A  few  years 
previously  they  were  occasionally  taken  in  Eipley  County.  The  Wild 
Turkey,  however,  is  still  found  in  Knox  County,  where  a  white  one 
was  seen  a  few  years  ago  (Chansler).  Mr.  Kobert  Eidgway  gave  it  as 
common  there  in  1882  (Bull,  ^ittall  Orn.  Club,  1882,  p.  21).  It  is 
also  still  a  survivor  in  limited  numbers  in  Gibson  County  (John  Mar- 
tin), and  in  Pike  and  Posey  counties  (J.  P.  Key).  It  will  only  be  a  few 
years  until  our  largest  game  bird  will  be  extinct  within  this  State. 
They  usually  go  in  flocks  of  from  three  to  twenty,  although  I  have 
heard  recently  of  one  flock,  in  this  State,  of  about  -sixty.  They  are 
polygamous,  one  male  accompanying  several  females.  Their  habits, 
time  of  mating,  method  of  nesting,  care  of  young,  in  fact,  all  their  pe- 
culiarities, resemble  very  much  those  of  the  domestic  turkey,  who 
steals  away  and  hides  her  nest  in  the  thicket;  though  the  lighter- 
colored  domestic  turkey  is  not  a  descendant  of  this  species,  but  of  the 
Mexican  form.  The  number  of  eggs  varies  from  ten  to  fourteen, 
eleven  or  twelve  being  the  number  commonly  found. 


760  Report  of  Statk  GkoIvOGisi'. 

1.    Ordek  VOIjVMBJF..     FuiKoys. 
XXIV.     Family  COLUMBIDJ^.     Pigeons. 

a'.  Tarsus  shorter  than  lateral  toes.     Subfamily  Columbin.k. 

6^  Tail  very  long,  wedge  shaped,  with  12  pointed  feathers.        Pxtopistes.     6H 
a^.  Tarsus  longer  than  lateral  toes.     Subfamily  ZenaidinvE. 

c^.  Tail  long,  pointed,  of  14  pointed  feathers.  Zenaidura.     67 

66.    Gknus  ECTOPISTES  Swainson. 

*124.     (315).    Ectopistes  migratorius  (Linn.). 

Passenger  Pigeon. 
Synonym,  Wild  Pigeon. 


Pas^cnser  Pigeon. 

AduU  Male. — Slaty-blue  above,  the  wings  and  seapiilai's  more 
brownish  and  spotted  with  black;  the  inner  webs  of  the  tail  feathers 
have  each  a  rufous  and  a  l)lack  spot.  The  male  has  the  whole  head 
bluish-plumbeous,  the  foreneck  and  Jugulum,  rich  cinnamon,  passing 
into  vinaceous  on  the  breast,  this  gradually  becoming  paler  posteriorly; 
the  sides  of  the  neck,  richly  ^'lossed  with  metallic  solferino-purple 
Female. — Head,  foreneck,  and  jugulum,  brownish-ashy  or  drab,  gradu- 
ally lightening  posteriorly.     (Ridgway.) 

Length,  15.00-17.25;  wing,  8.00-8.50;  tail,  8.20-8.75. 

Range. — Deciduous  forest  regions  of  eastern  North  America;  west. 
casually  to  Washington  and  Nevada;  Cuba. 

Nest,  of  twigs,  in  trees.    Bggs,  1  or  2;  white;  1.47  by  1.02. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  761 

iMigiaiil;  i'uJiiieJ'Jy  veiy  aJnindant,  bill  jjovv  j-arc;  also  rare  resident. 
Have  found  them  frozen  to  death  in  severe  weather  in  the  winter. 
Formerly  bred  throughout  the  State.  Perh-aps  still  does,  rarely.  In 
northern  Indiana  I  think  the  greater  number  were  migrants,  though 
many  were  summer  residents.  These  birds  were  gregarious,  and  moved 
about  in  flocks  ranging  in  numbers  from  a  few  individuals  to  vast 
droves  of  incalculable  numbers.  They  generally  appeared  in  southern 
Indiana  as  migrants,  some  years  arriving  in  September.  The  greater 
number  passed  south  when  severe  weather  began  and  returned  in 
force  in  February  and  March.  The  great  bulk  went  north  into 
Michigan  and  other  northern  States  to  breed,  nesting  in  large  colonies. 
But  many  bred  throughout  our  State,  singly;  and  sometimes  colonies 
of  them  nested.  Their  winter  residence  was  determined  by  the  quan- 
tity of  mast,  but  in  general  it  could  be  said  to  be  somewhere  in  the 
area  of  the  beech  woods,  at  least  in  the  Ohio  Valley. 

It  is  difficult  for  a  young  person  to  appreciate  the  accounts  the  older 
inhabitants  give  of  the  former  abundance  of  these  birds. 

I  am  indebted  to  my  father,  now  over  eighty-seven  years  of  age,  and 
a  native  of  the  State,  for  many  facts  relating  to  these,  and  also  other 
birds.  He  says,  in  1831-2,  the  pigeon  roosts  in  the  vicinity  of  Vernon, 
which  had  become  noted  as  the  most  extensive  in  that  part  of  the 
State,  were  occupied  by  great  numbers  of  pigeons.  They  moved  in 
flocks  so  large  the  sky  could  not  be  seen  in  any  direction  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  They  also  nested  in  that  locality  in  great  abundance. 
The  "roost^^  in  the  vicinity  of  Brookville,  in  the  months  of  January 
and  February,  1854,  while  not  so  large  as  many  others,  was  so  near 
home  that  accounts  of  it  made  an  impression  on  my  mind.  One  even- 
ing, when  it  was  cloudy,  my  father  went  with  a  company  of  friends  to 
it.  The  birds  were  much  frightened  by  the  shooting  about  their  roost, 
and,  just  after  sun-down,  arose  en  masse  and  soared  out  of  sight  in  the 
dusk  of  the  winter  evening,  while  from  the  direction  of  the  cloud  of 
birds  came  a  noise  as  of  a  violent  windstorm.  As  the  darkness  in- 
creased, the  multitude  descended  and  alighted  upon  the  limbs  of  the 
forest  trees  in  such  numbers  as  to  break  many  off.  After  night,  the 
scene  is  described  as  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  squawking  of  the 
pigeons,  the  breaking  of  the  limbs  of  giant  trees  beneath  their  living 
weight,  the  continuous  rumble  arising  from  the  whirr  of  countless 
wings,  the  rapid  firing  of  guns,  produced  an  effect  which  no  words 
can  convey  to  one  who  has  not  experienced  a  night  at  a  "pigeon 
roost.^^  In  1869  Dr.  Raymond  said:  "Still  seen  in  large  numbers, 
though  evidently  they  have  been  constantly  diminishing  in  numbers 


762  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

for  the  laal  i'orty  years,  and  are  probably  uol  half  so  imineruus  as  Lhey 
formerly  were." 

Hon.  H.  D.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Franklin  County,  now  a  resident 
of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  informs  me  that,  when  a  boy,  some  time  be- 
tween 1820  and  1830,  he  remembers  going  with  some  men  to  a 
"pigeon  roost,"  in  Springfield  or  Bath  Township.  He  remembers  its 
site  was  marked  by  an  extensive  windfall.  There,  upon  the  bushes, 
the  pigeons  nested  in  countless  numbers,  and  the  object  of  their  visit 
was  to  catch  squabs.  He  thinks  they  nested  there  for  several  years. 
Mr.  B.  S.  Miner,  of  Leota,  Ind.,  writes  me  of  a  roost  in  Scott  County 
which  existed  from  before  he  can  recollect.  He  remembers  it  first  in 
1840.  The  birds  would  begin  to  fiy  to  it  in  large  flocks  about  one  hour 
before  night,  and  would  continue,  with  intervals,  till  dark.  When  at 
roost  they  would  break  down  the  timber.  They  occupied  the  roost  for 
two  or  three  years,  and  then,  after  a  few  years^  absence,  would  return. 
This  continued  until  about  1855,  since  which  date  they  have  roosted 
there  but  one  year;  that  was  since  the  rebellion.  They  did  not  nest 
there.  Mr.  Angus  Gaines  says  Pigeons  once  roosted  in  Knox  County 
in  vast  numbers.  Mr.  W.  W.  Pfrimmer  says  they  formerly  nested  in 
great  numbers  in  the  timber  along  the  Kankakee  River,  in  Newton 
County.  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster,  in  his  article  "On  the  Present  Status  of 
the  Wild  Pigeon,"  says  a  man  told  him  the  largest  nesting  he  ever  vis- 
ited was  in  1876  or  1877.  It  began  near  Petoskey  and  extended  north- 
east past  Crooked  Lake  for  28  miles,  averaging  three  or  four  miles 
wide.  The  birds  arrived  in  two  separate  bodies,  one  directly  from  the 
south  by  land,  the  other  following  the  east  coast  of  Wisconsin,  and 
crossing  Manitou  Island.  He  saw  the  latter  body  come  in  from  the 
lake  at  about  3  o^clock  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  a  compact  mass  of 
Pigeons,  at  least  five  miles  long  by  one  mile  wide.  The  birds  began 
building  when  the  snow  was  twelve  inches  deep  in  the  woods,  although 
the  fields  were  bare  at  the  time.  So  rapidly  did  the  colony  extend  its 
boundaries  that  it  soon  passed  literally  over  and  around  the  place 
where  he  was  netting,  although,  when  he  began,  this  point  was  several 
miles  from  the  nearest  nest. 

Nestings  usually  start  in  deciduous  woods,  but  during  their  prog- 
ress the  Pigeons  do  not  skip  any  kind  of  trees  they  encounter.  The 
Petoskey  nesting  extended  eight  miles  through  hardwood  timber,  then 
crossed  a  river  bottom  wooded  with  arbor-vitae,  and  thence  stretched 
through  white  pine  woods  about  twenty  miles.  For  the  entire  dis- 
tance of  twenty-eight  miles  every  tree  of  any  size  had  more  or  less 
nests,  and  many  trees  were  filled  with  them.  None  were  lower  than 
about  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground.     Pigeons  are  very  noisy  when 


BiUDS  OF  Indiana.  703 

building.  They  make  a  sound  resembling  the  croaking  of  wood-frogs. 
Their  combined  clamor  can  be  heard  four  or  five  miles  away  when  the 
atmospheric  conditions  are  favorable:  Two  eggs  are  usually  laid,  but 
many  nests  contain  only  one.  Both  birds  incubate,  the  females  be- 
tween 2  o^clock  p.  m.  and  9  or  10  o'clock  the  next  morning;  the  males 
from  9  or  10  o'clock  a.  m.  to  2  o'clock  p.  m.  The  males  feed  twice 
each  da3^,  namely,  from  daylight  to  about  8  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  again 
late  in  the  afternoon.  The  females  feed  only  during  the  forenoon. 
The  change  is  made  with  great  regularity  as  to  time,  all  the  males 
being  on  the  nest  by  10  o'clock  a.  m.     *     *     * 

Five  weeks  are  consumed  by  a  single  nesting.  Then  the  young  are 
forced  out  of  the  nest  by  the  old  birds. 

I  can  remember  a  number  of  interesting  flights  in  my  boyhood. 
About  1873  they  were  very  abundant  for  the  last  time  near  Brook- 
ville.  Prof.  Evermann  notes  they  were  very  abundant  up  to  that 
time  in  Carroll  County;  but  the  last  were  seen  in  the  fall  of  1877, 
when  a  few  hundred  represented  the  countless  numbers  of  half  a  cen- 
tury or  less  ago.  That  autumn  I  was  at  Hanover  and  shot  a  number 
from  the  extreme  end  of  College  Point. 

"The  nesting  area  situated  near  Petoskey  covered  something  like 
100,000  arcres  of  land,  and  included  not  less  than  150,000  acres  within 
its  limits,  being  in  length  about  forty  miles  by  three  to  ten  in  width. 
The  number  of  dead  birds  sent  by  rail  was  estimated  at  12,500  daily, 
or  1,500,000  for  the  summer,  besides  80,352  live  birds;  an  equal  num- 
ber was  sent  by  water.  We  have,  adding  the  thousands  of  dead  and 
wounded  ones  not  secured,  and  the  myriads  of  squabs  left  dead  in  the 
nest,  at  the  lowest  possible  estimate,  a  grand  total  of  1,000,000,000 
Pigeons  sacrificed  to  mammon  during  the  nesting  of  1878"  (Prof.  H. 
B.  Roney,  in  Chicago  Field,  Vol.  X,  pp.  345-347). 

Mr.  Parker  says  the  last  year  they  were  at  all  abundant  in  Cook 
County,  111.,  was  in  May  and  June,  1881. 

Mr.  William  Brewster  visited  the  localities  so  well  known  as  breed- 
ing grounds  for  Pigeons  throughout  Michigan  in  the  spring  of  1888. 
While  the  Pigeons  had  not  made  the  flight  they  had  in  former  years, 
still  he  assures  us  the  flight  was  a  large  one.  They  passed  beyond  the 
lower  peninsula  and  doubtless  found  a  breeding  ground  remote  from 
persecution.  Mr.  Brewster  was  of  the  opinion  that  there  were  left 
enough  Pigeons  to  stock  the  West,  provided  they  could  be  protected 
by  adequate  laws.    (The  Auk,  October,  1889,  p.  285,  et.  seq.). 

They  have  not  been  protected,  but  steadily  decreased  in  numbers 
so  that  some  years  I  have  not  heard  of  a  single  Pigeon.  In  1892  Mr. 
Pfrimmer  shot  two  in  Newton  County.    More  were  observed  in  1894 


764  llEPURT    OF    S'J'ATJO    GEOLOGIST. 

than  for  two  or  three  years.  Mr.  Barnett  noted  them  in  Brown 
County  March  7  and  April  5.  In  Laporte  County  a  flock  of  50  or  more 
was  seen  April  10  (Barber).  At  Grand  Haven,  Mich.,  one  was  seen 
May  3  (Davidson).  Near  Manchester,  Mich.,  observed  June  13,  Sep- 
tember 9  and  12  (L.  W.  Watkins).  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  says  he  saw 
a  considerable  flock  in  Knox  County,  September  1.  Mr.  Harbin  saw 
a  flock  October  6.  These  are  the  first  pigeons  he  has  seen  for  years. 
In  1895  Mr.  Barnett  saw  a  flock  of  sixty,  April  12,  in  Brown  County. 
Mr.  Eatliff  reported  twenty-five,  April  18,  at  Eichmond. 

Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  saw  the  wings  of  a  Wild  Pigeon  that  was 
killed  near  Greensburg  in  the  winter  of  1895-6  or  the  spring  of  1896. 
It  was  alone  when  shot.  About  the  same  time  Mr.  John  Wright  saw 
six  in  Bartholomew  County.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  reports  a  small  flock 
from  Flat  Creek  Bottom,  near  Wheatland,  in  1896.     In  September, 

1896,  it  was  said  several  were  seen  in  the  eastern  part  of  Franklin 
County,  but  I  was  unable  to  verify  the  report.  Mr.  J.  F.  Honacker  says 
a  shaall  flock  was  seen  near  St.  Peter^s,  Franklin  County,  October  21, 

1897.  Previous  to  that  the  last  one  noted  in  that  county  was  a  single 
one,  February  28,  1890. 

The  passing  of  the  Pigeon  was  a  wonderful  sight.  Well  do  I  re- 
member, as  a  young  boy,  the  long,  dark  lines  of  moving  wings,  and 
the  noise  of  the  propelling  strokes.  Their  passing  away  must  fill  the 
soul  of  every  one,  into  whose  life  their  migrations  have  come  as  an 
experience,  with  profound  regret.  I  introduce  the  lines  of  a  careful 
observer,  a  faithful  interpreter  of  nature,  my  friend,  Hon.  B.  S. 
Parker.  His  "Hoosier  Bards"  are  the  feathered  songsters  of  our  be- 
loved State,  and  therein  he  has  preserved  his  recollections  of  the 
Passenger  Pigeon: 

"And  windy  tumults  shake  the  ground, 

And  trees  break  down  with  feathered  store, 
And  many  swiftly-pulsing  wings 

Are  spread  at  once  in  sudden  fright, 
Till  every  fleeting  minute  brings 

The  noise  of  some  delirious  flight. 
And  all  the  air  is  dark  with  swarms 

Of  pigeons  in  their  quest  for  food, 
While  autumn  leaves  in  eddying  storms 

Are  beaten  by  the  feathered  flood." 


Birds  of  Indja^ja.  765 

07.    Uknus  ZENAIDURA  Bonapaktk. 

'125.     (316).    Zenaidura  macroura  (Linn.). 

Mourning  Dove. 

Synonyms,  Carolina  Dove,  Tttrtle-Dove. 

Adult  Male. — Brownish-olive,  glossed  with  blue  on  the  crown  and 
nape;  below,  purplish-red,  becoming  tawny-white  on  the  vent  and 
crissum;  neck,  metallic-golden;  a  velvety-black  spot  on  the  auriculars 
and  others  on  the  wing  coverts  and  scapulars;  middle  tail  feathers, 
like  back;  the  rest,  ashy-blue  at  the  base,  then  crossed  by  a  black  bar, 
then  white  or  ashy- white;  bill,  very  slender,  black;  feet,  carmine. 
Adult  Female. — Paler,  less  metallic  lustre.  Immature. — Similar  to 
female,  but  feathers  with  paler  edges;  no  distinct  black  spot  beneath 
ear. 

Length,  11.00-13.00;  wing,  5.70-6.10;  tail,  5.70-6.50. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Panama  and  West  Indies  north  to 
southern  Maine,  Canada  and  British  Columbia.  Breeds  throughout 
the  United  States.     Winters  in  Indiana  and  New  York  southward. 

Nest,  of  twigs,  in  bush,  tree,  or  on  stump,  log  or  ground.  Eggs,  1  or 
2;  white;  1.10  by  .84. 

Common  summer  resident  northward;  southward,  common  resident. 
In  the  lower  Wabash  and  lower  Whitewater  valleys  they  often  spend 
the  winter  in  small  flocks,  frequenting  chosen  places.  Years  when 
snow  stays  long  on  the  ground  they  are  to  be  found  about  corncribs 
and  places  where  stock  is  fed.  Some  winters  they  are  quite  common. 
In  the  spring  of  1883  all  the  specimens  shot  at  Wheatland,  Indiana, 
had  the  ends  of  their  toes  frozen  off,  showing  that  they  had  braved 
the  almost  unprecedented  cold  of  the  preceding  winter.  (Ridgway, 
Birds  of  111.,  I,  p.  499.) 

A  few  pass  the  winter  as  far  north  as  Terre  Haute  (Blatchley),  Car- 
roll County,  Monroe  County  (Evermann),  Brown  (Kindle),  Richmond 
(McCoy),  Wabash  (Ulrey  and  Wallace).  Some  winters  they  are  found 
to  the  northern  limits  of  the  State,  and  even  into  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
and  Ontario. 

Their  migrations  in  spring  depend  upon  the  season;  sometimes  they 
appear  in  middle  and  northern  Indiana  in  February;  usually  they 
are  seen  by  the  middle  of  March,  but  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of 
the  State  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  the  records  show  that  some 
years  they  do  not  appear  until  early  in  April. 

In  autumn  they  remain  into  November.  Generally  the  greater 
number  have  left  northern  Indiana  the  first  week  of  that  month.  They 


766  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

begin  cooing  about  the  middle  of  March,  in  Franklin  County;  1887, 
March  7;  1896,  March  10.  The  nest  is  a  frail  platform,  composed  of 
sticks  and  roots,  sometimes  with  a  few  leaves. 

They  mate  early,  and  their  nests,  with  complement  of  eggs,  are 
often  found  early  in  April — April  5,  Carroll  County  (Evermann); 
April  4,  Franklin  County;  April  17,  Lafayette  (L.  A.  and  CD.  Test). 
Their  usual  nesting  place  is  in  a  tree  or  bush,  from  four  to  fifteen  feet 
from  the  ground.  In  the  bushes  along  the  river  banks  their  nests 
are  especially  numerous.  They  select  as  a  nesting  site  Honey  Locusts 
(Gleditschia)  or  Thorn  (Cratcegus)  perhaps  more  often  than  all  other 
trees.  They  often  nest  in  orchards,  and  upon  stumps  from  two  to  ten 
feet  high.  They  are  sometimes  found  breeding  in  company  with  the 
Purple  Grackle.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  writes  of  a  tendency  of  these  birds 
towards  breeding  close  together,  possibly  in  colonies.  In  a  very  small 
patch  of  pine  trees,  in  Lake  County,  he  found  ten  nests.  Occasionally 
nests  are  found  built  upon  the  ground,  as  they  are  throughout  the 
treeless  region  of  the  West,  but  such  is  not  often  the  case  with  us. 

Both  sexes  share  in  incubation,  the  period  being  about  two  weeks. 

They  are  generally  through  breeding  by  July,  though  the  nest,  with 
eggs,  occasionally  may  be  found  all  through  the  summer  and  into  the 
early  fall.  When  family  cares  are  over  they  begin  to  collect  in  small 
flocks.  Then  they  often  are  seen  in  the  corn  fields,  which  they  con- 
tinue to  frequent  into  the  winter.  Their  food  consists  of  different 
kinds  of  grain,  weed  seeds,  beechnuts,  small  acorns,  worms  and  in- 
sects. 

J.     Order  RAPTORES.     Birds  of  Prey. 
Suborder  SARCORHAMPHI.     American  Vultures. 
XXV.     Family  CATHARTID^.     American  Vultures. 

aK  Tail  square;  wings  short,  primaries  of  folded  wings  not  reaching  to  end  of 
tail ;  nostrils  small  and  narrow.  Catharista.     69 

a^.  Tail  rounded;  wings  long,  primaries  of  folded  wing  reaching  to  or  beyond  end 
of  tail ;  nostrils  large  and  broad.  Cathartes.     68 

68.    Genus  CATHARTES  iLLieRR. 

n26.    (325).    Cathartes  aura  (Linn.). 

Turkey  Vulture. 
Synonym,  Turkey  Buzzard. 

Adult. — Head  and  upper  part  oi  neck,  naked,  the  skin  bright  red, 
sparsely  set  with  a  few  bristle-like  feathers;  bill,  white;  plumage,  lus- 
trous black,  more  or  less  edged  with  brown;  tail,  rounded;  ends  of 


Birds  of  Indiana.  767 

primaries  icacliiiig  beyond  ilie  end  oi'  tail.  IninuUure. — Similar,  but 
skin  of  head  and  neck  black,  and  more  or  less  covered  with  whitish 
down. 

Length,  26.00-32.00;  extent,  about  6  feet;  wing,  20.00-23.00 
(inches);  tail,  11.00-12.00;  culmen,  1.00;  tarsus,  2.25-2.30. 

Eange. — America,  from  Patagonia  to  New  Jersey,  Ontario,  south- 
ern Michigan,  noi-thern  Indiana.  Casually  to  Maine,  the  Saskatche- 
wan, and  British  Columbia.  Winters  from  southern  Indiana  south- 
ward. 

Nest,  in  hollow  trees  and  logs,  and  in  cavities  in  rocks,  and  on 
ground,  ^ggs,  2,  rarely  1  or  3;  white  or  creamy-white,  blotched, 
smeared  or  spotted  with  irregular  markings  of  various  shades  of  brown 
and  lavender;  2.74  by  1.89. 

Resident  in  southern  Indiana,  at  least  as  far  north  as  "V'incennes  and 
the  lower  Whitewater  Valley.  Some  years  they  remain  through  the 
winter  as  far  north  as  Brookville.  They  generally  appear  north  to  the 
center  of  the  State  in  February  or  early  March.  Brown  County, 
1893,  February  22  (Kindle);  1895,  February  23;  1897,  February  13 
(Barnett);  Wayne  County,  1895,  March  4  (RatHff).;  1897,  March  22 
(Hadley);  Carroll  County,  March  16,  1884;  March  12,  1885  (Ever- 
mann).  Just  as  they  gradually  fade  away  in  the  fall,  so  they  almost 
imperceptibly  reappear  in  spring.  The  northern  part  of  the  State 
notes  their  return  within  the  latter  half  of  March,  and  they  reach  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie  by  early  April — Sandusky,  0.,  March  29, 
1896;  April  3,  1897  (Moseley) — and  southeastern  portion  of  Michigan, 
where  it  is  rare,  the  latter  part  of  April — (Petersburg,  April  27,  1897; 
Trombley). 

Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  noted  it  as  irregular  and  rare  in  Cook  County,  III. 
(Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  p.  120).  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  tells  me  he  has 
never  seen  it  in  that  county,  but  that  it  is  often  observed  at  Kouts, 
Ind.,  thirty  miles  away.  Plenty  at  "Crane  Town,^^  Jasper  County,  in 
April,  1887  (Trouslot).  In  southwestern  Michigan  it  is  also  very  rare. 
The  Kankakee  River  seems  to  be  the  limit  of  its  range,  in  northwest 
Indiana,  and  through  the  Wabash  Valley  it  reaches  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  State  and  adjacent  portions  of  Michigan.  It  breeds 
throughout  its  summer  range. 

They  mate  soon  after  arrival,  from  the  middle  of  March,  in  the 
southern  counties.  Eggs  are  found  from  April  25  through  May.  Most 
of  them  are  laid  before  the  middle  of  May,  with  us.  They  lay  in  a 
hollow  tree  or  snag,  in  a  prostrate  hollow  log,  on  the  ground,  beside  a 
fallen  tree,  with  no  attempt  to  make  a  nest.  In  the  Whitewater 
\^alley  they  nest  indiscriminately  along  the  streams,  on  wooded  hillsides 


7()8  Heport  oe  JState  (jIeoeogjst. 

or  summits,  or  in  tbe  ujore  level  woodlaml.  'rhe  follow iiig  measure- 
ments are  from  three  sets  collected  near  Brookville  by  my  friend,  Mr. 
E.  E.  Quick:  2.90  by  1.95;  2.70  by  1.90,  deposited  on  ground  beside 
a  log,  collected  May  14,  1879.  2.95  by  1.95;  3.10  by  1.85,  laid  in  hol- 
low sycamore  snag,  six  feet  above  ground  and  forty  feet  from  the  top, 
and  only  entrance;  collected  May  15,  1879.  Incubation  was  far  ad- 
vanced in  both  sets.  2.75  by  1.94;  2.75  by  2.00,  taken  May  20,  1880; 
eggs  fresh. 

Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  wrote  me  of  a  nest  containing  young  found  by  a 
friend  of  his  in  Wabash  County  in  the  summer  of  1894.  When  he 
first  saw  the  young  birds  they  were  about  the  size  of  ha  If -grown 
chickens,  and  entirely  covered  with  white  down.  When  they  were 
disturbed  they  hissed  loud  enough  to  have  drowned  the  noise  of  a  hive 
of  angry  bees.  They  were  at  the  bottom  of  a  large  elm  tree  stub,  on 
the  ground.  After  some  effort,  one  of  the  birds  was  taken  out  of  the 
hollow  trunk.  When  it  was  teased  it  ejected  the  contents  of  its 
stomach,  which  proved  to  be  a  mass  of  half -digested  garter  snake. 

They  feed  upon  all  kinds  of  carrion  and  fresh  meat.  The  latter  is 
their  preference.  There  are,  at  different  localities,  places,  where  these 
birds  congregate,  known  as  "Buzzard  Eoosts."  At  such  spots  great 
numbers  of  these  Vultures  gather  from  a  considerable  area  of  country. 
One  such  is  on  the  east  Fork  of  the  Whitewater  Eiver,  about  fi\e 
miles  north  of  Brookville.  There,  at  almost  any  time  in  summer, 
these  birds  may  be  seen  on  the  long  limbs  of  the  sycamores  and  elms 
along  the  river,  resting  or  drying  or  preening  their  feathers  after  a 
bath.  There  is  another  well  known  roost  at  Shades  of  Death,  near 
Waveland,  Parke  County.  This  overlooks  the  deep  and  rocky  valley 
of  Sugar  Creek. 

They  begin  to  withdraw  from  the  northern  part  of  their  range  in 
October,  sometimes  early,  others  remaining  until  the  close,  and  gradu- 
ally disappear  to  the  southward.  Some  years  most  of  the  migrants  are 
gone  by  the  last  of  that  month;  others  remain  until  late  November 
and  even  into  December.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  writes  me  of  a  pure  white 
Turkey  Vulture  that  was  seen  in  Knox  County. 

69.    Grnus  CATHARISTA  Vikillot. 

^127.    (326).    Catharista  atrata  (Bartr.). 

Black  Vulture. 
Synonym,  Carrion  Crow. 

Adult. — Head  and  upper  part  of  neck,  naked,  black;  the  feathers 
reaching  farther  uj)  on  back  of  neck;  bill,  black  at  base,  with  white 
tip;  plumage,  uniform  dull  black;  under  part  of  surface  of  wings. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  709 

grayish  or  whitisli.     'J'he  heavier  t'oriu,   with  square  tail  and  short 
wings,  with  whitish  lining,  easily  distinguish  this  bird. 

Length,  23.00-27.00;  wing,  16.50-17.50;  tail,  7.50-8.50;  culmen, 
.90-.95;  tarsus,  3.00. 

Eange. — America,  from  Argentine  Republic  and  Chili  north  to 
North  Carolina,  southern  Indiana,  southern  Illinois,  and  west  to  Great 
Plains.  Irregularly  or  casually  to  Maine,  New  York  and  South  Da- 
kota.   Winters  from  southern  Indiana  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  under  a  log  or  bush,  or  in  a  hollow  tree.  Eggs,  2, 
occasionally  1  or  3 ;  gray-green,  irregularly  marked  with  different  tints 
of  chocolate  and  reddish-brown;  3.09  by  2.01. 

Resident  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State;  generally  not  numerous, 
but,  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  at  least  from  Knox  County  south- 
ward, it  is  common.  In  the  lower  Whitewater  Valley  it  is  seen  most 
commonly  in  winter,  but  also  breeds.  The  southern  part  of  our  State 
is  mostly  within  the  uncertain  zone,  which  lies  north  of  the  territory 
where  it  is  a  common  resident.  It  is  not  a  migratory  bird,  but  rather 
a  wanderer  which  is  liable  to  be  found  at  any  season,  except  that  of 
breeding,  within  a  narrow  belt  to  the  northward,  and  may  even  rarely 
breed  there.  Audubon,  in  1834,  said  of  this  Vulture:  "This  bird  is 
a  constant  resident  of  all  our  southern  States,  extends  far  up  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  and  continues  the  whole  year  in  Kentucky,  Indi- 
ana, Illinois  and  even  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  as  far  as  Cincinnati. '' 
Apparently  they  withdrew  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  and 
for  over  forty  years  there  was  no  account  of  its  having  been  observed 
there.  The  next  record  of  its  occurrence  in  Ohio  was  given  by  Dr. 
Langdon  as  December  20,  1876  (Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  October, 
1877,  p.  109).  The  next  record  from  Indiana  was  of  two  specimens 
observed  at  Brookville,  May  17,  1879,  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  (Journ. 
Cin.  Soc.  N.  H.,  December,  1881,  p.  341).  From  that  time  until  the 
present  it  has  regularly  been  seen  in  Indiana,  in  increasing  numbers, 
and  has  extended  its  range  northward  until  it  has  been  found  about 
half-way  across  the  State.  It  would  seem  that  here  is  a  case  of  reces- 
sion from  a  former  area  and  of  again  extending  its  range  to  an  equal, 
or  greater  extent  than  formerly  occupied.  It  has  been  noted  as  far 
north  as  the  counties  of  Knox,  Monroe,  Decatur  and  Franklin,  in 
1890.  Mr.  0.  P.  Hanger  noted  it  in  Orange  County  in  1887  (The 
Curlew,  I,  No.  3,  p.  35).  Mr.  Alden  M.  Hadley  observed  them  at 
Monrovia,  Morgan  County,  November  24,  1894.  Mr.  J.  B.  Burris  saw 
several  at  Gloverdale,  Putnam  County,  November  18,  1896.  Mr.  E. 
J.  Chansler  informs  me  they  have  become  common  at  Bicknell,  Knox 

49— Geoi. 


770  Repojit  of  State  Geologist. 

County,  since  1889.  Previous  to  that  date  they  were  seldom  seen. 
The  fall  of  1894  they  were  quite  common,  and  in  the  fall  of  1895,  at 
times  in  September,  October  and  November,  large  flocks  were  ob- 
served. Both  autumns  there  were  many  dead  hogs  in  that  vicinity, 
and  the  Black  Vidtures  fed  upon  them.  Mr.  Kobert  Ridgway  informs 
me  of  its  breeding  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  and  I  have  reported 
an  instance  of  its  breeding  four  miles  west  of  Brookville,  in  the  valley 
of  the  West  Fork  of  the  Whitewater  River,  in  May,  1889,  in  a  hollow 
sycamore  stub,  about  twenty  feet  high.  The  two  eggs  were  placed  upon 
the  groimd  inside  (Bendire,  L.  H.  N.  A.  Birds,  I,  p.  167).  They  usu- 
ally breed  upon  the  ground,  under  bushes,  logs,  or  sometimes  entirely 
exposed.  The  eggs  are  usually  two.  Both  sexes  assist  in  incubation, 
which  takes  about  thirty  days.  Probably  but  one  brood  is  raised  a 
season.  They  are  generally  known  to  our  people  by  the  name  "Carrion 
Crow."  It  will  be  interesting  to  note  whether  they  further  extend 
their  range  as  the  years  go  by.  The  Black  Vulture  may  be  distin- 
guished, by  a  careful  observer,  on  account  of  its  heavier  body,  square, 
short  tail,  which  gives  it  a  chopped  off  appearance,  black  head,  and  sil- 
very grayish  primaries.  In  some  of  the  southern  cities  these  Vultures 
are  very  tame,  in  fact,  are  semi-domesticated,  but  in  Vera  Cruz,  Mex- 
ico, they  may  be  said  to  be  the  sanitary  police.  They  clean  the  streets 
and  all  public  places  of  offal,  and  their  value  to  the  health  of  the  people 
is  very  great.  They  are  so  tame  that  when  engaged  in  feeding  in  the 
streets  they  grudgingly  make  way  for  the  passer-by. 


Suborder  FALCONES.     Falcons,  Hawks,  Buzzards,  Eagles, 

Kites,  Etc. 

XXVI.     Family  FALCONID^.     Falcons,  Hawks,  Eagles, 

Kites,  Etc. 


a^.  Outer  toe  reversible;  claws  all  same  length,  narrowed  and  rounded  on  the  un- 
der side.  Pandion.     79 
a^.  Outer  toe  not  reversible;  claws  graduated  from  largest  (hind  toe)  to  smallest 
(outer  toe). 
b^.  Nostril  small,  circular,  with  a  conspicuous  bony  tubercle;  cutting  edge  of 
upper  mandible  with  a  strong  tooth,  separated  from  hooked  tip  of  bill  by  a 
distinct  notch.     Subfamily  Fai,coniNuE.  Falco.     78 
b^.  Nostril  not  circular,  nor  with  an  inner  bony  tubercle.     Subfamily  AcciPi- 


Birds  of  I^jjjiana.  771 

c'.  Tail  deeply  forked.  Elanotdes.     70 

c^.  Tail  not  deeply  forked. 

d^ .  Wing  not  more  than  18.00  inches. 
eK  Tarsus  more  or  less  naked  in  front. 
/^  Front   of   tarsus   covered   with   small   roundish    scales;    claws  not 

grooved  beneath.  Ei.anus. 

.  p.  Front  of  tarsus  covered  with  large  transverse  scales  ;  claws  grooved 
beneath. 
g^.  Cutting  edge  of  upper  mandible  notched.  Ictinia.     71 

g^.  Cutting  edge  of  upper  mandible  not  notched. 

h^ .  Face  with  a  slight  ruff  as  in  owls.  Cibcus.     72 

h^.  Face  without  a  ruff. 
i^  Tarsus  about  equal  to  tibia;  wings  little  longer  than  tail. 

ACCTPTTER.      73 
i^.  Tarsus  usually  less  than  three-fourths  the  length  of  tibia ;  tail 
much  shorter  than  wing. 
j^.  Nostril  nearly  ovate,    its   forward   end  pointed   upward; 
wings  rather  pointed.  Buteo.     74 

j'^.  Nostril  nearly  circular;  wings  rounded.         Asturnia. 
e^.  Tarsus  densely  feathered  to  base  of  toes,  except  a  bare  strip  behind. 

Archibuteo.     75 
d'^.  Wing  over  18.00  inches. 

k^.  Tarsus  feathered  all  round  to  base  of  toes. 

Aquila.     76 
k^.  Tarsus  with  at  least  lower  third  naked  all  round. 

HAIilJEETUS.      77 


Subfamily  ACCIPITRIN^.     Kites,  Buzzards,  Hawics,  Etc. 
70.    Genus  BLANOIDES  Vibillot. 

128.    (327).    Elanoides  forficatus  (Linn.). 

Swallow-tailed  Kite. 

Adult. — Tail,  forked  like  that  of  some  swallows;  head,  neck,  band 
across  rump,  and  lower  parts,  pure  white;  rest  of  plumage,  glossy 
black,  with  reflections  of  varying  shades.  Immature. — Head  and  neck, 
streaked  with  dusky;  black  less  glossy;  feathers  of  wings  and  tail,  more 
or  less  margined  with  white. 

Length,  19.50-25.50;  wing,  15.40-17.70;  outer  tail  feathers,  12.50- 
14.50;  culmen,  0.70-0.80;  tarsus,  1.00-1.30. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  to  Virginia,  Indiana  and  Minnesota; 
rarely  to  Massachusetts,  Ontario,  Michigan,  Manitoba,  and  Assiniboia. 
Breeds  from  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Iowa  southward.  Winters  south 
of  United  States. 


772  Report  of  State  Geoi.ogist. 

Nesty  of  sticks  and  moss,  in  tops  of  tall  trees.  Eggs^  2-3;  white, 
sometimes  with  greenish  or  yellowish  tinge,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
brown,  chestnut  and  umber;  1.87  by  1.49. 

Rare  summer  resident  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State;  of 
rare  and  irregular  occurrence  northward.  Wilson  says  of  this  graceful, 
swallow-like  Kite,  that  it  "is  very  abundant  in  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  and  still  more  so  in  west  Florida,  and  the  extensive  prairies 
of  Ohio  and  Indiana  territory."  (Am.  Om.,  VI,  1812,  p.  70).  They 
continued  to  grow  less  in  numbers  year  after  year.  In  Ohio,  for 
twenty  years  after  1858,  there  was  no  record.  From  the  time  of  Wil- 
son down  to  the  year  1882,  a  period  of  seventy  years,  with  the  single 
exception  reported  from  Franklin  County  by  Dr.  Haymond  (Indiana 
Geol.  Rept.,  1869,  p.  210),  it  was  not  reported  from  Indiana  north  of 
the  lower  Wabash  River.  There  Dr.  F.  Stein  killed  three,  two  males 
and  female,  in  one  season.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  noted  it  as  a  summer 
i-esident,  but  much  less  common  than  formerly.  The  specimen  seen  by 
Dr.  Haymond  was  shot  eleven  miles  below  Brookville.  It  had  been 
feeding  upon  beetles  and  cat-birds'  eggs,  which  it  had  swallowed  with- 
out breaking  (Proc.  Phila.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  November,  1856,  p.  287). 

Since  1 882,  whether  because  of  increase  of  the  number  of  observers 
or  of  its  occurring  more  often,  it  has  been  noted  several  times  north  of 
the  region  named.  A  pair  was  shot,  June  19, 1882,  in  Monroe  County, 
Mich.  (Bull.  Nuttall  Orn.  Club,  October,  1882,  p.  250).  It  was  noted 
in  the  following .  Indiana  counties:  Decatur,  July,  1883  (Guthrie); 
Monroe,  two,  August  18,  1885  (Evermann);  Allen,  one,  about  1885 
(Stockbridge);  Clinton,  one,  killed  near  Frankfort,  July,  1885,  and 
now  in  the  possession  of  a  man  near  there  (Newlin);  Mr.  E.  J.  Chans- 
ler  notes  a  pair  in  Knox  County,  in  August,  1890,  one  of  which  is  pre- 
served by  Mr.  J.  Freeman,.  Bicknell,  Ind.  He  also  reports  another 
one  seen  April  11,  1894.  Mr.  J.  A.  Balmer  mentions  it,  from  Knox 
County.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  writes  me  of  a  male  shot  at  Lake  View, 
111.,  fifty  miles  north  of  Chicago,  June  5,  1895.  Their  nesting  time  is 
from  April  to  June.  It  will  be  observed  that  its  distribution  in  this 
State  corresponds  closely  mth  that  of  the  original  prairies.  It  has 
never  been  known  to  breed  in  Indiana,  though  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  it  does.  Audubon  found  a  nest  near  the  Falls  of 
the  Ohio  in  1820,  which  contained  four  young.  They  feed  upon 
lizards,  tree-toads,  toads,  grasshoppers,  beetles  and  other  insects,  and 
they  are  decidedly  beneficial.  It  is  said  to  feed  extensively  on  the 
cotton  worm  during  the  summer  and  early  fall. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  773 

71.  Genus  ICTINIA  ViEJLLOT. 

*129..   (329).    Ictinia  mississippiensis  (Wils.). 

Mississippi  Elite. 

Adult. — Tail,  very  slightly  forked;  head,  neck  and  secondaries,  ashy; 
rest  of  plumage,  dark  plumbeous,  blackish  on  lesser  wing  coverts; 
primaries  and  upper  tail  coverts,  marked  Avith  rufous  chestnut;  tail, 
black.  Immature. — Head,  neck  and  lower  parts,  white,  spotted  or 
streaked  with  brown;  tail,  tipped  with  whitish,  and  below  with  nar- 
row cross  bands  of  white  or  grayish;  upper  parts,  brownish-black, 
marked  with  rufous  or  white. 

Length,  13.00-15.50;  wing,  10.60-12.30;  tail,  6.00-7.00. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Guatemala  north  to  South 
Carolina,  southera  Illinois,  southern  Indiana  and  Kansas.  Casually 
to  Pennsylvania,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa.  Breeds  from  Kansas  and 
southern  Illinois  southward.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  of  sticks,  twigs  and  leaves,  lined  with  moss,  in  tops  of  tall 
trees.    JEggs,  2-3;  white,  bluish-white  or  greenish- white. 

Rare  summer  resident  in  the  Lower  Wabash  Valley;  accidental 
visitor  elsewhere.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  informs  me  that  it  is  found 
about  the  Cypress  ponds  of  Knox  County  from  May  15  to  September. 
He  notes  that  it  breeds.  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  writes  me,  a  specimen  of  a 
Mississippi  Kite  which  was  sent  to  him  from  Lafayette  several  years 
ago,  which  he  supposes  was  killed  near  that  place.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook 
notes  one  specimen  from  Cass  County,  Mich.  (Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  72). 
In  the  southern  part  of  Illinois  it  is  not  uncommon,  locally  (Ridgway, 
Birds  of  111.,  I,  p.  449).  This  species  is  another  of  the  Kites  that  be- 
longs to  the  harmless  class  of  raptorial  birds.  Its  food  is  much  the 
same  as  last  mentioned  species. 

72.  Gbnus  circus  Laokfkde. 

*130.     (331).    Circus  hudsonius  (Linn.). 

Marsh  Hawk. 

Face  encircled  by  a  ruff  of  short,  compact  feathers,  as  in  the  Owls. 

Adult  Male. — Mostly  of  a  uniform  light  bluish-gray,  streaked  with 
white;  tail,  barred  with  si'x  to  eight  bands,  the  one  nearest  the  end 
being  broader  and  darker;  tips  of  the  wings,  blackish.  Female  and 
Immature. — Dusky  or  rusty-brown,  more  or  less  streaked  on  head  and 
neck.  The  Marsh  Hawk  may  be  easily  distinguished  in  any  plumafro 
by  the  large  white  patch  on  the  rump. 


774  Repokt  of  State  Geoj.oc4is'j\ 

Length,  19.50-24.00;  wing,  12.90-16.00;  tail,  8.80-10.50.    (Fisher.) 
Range. — North   America,  from    Panama   and    Cuba   to    Alaska. 
Breeds  from  Gulf  States  northward.    Winters  from  Indiana  and  Mary- 
land southward. 

Nest,  a  collection  of  sticks,  weeds,  grass,  twigs  or  moss,  on  ground, 
on  prairies,  marshes,  bogs  and  meadows.  Eggs,  3-8;  white  to  pale 
bluish-white,  sometimes  faintly  spotted  with  drab-gray,  burnt  umber 
or  cinnamon;  1.77  by  1.39. 


Head  of  Marsh  Hawk. 

Resident  in  northern  Indiana;  winter  resident  farther  south. 
Breeds.  Of  rare  or  irregular  occurrence  in  fall,  winter  and  spring  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  State.  Its  residence  is  confined  more  or  less 
closely  to  the  original  prairie  region.  There,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  State,  it  is  a  common,  well  known  bird,  and  breeds.  It  is  probable 
that  it  also  breeds  southward  along  the  western  side  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Deane  reported  a  nest  and  six  eggs  taken.  May  19,  1889,  at  English 
Lake.  Audubon  found  it  nesting  in  the  Kentucky  Barrens.  It  is 
also  reported  to  breed  in  the  following  counties  in  this  State:  Knox 
(Balmer),  Fulton  (Bunnell),  Dekalb  (H.  W.  McBride,  Feagler),  Allen 
(Snyder).  In  Franklin  County  it  has  been  seen  but  a  few  times.  I 
have  records  of  only  four  specimens. 

They  begin  their  wanderings  away  from  the  more  open  regions  of 
the  State  in  August  and  are  most  commonly  seen  through  September, 
October  and  November.  In  spring  they  are  most  often  observed  in 
March  and  April.  The  quantity  of  food  upon  the  meadows  has  more 
to  do  with  the  numbers  of  these  birds  in  southeastern  Indiana  than 
the  weather  changes.  They  are  much  more  often  seen  when  the 
meadow  mice  are  abundant.  These  birds  are  known  as  "Harriers" 
or  "Mouse  Hawks."  The  light  blue  or  gray  color  of  the  adult  male 
is  not  nearly  as  familiar  as  the  brown  and  black  plumage  of  the  fe- 
males and  immature  birds.  The  whit«  rump,  slender  form,  long  tail 
and  long,  slender  wings  will  distinguish  it.  It  is  thought  they  often 
remain  paired  throughout  the  year.     They  begin  mating  late  in  March 


Birds  of  Indiana,  775 

or  early  in  April.  The  iiest  is  usually  placed  in  a  marsh,  on  the  ground 
or  low  bush,  or  other  slight  elevation.  Nests  may  be  found  late  in 
April  and  through  May.  The  male  assists  in  incubating.  They  fre- 
quently begin  to  incubate  when  the  first  egg  is  laid.  The  male  often 
catches  food  and  carries  it  to  the  female.  The  period  of  incubation 
is  somewhat  over  three  weeks.  Both  parents  care  for  the  young.  But 
one  brood  is  raised  a  season. 

The  food  of  the  Marsh  Hawk,  as  far  as  I  have  examined  it  in  White- 
water Valley,  is  chiefly  meadow  mice,  rabbits,  squirrels  and  ground 
squirrels,  lizards,  snakes,  frogs,  and  birds,  grasshoppers,  locusts  and 
other  meadow  insects.  The  birds  eaten  are  principally  sparrows  and 
other  birds  of  the  prairie  and  meadow.  The  food  being  so  largely  of 
injurious  species,  it  is  classed  as  one  of  the  hawks  that  are  mostly 
beneficial. 

73.    Gbnus  ACCIPITER  Brisson. 

a\  Tarsus  feathered  less  than  one-third  the  way  down  in  front;  the  feathers  well 

separated  in  front.     Subgenus  Accipiter. 

6^  Wingmorethan  8.75;  tail  decidedly  rounded.     A.  cooperi  (Bonap.).     132 

6^.  Wing  under  8.75;  tail  not  decidedly  rounded.  A.  velox  (Wils.).     131 

o^.  Tarsus  feathered  more  than  one-third  (usually  one-half)  the  way  down  in 

front;  the  feathers  scarcely  separated  behind.     Subgenus  Astue. 

A.  atricapillus  (Wils.).     133 

Subgenus  Acctpitbb. 

*131.     (332).    Accipiter  velox  (Wils.). 

Sharp-shinned  Hawk. 

Adult. — Uniform  bluish-gray  above;  top  of  head,  darker;  tail, 
crossed  by  several  blackish  bands;  wing,  not  more  than  8.80  inches; 
tail,  more  than  two-thirds  as  long  as  wing,  its  tip  even  or  slightly 
notched;  below,  whitish,  with  breast  and  sides  barred  with  dusky  or 
rufous.  Immature. — Above,  dusky,  more  or  less  spotted  with  lighter, 
the  feathers  bordered  with  rusty;  below,  whitish,  streaked  with  brown 
or  dusky. 

Length,  10.00-14.00;  wing,  6.00-8.80;  tail,  5.80-8.20.     (Fisher.) 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Panama  north  to  southern  Canada, 
and  in  the  interior  to  Great  Slave  Lake.  Breeds  from  southern  United 
States  northward.  Winters  from  northern  Indiana  and  from  northern 
New  York  southward. 

Nest,  in  trees,  15  to  60  feet  up,  of  sticks,  lined  with  bark  and  leaves. 
Eggs,  4-5;  pale  bluish,  or  greenish- white,  blotched  and  spotted  with 
various  shades  of  brown,  the  darker  ones  predominating;  1.47  by  1.16. 

Eesident.  Most  of  them  leave  the  northern  part  of  the  State  in  fall 
and  return  in  spring.    In  southern  Indiana  it  is  more  often  found  in 


'T?G  EEroKT  OF  State  Geologist. 

winter  than  summer.     Everywliere  it  is  most  numeruiis  during  the 
migrations.    In  some  places  it  is  considered  rare  at  other  times. 

In  fall  the  migrations  occur  in  September  and  October;  in  spring, 
in  March  and  April. 

Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  found  it  breeding  in  Dekalb  County.  Mr. 
A.  H.  Kendrick  says  it  breeds  in  Vigo  County.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer 
found  a  nest  containing  two  fresh  eggs  in  Lake  County,  April 
17,  1886.  It  was  placed  in  a  tall  oak,  and  was  composed  of  sticks  and 
lined  with  bark.  Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer  says  Audubon  speaks  of  having 
met  with  three  nests,  one  in  a  hole  in  a  rock,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  Eiver,  another  in  the  hollow  of  a  broken  branch,  near  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  the  third  in  the  forks  of  a  low  oak,  near  Henderson,  Ky. 
(N.  A.  Oology,  Pt.  I,  p.  19). 

This  represents  three  types  of  nesting  sites,  but  the  habit  of  nesting 
in  cliffs  is  very  rare  outside  of  the  Arctic  regions.  The  nest  is  gen- 
erally large  and  well  built.  Sometimes  they  remodel  the  old  nest  of  a 
crow  or  squirrel  and  use  it.  They  are  late  in  nesting.  Usually  fresh 
eggs  are  found  late  in  April  and  in  May,  rarely  as  late  as  June  1. 
The  eggs  are  laid  at  intervals  of  one  and  two  days;  incubation  begins 
when  the  set  is  complete;  meanwhile  the  female  guards  the  nest.  The 
male  does  not  cover  the  eggs,  but  brings  food  to  the  female  while  she 
is  thus  occupied.  The  period  of  incubation  is  about  three  weeks.  But 
one  brood  is  reared  in  a  year. 

The  three  hawks  of  this  genus,  the  Sharp-shinned,  Cooper's,  and 
the  Goshawk,  ai-e  among  the  most  destructive  and  injurious  of  our 
hawks.  They  grade  one  into  the  other  in  size.  The  Goshawk  is  rare 
and  is  only  seen  in  Indiana  in  winter.  They  are  commonly  known  as 
Big  and  Little  Blue-tailed  Hawks,  Darts  or  Darters,  the  present  species 
being  the  Little  Blue-tail.  The  greater  part  of  their  food  is  chickens, 
fowls  and  birds.  These  two  species  should  be  known  by  the  name  of 
"Chicken  Hawk"  or  "Hen  Hawk,"  instead  of  the  larger  Buteos.  Our 
citizens,  particularly  farmers  and  poultry  men,  should  take  pains  to 
learn  these  species,  that  they  may  be  able  to  distinguish  and  punish 
the  guilty  and  not  the  innocent.  Investigations  of  159  stomachs  of 
this  bird  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  showed  that 
nearly  fifty  kinds  of  birds  had  been  eaten,  and  that  no  bird,  from  the 
size  of  doves,  robins  and  chickens,  were  safe  from  its  attacks.  In  fact, 
in  96^  per  cent,  of  the  stomachs  containing  food  were  the  remains  of 
small  birds.  While  they  rarely  attack  full-grown  poultry,  young  fowls 
are  a  favorite  food,  and  a  brood,  if  exposed,  is  often  entirely  destroyed. 
One  of  the  stomachs  examined  by  me  in  December,  1886,  was  found 
to  contain  several  large  parasitic  worms. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


*132,    (333).    Accipiter  cooperii  (Bonap.). 

Cooper's  Hawk. 

Synonyms,  Big  Blue  Hawk,  Big  Blue-tailed  Hawk,  Long-tailed  Dart, 

Darter. 


Cooper's  Hawk. 
(Pisher-Year  Book,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture.) 

Adult. — Uniform  bluish-gray  above,  top  of  liead,  blacki^li;  tail, 
crossed  by  several  blackish  bands;  below,  Avhite,  with  breast  and  sides 
barred  with  dusky  or  rufous.  Imm,ature. — Dusky  above,  more  or  less 
spotted  with  lighter,  feathers  with  rusty  edges;  below,  whitish, 
streaked  with  brown  or  dusky. 

Length,  14.00-20.00;  wing,  8.85-11.00;  tail,  7.80-10.50.     (Fisher). 

Kange. — North  America,  from  southern  Mexico  north  to  New- 
foundlancl,  Manitoba  and  British   Columbia.     Breeds  from  Gulf  of 


778  Keport  of  State  CIeoj.ogist. 

Mexico  northward.    Winters  from  northern  New  York  and  northern 
Indiana  southward. 

Nest,  in  trees^  20  to  50  feet  up,  of  sticks,  lined  with  twigs  and  bark 
(often  use  other  nests,  preferably  crows'  or  squirrels').  Bggs,  2-6; 
bluish  or  greenish-white,  sometimes  indistinctly  marked  with  brown 
or  drab;  1.93  by  1.50. 


Bill  and  Foot  of  Cooper's  Hawk.    Natural  size. 

Resident.  In  northern  part  of  the  State,  rare  in  winter.  Most  nu- 
merous during  migrations,  and  in  summer.  Some  severe  winters  they 
are  rare.  Prof.  Cooke  says,  in  the  winter  of  1883-4,  none  were  re- 
ported north  of  38  degrees  (Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p.  114).  It  has 
been  noted  in  the  following  counties,  through  the  winter:  Lake 
(Meyer),  Fulton  (Barnell),  Carroll  (Evermann),  Monroe  (Blatchley), 
Knox  (Balmer),  and  Franklin.  Breeds  throughout  the  State.  In  fall 
they  migrate — in  September  and  October;  in  spring,  in  March.  They 
are  mated  early  in  April  and  looking  for  nesting  sites  or  repairing  an 
old  nest.  The  site  is  the  fork  or  notch  of  some  tree,  generally  from 
20  to  50  feet  from  the  ground.  Sometimes  they  build  a  new  nest,  at 
other  times  they  occupy  that  of  the  preceding  year  or  even  an  old  nest 
of  some  other  hawk,  or  of  a  squirrel.  The  nests  are  sometimes  very 
bulky,  others  well  constructed  and  shapely.  They  ])egin  laying  in 
April,  and  full  sets  of  eggs  have  been  taken  from  April  25  to  May 
10.  One  brood  is  reared  a  year,  though  if  the  first  laying  is  destroyed, 
a  second,  or,  in  case  of  loss  of  second,  a  third  set  has  been  known  to  be 
laid,  sometimes  in  the  same,  sometimes  in  another  nest.  The  eggs  are 
deposited  at  intervals  of  one  to  two  days,  and  incubation  does  not 
begin  till  the  set  is  nearly  completed.  The  female  does  most  of  the 
incubating  and  the  male  supplies  her  with  food. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  770 

This  Hawk  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  only  it  is 
larger.  For  that  reason  it  is  more  destructive  to  large  poultry,  larger 
birds  and  pigeons.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  Chicken-hawk.  Big  Blue  Hawk, 
Big  Blue-tailed  Hawk,  Long-tailed  Dart  or  Darter  are  some  of  its  com- 
mon names.  In  birds  examined  by  me  in  fall  and  winter,  one-half  the 
food  was  small  birds.  They  were  also  found  to  have  eaten  rabbits 
and  mice.  Of  133  stomachs  of  this  Hawk  reported  upon  by  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  34  contained  poultry  or  game  birds; 
52,  other  birds;  11,  mammals;  1,  frog;  3,  lizards;  2,  insects,  and  39  were 
empty.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  says  it  is  by  far  the  most  destructive  species 
we  have  to  contend  with.  This  is  another,  the  chief  one,  of  the  in- 
jurious hawks. 

This  and  the  last  species  have  learned  that  European  Sparrows, 
usually  called  English  Sparrows,  are  good  eating  and  are  fre- 
quently easily  obtained,  and  in  many  localities  have  fed  upon  them  in 
great  numbers.  In  this  way,  at  least,  they  are  doing  good  service  by 
destroying  this  imported  pest.  The  characteristics  of  this  species 
should  be  known,  so  that  its  attacks  may  be  combated.  Farmers  and 
poultry-raisers  should  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  it.  The  ag- 
gregate damage  done  far  exceeds  that  of  all  other  birds  of  prey. 

Subgenus  Astur  Lacepede. 

133.     (334).    Accipiter  atricapillus  (Wils.). 

American  Goshawk. 

Adult. — Above,  bluish  slate  color,  with  blackish  shaft  streaks;  top 
of  head,  deep  black;  tail,  crossed  by  four  dusky  bands;  below,  white, 
thickly  barred  with  narrow  zigzag  lines  of  gray;  feathers  often 
streaked  in  middle  with  dusky.  Immature. — Above,  dusky  grayish, 
feathers  margined  with  buff;  below,  whitish  or  pale  buff,  with  narrow 
stripes  of  blackish. 

Length,  21.00-25.00;  wing,  12.00-12.45;  tail,  9.50-12.75.     (Fisher). 

Eange. — Northward.  North  America,  from  north  Mexico,  Kansas, 
Missouri,  Kentucky  and  Virginia  northward.  Breeds  from  Maine 
northward;  south  in  Eocky  Mountains  to  California. 

Nest,  high  up  in  large  trees,  of  sticks,  twigs,  weeds,  lined  with  grass 
and  bark,  ^ggs,  2-5;  soiled  white,  sometimes  faintly  blotched  with 
brown;  2.31  by  1.74. 

Bare  winter  visitor.  Dr.  F.  Stein  writes  me  he  identified  it  in  the 
lower  Wabash  Valley.  Mr.  E.  B.  Quick  reports  it  from  near  Brook- 
ville  in  January,  1881.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker  writes  me  of  its  occurrence 
in  Lake  County  in  April,  1889. 


i80  I{i':i'OiM'  (,)!<   Sta'I'K  UEOJ-ociJS'i'. 

The  fact  that  it  is  not  often  foimd  in  this  State  relieves  the  farmer 
of  one  of  the  most  destructive  enemies  of  poultry.  Its  size,  strength 
and  activity  and  rapacity,  added  to  its  well-known  fearlessness,  render 
it,  in  localities  where  it  is  common,  a  great  pest.  Besides  poultry,  they 
eat  Euffed  Grrouse,  Bobwhites  and  Doves,  Rabbits  and  Squirrels.  The 
report  by  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  on  38  stomachs  of  this  species  examined 
show  that  9  contained  poultry  or  game  birds;  2,  other  birds;  10,  mam- 
mals; 3,  insects;  1,  centipede,  and  8  were  empty  (Bull.  No.  3  Division 
of  Orn.  and  Mam.,  T^.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  p.  46). 

In  some  localities  the  Goshawk  so  persistently  hunts  the  Ruffed 
Grouse  that  it  is  commonly  known  as  "Partridge  Hawk.^'  Audubon 
tells  us  that,  as  he  was  passing  down  the  Ohio,  he  observed  one  of  these 
Hawks  attack  a  flock  of  Grackles,  which  were  crossing  the  river,  and 
kill  four  or  five  of  them.  After  killing  each  one  by  a  squeeze,  it  was 
permitted  to  fall  on  the  water.  The  Hawk  finally  returned  and  picked 
up  all  the  floating  birds. 

In  appearance,  it  is  simply  a  larger  Cooper's  Hawk,  which  species  it 
resembles  in  its  flight  and  its  hunting  habits  and  its  nesting. 

It  is  said  to  breed  in  Michigan  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  74),  and  in 
the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  where  it  has  been  noted  by  Dr.  War- 
ren (The  Auk,  July,  1897,  pp.  317,  318). 

74.    Grxus  BUTEO  Cuvier. 

a'^ .  Four  outer  primaries  with  inner  webs  eraarginated. 

6^.  Tarsus  more  than  twice  as  long  as  middle  toe.     B.  lineatus  (Gmel.).     136 
6^.  Tarsus  less  than  twice  as  long  as  middle  toe. 

c^ .  Tail  irregularly  mottled  with  grayish  dusky,  rusty  and  white,  with  dark 
band  near  tip;  general  color  black  or  blackish;  base  of  feathers  pure 
white.  B.  borealis  harlani  (Aud.).     136 

c^.  Tail,  in  adult,  bright  chestnut  red  above,  with  a  narrow  black  bar  near 
tip,  brownish  gray  banded  with  black  in  young;  general  color  dark  brown, 
much  barred  and  streaked.  B.  borealis  (Grnel.).     134 

a^.  Three  outer  primaries  with  inner  webs  emarginated;  wing  less  than  12.00. 

B.  latissimus  (Wils.).     137 

*134.     (337).    Buteo  borealis  (Gmel.). 

Red-tailed  Hawk. 

Adult. — Upper  surface  of  tail,  deep  rusty  rufous,  with  usually  a 
1)lack  subterminal  band;  above,  blackish-brown,  variegated  with  gray, 
fulvous  and  whitish;  below,  white,  with  more  or  less  buffy,  belly 
streaked  with  dusky  or  brown.  Immatvre. — Tail,  bright  gray,  without 
nny  shade  of  red,  and  crossed  by  six  to  ten  regular  dark  bands.  A 
]»ronovnK'ed  blackish  zone  across  the  upper  part  of  the  belly. 


Report  of  State  Geologist,  1897. 


PL4TE   XXI. 


If  ' 


Fisher,  Year  Book,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agrr.. 


RED-TAILED   HAWK. 


Btbds  of  Indtana 


781 


Lt'iigtli,  i:i.00.r<!5.00;  wiiio-,  J3. 50-17. 75;  tail,  8.50-10.50.      (Ki^her). 

Range. — Eastern  ISTorth  America,  west  to  Great  Plains;  from 
Mexico  to  North  Labrador,  Manitoba  and  Northwest  Territory. 
Breeds  almost  throughout  its  range. 

Nest,  in  high  trees,  of  sticks,  twigs,  grass,  etc.  Eggs,  2-4;  white, 
often  irregularly  and  variously  marked  with  different  shades  of  brown; 
2.36  by  1.80. 

Common  resident;  more  numerous  in  southern  two-thirds  of  the 
State,  in  most  places,  where  it  is  the  most  abundant  Buteo.  In  the 
region  adjacent  to  Chicago  all  but  a  few  have  been  destroyed.     They 


Head  of  Red-tailed  Hawk.    Natural  size. 


are  slightly  migratory,  perhaps  more  some  years  than  others,  as  they 
are  more  numerous  during  the  migratory  periods,  August,  September, 
and  March  and  April. 

This  is  the  best  known  of  the  larger  hawks,  being  in  most  places 
commonly  known  as  "Hen  Hawk,"  or  Chicken  Hawk.  This  name  is  a 
misnomer.  Occasionally  an  individual  of  depraved  nature  becomes  a 
chicken-eater,  but  as  a  rule  it  is  exceptional  for  them  to  attack  poultry. 
In  an  examination  of  twenty  stomachs,  made  by  me  a  few  years  ago, 
there  were  but  two  that  had  eaten  chickens.  One  contained  the  re- 
mains of  a  Bobwhite;  the  remainder,  principally  mice  and  small 
rodents. 

In  his  report  on  "The  Hawks  and  Owls  of  the  United  States,"  Dr. 
Fisher  gives  the  results  of  the  examination  of  562  stomachs  of  this 


782  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

hawk;  54  of  them  contained  poultry  or  game  birds;  51,  other  birds; 
278,  mice;  131,  other  mammals;  37,  batrachians  or  reptiles;  47,  in- 
sects; 8,  crawfish;  1,  centipede;  13,  offal;  and  89  were  empty.  Sixty- 
six  per  cent,  of  its  food  is  injurious  mammals  and  but  7  per  cent,  con- 
sists of  poultry.  The  Red-tailed  Hawk  greatly  prefers  the  smaller 
mammals,  reptiles  and  batrachians,  and  lives  almost  entirely  upon 
them  when  they  can  be  had.  In  their  absence  they  often  eat  grass- 
hoppers, crickets  and  beetles  extensively.  This  is  one  of  the  species 
that  is  mostly  beneficial  and  should  accordingly  receive  proper  protec- 
tion. Some  years  they  begin  mating  in  February,  and  I  have  found 
them  so  engaged  as  late  as  April  21  (1887).  They  at  once  proceed  to 
repair  the  old  nest,  which  they  generally  use.  In  southern  Indiana 
the  favorite  site  is  high  up  in  the  largest  of  the  Shell-bark  Hickories. 
One  such  nest  I  have  known  to  be  occupied  for  nearly  twenty  years. 
Their  caU  note  is  given  as  "Kee-aah,"  very  shriU.  Another  note  of  the 
breeding  season  is  something  like  "Chirr'^  or  "Pii-chirr"  when  perched 
near  the  nest  (Bendire).  I  have  never  found  its  nest  in  the  bottom 
lands,  but  in  some  regions  they  prefer  such  places.  Mr.  H.  W.  Mc- 
Bride  obtained  a  nest,  with  eggs,  in  Elkhart  County,  March  24,  1891. 
Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  informs  me  of  a  nest,  with  two  eggs,  incubation  ad- 
vanced, taken  about  35  feet  from  the  ground,  in  Lake  County,  April 
19,  1885.  Ordinarily,  the  most  of  our  nests  are  found  in  March  and 
April.  Usually  but  one  brood  is  raised  a  year.  The  eggs  are  laid  at 
intervals  of  about  two  days.  Sometimes,  if  the  first  eggs  are  destroyed, 
this  Hawk  wiU  lay  another  set,  and  as  much  as  a  fourth  laying  has 
been  known  when  something  happened  to  the  others.  The  period  of 
incubation  is  about  four  weeks  (Bendire).  The  male  renders  some 
assistance  in  this  work,  and  at  other  times  provides  the  female  with 
food.  When  disturbed  during  nesting  time,  instead  of  attempting  to 
defend  their  home,  they  usually  fly  about  in  circles  high  above,  utter- 
ing their  shrill  screech.  The  following  excellent  notes  are  from  the 
pen  of  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride,  a  very  enthusiastic  collector,  who  has 
contributed  many  valuable  records  regarding  the  birds  of  northern 
Indiana: 

"Next  to  the  Red-shouldered  Hawk,  this  is  the  most  common  hawk 
in  northern  Indiana.  A  few  remain  all  winter,  but  most  of  them  go 
south  late  in  the  fall,  returning  again  early  in  the  spring,  the  advance 
guard  coming  late  in  February,  and  by  the  middle  of  March  they 
may  be  seen  circling  in  pairs  about  their  old  nesting  places.  At  this 
time  they  are  quite  noisy,  and  it  is  seldom  that  one  or  more  can  not  be 
heard  uttering  their  shrill  "squeal,"  and  soaring  about  over  every  patch 
of  woods  containing  a  couple  of  acres  or  more. 


Bjkds  of  1n])iana.  783 

"I  think  they  remain  mated  for  life,  as  I  have  not  only  noted. cer- 
tain peculiarities  of  the  birds  occupying  the  same  nesting  site  from 
year  to  year,  but  have  been  able  to  identify  certain  pairs  by  some  pe- 
culiar shape  or  markings  of  the  eggs. 

"Toward  the  latter  part  of  March  they  are  at  work  repairing  the  old 
home,  or,  if  it  has  been  destroyed,  in  building  a  new  one  in  the  same 
locality,  and  by  the  first  of  April  the  females  commence  laying.  The 
earliest  date  that  I  have  taken  the  eggs  of  this  species  was  March  29, 
1890,  when  I  took  a  set  of  two  fresh  eggs  near  Waterloo.  This  set  is 
remarkable  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  at  the  time  I  took 
it,  the  weather  was  very  cold,  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  and 
the  lower  part  of  the  nest  was  a  solid  mass  of  ice,  the  only  dry  and 
warm  spot  being  the  cavity,  about  eight  inches  in  diameter,  which 
had  been  covered  by  the  bird.  The  eggs  are  also  unusually  large, 
measuring  1.98  by  2.50  and  1.99  by  2.49  inches.  This  set  is  now  in 
the  collection  of  Mr.  H.  W.  Flint,  of  New  Haven,  Conn. 

"From  April  1st  to  the  15th,  fresh  eggs  may  be  found,  but  after 
that  date  they  are  too  far  advanced  in  incubation  for  preservation. 

"My  observations  would  indicate  that  the  period  of  incubation  cov- 
ered about  18  days. 

"Out  of  about  25  sets  of  eggs  I  have  taken  the  stages  of  incubation 
average  as  follows:  Fresh,  April  5;  slightly  incubated,  April  8;  incu- 
bation advanced  one-half,  April  12;  nearly  ready  to  hatch,  April  17; 
young  just  hatched,  April  21. 

"On  March  10,  1891,  while  after  Great  Horned  Owls'  eggs,  near 
Waterloo,  I  saw  a  Eed-tail  fly  from  a  large  nest,  and  shot  her.  After 
ascending  the  tree  and  finding  the  nest  completed,  but  no  eggs,  I 
opened  the  bird  (female)  and  found  a  very  large  and  completely 
formed  egg,  with  a  hard  shell,  and  evidently  about  ready  to  lay.  This 
would  have  been  a  record  breaker,  as  it  was  nearly  twenty  days  earlier 
than  I  ever  found  their  eggs. 

"The  nests  are  large,  made  of  sticks,  lined  with  small  twigs,  leaves, 
and  sometimes  grass,  and  usually  placed  in  the  fork  of  a  large  tree — 
beech,  oak  or  ash — anywhere  from  35  to  100  feet  from  the  ground. 

"The  birds  generally  leave  the  nest  upon  the  approach  of  any  one 
and  remain  at  a  good  distance,  circling  about  and  uttering  a  peculiar 
"squeal"  very  unlike  the  harsh  scream  of  the  Eed-shouldered  Hawk. 

"The  usual  number  of  eggs  in  the  sets  I  have  ta,ken  is  two,  and 
never  have  I  found  more  than  three.  The  largest  set  was  taken  April 
13,  1890,  a  few  miles  from  Waterloo,  in  Dekalb  County,  and  is  now 
in  the  State  Museum  at  Indianapolis.  My  record  book  contains  the 
following  record  of  this  set: 


784  RKroiri'  of  S'J'Ate  Geoi.ckmst. 

''April  rs,  1890.  No.  21—337.  Bed-tailed  Hawk.  Taken  5^  miles 
northwest  of  town  (Waterloo),  on  the  Golden  Lake  Road,  in  low, 
swampy  woods  on  west  side  of  road.  Nest,  rather  large,  in  a  large, 
leaning  ash  tree — 70  feet  from  the  ground.  Bird  left  nest  after  I 
started  to  climb.  Two  verj^  large  eggs,  1.98  by  2.46  and  2.04  by  2.60, 
the  largest  I  have  seen.     Incubation,  one- third  advanced.'' 

136.     (337d).    Buteo  borealis  harlani  (Aud.). 

Harlan's  Hawk. 
Synonym,  Black  Hawk. 

In  Harlan's  Hawk  the  tail  is  mottled  with  rusty,  white,  gray,  and 
dusky;  the  rest  of  the  plumage  may  vary  from  that  of  the  typical  red 
tail  to  nearly  black.     (Fisher). 

Size,  same  as  B.  horealis. 

Range. — Harlan's  Red- tailed  Hawk  (Buteo  horealis  harlani),  which 
until  recently  was  considered  a  species,  dwells  in  lower  Mississippi 
Valley  and  Gulf  States,  east  to  Georgia,  and  extends  casually  to  Kan- 
sas, Iowa,  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Pennsylvania. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  probably  similar  to  those  of  B.  hoi'ealis. 

Accidental  visitor.  Mr.  R.  B.  Williams,  Lebanon,  Ind.,  has  in  his 
possession  a  fine  specimen  of  this  Hawk.  It  was  shot  and  its  wing 
broken  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Moler,  of  the  same  city,  in  Perry  Township, 
Boone  County,  Ind.,  in  September,  1887.  He  brought  it  Avhile  it  was 
alive  to  Mr.  Williams,  who  mounted  it.  This  is  the  first  record  of  the 
Black  Haw^k  from  Indiana.  In  Illinois,  Mr.  C.  K.  Worthen  shot  one 
of  a  pair  on  the  Mississippi  River,  near  Warsaw,  Hancock  County,  in 
1879.  I  have  in  my  collection  the  skin  of  a  specimen  taken  several 
years  ago  by  Mr.  W.  S.  Everhart,  of  Toledo,  Cumberland  County,  111., 
in  that  county,  and  presented  by  him  to  me.  This  species  is  so  rare 
that,  while  its  habits  and  food  are  probably  similar  to  that  of  the  typi- 
cal Red-tailed  Hawk,  it  is  of  no  value  to  us.  lis  plumage  varies  from 
much  the  same  color  of  the  true  horealis  to  uniform  black.  The  well 
known  Indian  Chief,  Black  Hawk,  was  ]U'obably  named  aftei-  this  bird. 

*136.     (389).    Buteo  lineatus  (Gmel.). 

Bed-shouldered  Hawk. 

AihiU. — Head,  neck,  and  lower  parts,  more  or  less  rusty  or  cinna- 
mon, transversely  spotted  or  barred  with  whitish;  tail,  black,  crossed 
by  about  six  bands  of  white.  Above,  reddish-brown,  the  center  of  the 
feathers    darker    than    the    edges.      Immature. — Lower    parts,    dull 


Birds  of  Indiana.  785 

wliiiis]],  Joiigitudiiially  spotted  or  streaked  with  dark  brown;  tail, 
dusky,  crossed  by  numerous  narrow  bands  of  dull  buffy  or  grayish- 
brown. 

Length,  17.50-22.00;  wing,  11.25-14.25;  tail,  8.00-10.00.    (Fisher). 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  Mexico  to  Hudson  Bay  and  Kova 
Scotia;  west  to  Texas  and  Great  Plain.  Breeds  throughout  its  range. 
Winters  principally  south  of  northern  United  States  boundary. 

Nest,  in  tree,  of  sticks,  twigs,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  2-5;  extremely 
variable,  usually  dull  white,  variously  marked  with  brown;  2.15  by 
1.70. 

Resident,  varying  in  numbers,  locally,  and  with  the  seasons.  In 
some  localities  in  northern  Indiana  they  are  abundant  in  summer,  and 
breed  commonly.  It  is  common  and  breeds  in  the  lower  Wabash 
Valley.  In  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State,  including  the  White- 
water Yalle}^,  northwest  to  Carroll  and  Wabash  counties,  it  is  not  com- 
mon in  summer,  but  is  more  numerous  during  the  migrations  and  in 
winter.  While  it  breeds  throughout  the  State,  and,  in  fact,  through- 
out its  range,  there  are  places  where  it  is  very  common.  In  Connecti- 
cut and  the  southern  portions  of  New  York  it  is  safe  to  say  that  its 
nests  outnumber  those  of  all  the  other  birds  of  prey  combined  (Fisher, 
Hawks  and -Owls  of  IT.  S.,  p.  65).  In  other  parts  of  New  York  it  is 
i-ey)orted  as  follows:  It  is  the  commonest  bird  of  prey  in  Oneida  and 
Herkimer  counties  (Bendire,  L.  H.  of  N.  A.  Birds,  I,  p.  219).  Com- 
mon in  Cayuga,  Onondaga,  Seneca  and  Wayne  counties  (Rathbun  et 
al..  Rev.  L.  B.  Cent.  N.  Y).  Common  southern  resident  in  southern 
Onta-rio;  more  frequent  there  than  any  other  "Chicken  Hawk"  (Mcll- 
wraith).  In  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  it  is  more  numerous  than  any  other 
Hawk,  outnumbering  the  Red-tailed  Hawk  about  three  to  one  (Ober- 
holser).  In  southern  Michigan  it  is  more  common  than  the  Red-tailed 
Hawk  at  Bay  City;  common  at  Port  Sanilac  and  in  Kalamazoo  County 
(Cook);  also  in  Wayne  County  (Trombley).  In  Dekalb  County,  Ind., 
Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  says  the  Red-tailed  Hawk  is  tolerably  common, 
l)ut  the  Red-shouldered  is  abundant.  In  Elkhart  it  is  nearly  as  com- 
mon. In  Monroe  it  is  about  as  numerous  a«  B.  horealis,  and  is  com- 
mon in  Vigo  (Evermann). 

Mr.  Robert  Ridgway,  in  a  recent  letter,  says,  in  Knox  and  Gribson 
counties,  in  Indiana,  as  well  as  Wabash,  Lawrence  and  Richland  coun- 
ties, 111.,  a.nd  in  the  district  about  Washington,  D.  C,  the  Red-shoul- 
dered Hawk  is  far  more  numerous  than  the  Red-tailed.  I  am  sure 
there  are,  in  the  counties  mentioned  in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  at  least 
five  times  as  many  Red-shoulders  as  Red-tails,  and  I  think  the  dis- 
])arity  of  numbers  was  even  greater  in  most  places,  fully  ten  to  one. 
50-Geol. 


786  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

It  is  probable  that  these  localities  will  be  found  to  connect,  tlius 
forming  a  narrow  belt  from  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley, or  beyond,  where,  under  somewhat  similar  conditions,  they  may 
be  found  breeding  in  greater  numbers  than  elsewhere.  Into  these 
favorite  localities  in  Indiana  and  Michigan  the  migrants  are  found 
returning  from  the  middle  of  February  to  the  25th  of  March.  They 
begin  mating  at  once.  Generally  an  old  nest  is  repaired  and  used. 
The  nests  are  smaller  and  are  not  placed  so  high  on  an  average  as  the 
Red-taiPs,  the  range  being,  perhaps,  from  20  to  65  feet.  In  northern 
Indiana  they  must  begin  laying  by  the  middle  of  March.  Mr.  Ridg- 
way  has  taken  its  eggs  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  April  1,  1867  (Bendire, 
L.  H.  N.  A.  B.,  I,  p.  223).  Mr.  Blatchley  saw  one  on  its  nest  near 
Terre  Haute,  April  1,  1891.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  it  is 
commonly  breeding  and  has  full  sets  before  April  15.  Mr.  H.  W.  Mc- 
Bride  has  had  better  opportunities  to  observe  these  Hawks  than  any 
one  I  know  in  Indiana.  He  says  that  the  birds  in  immature  plumage 
sometimes  nest,  and  that  he  took  a  set  of  five  eggs  of  such  a  bird  in 
Dekalb  County,  April  22, 1890.  He  also  was  led  to  believe  that  a  Red- 
tailed  and  a  Red-shouldered  Hawk  mated  that  year.  He  examined 
the  nest  twice  that  spring  and  both  times  was  attacked  by  such  a  pair. 
The  wood  was  small;  there  were  no  other  nests  near,  and  he  was  unable 
to  find  any  other  Hawks  in  that  vicinity.  The  Red-shouldered  Hawk 
was  killed  before  any  eggs  were  deposited,  and  the  other  was  seen  no 
more.  The  following  interesting  notes  were  also  furnished  by  Mr.  H. 
W.  McBride: 

"By  far  the  most  common  Hawk  in  northeastern  Indiana.  There 
is  hardly  a  patch  of  woods  containing  an  acre  or  more  that  is  not  the 
home  of  a  pair  of  them,  but  unless  the  woods  be  very  extensive,  only 
one  pair  will  be  found  nesting  in  it. 

"The  notes  concerning  the  Red-tail  will  nearly  all  apply  to  this 
species  also,  as  their  habits  are  almost  identically  the  same. 

"As  to  the  date  of  nesting,  the  Red-shoulder  is  perhaps  a  few  days 
later  than  the  Red-tail. 

"I  have  taken,  together  with  my  father,  about  80  sets  of  eggs  of 
this  hawk  since  1884,  and  have  examined  several  hundred  nests.  The 
variety  of  the  eggs  is  infinite,  and  the  size  runs  from  that  of  the 
Cooper's  Hawk  to  as  large  as  the  average  Red-tail's  egg.  Some  are 
nearly  round,  like  an  Owl's  egg,  some  pear-shaped,  some  a  perfect 
oval;  and  in  markings  they  run  from  nearly  a  plain,  dirty  white  to 
being  so  heavily  marked  by  large  blotches  of  brown  and  chocolate  as 
to  almost  obscure  the  ground  color.  Below  I  give  extracts  from  my 
notebook  covering  some  of  the  more  peculiar  sets  I  have  found: 


Birds  of  Indiana.  787 

"^0.  5—339.  Red-shouldered  Hawk.  Taken  Apnl  5,  1890,  three 
miles  northeast  of  Waterloo.  In  low,  marshy  woods.  Nest  in  oak 
tree,  about  75  feet  from  ground.  Very  small  nest — probably  an  old 
crowds  nest  repaired.  Birds  very  aggressive  and  repeatedly  flew  past 
my  head  as  I  was  climbing.  Eggs  are  very  peculiar,  being  pear-shaped 
and  finely  speckled  all  over  with  lavender  and  brown.  Four  eggs.  In- 
cubation commenced. 

"No.  34—339.  Eed-shouldered  Hawk.  Taken  April  25,  1890,  in 
same  woods  as  No.  5  and  about  200  yards  from  same  place.  Un- 
doubtedly the  same  birds,  as  the  eggs  are  exactly  like  those  described 
above.  Nest  in  large  oak  tree,  very  hard  to  climb.  Birds  very  aggres- 
sive, as  before.  Three  fresh  eggs.  On  the  edge  of  the  nest  was  a  large 
dead  garter  snake.    This  set  is  now  in  the  State  Museum. 

"No.  27 — 339.  Eed-shouldered  Hawk.  Three  fresh  eggs  taken 
April  18,  1890,  three  miles  south  of  Waterloo.  Eggs  remarkably 
small,  as  small  as  those  of  Cooper's  Hawk.  Nest  in  large  sugar  tree, 
about  60  feet  up,  and  was  lined  with  an  old  Baltimore  Oriole's  nest. 
The  birds  were  very  bold  and  remained  after  I  descended.  I  shot  the 
female  to  assure  myself  as  to  the  identity.  This  set  is  also  in  the  State 
Museum." 

Most  persons  give  three  as  the  common  number  of  eggs,  but  four 
are  probably  as  often  found,  and  often  five.  The  eggs  are  laid  at  in- 
tervals of  two  or  three  days.  The  period  of  incubation  is  about  four 
weeks  (Bendire).  In  this  species  both  sexes  share  the  labor  of  build- 
ing, incubating  and  feeding  the  young.  It  is  said,  should  the  female 
be  killed,  the  male  will  rear  the  young. 

The  Red-shouldered  Hawk  is  mostly  beneficial.  In  the  immature 
plumage  it  is  known  as  Winter  Falcon.  Its  food  is  more  varied  than 
that  of  most  Hawks.  Tinder  the  direction  of  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam, 
Ornithologist  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  the 
food  of  this  Hawk  was  studied.  Of  220  stomachs  examined,  three 
contained  poultry;  12,  other  birds;  102,  mice;  40,  other  mammals;  20, 
reptiles;  39,  batrachians;  92,  insects;  16,  spiders;  7,  crawfish;  1,  earth- 
worms; 2,  offal;  3,  fish,  and  14  were  empty.  It  was  thus  shown  that 
at  least  65  per  cent,  of  their  food  consists  of  small  rodents,  while  they 
and  injurious  insects  amount  to  about  90  per  cent.  Hardly  IJ  per 
cent,  thereof  was  poultry  and  game.  These  valuable  birds  deserve 
and  should  receive  the  protection  of  every  one,  particularly  the  farmer. 


788  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Subgenus  Tachytriobchis  Kaup. 

n37.     (343).    Buteo  latissimus  (Wils.). 

Broad-winged  Hawk. 

Adult. — Above,  dusky-brownish,  darker  on  back;  below,  brownish, 
dull  rufous,  or  rusty,  more  or  less  broken  by  white  transverse  spotting; 
lower  belly,  white,  barred  with  dull  rufous;  tail,  blackish,  crossed  by 
two  to  four  bands  of  gray  or  brownish-white.  Immature. — Entire 
under  parts,  dull  white  or  huffy,  with  longitudinal  brown  or  dusky 
streaks  on  breast  and  sides;  tail,  grayish-brown,  crossed  by  five  to  seven 
narrow  bands  of  dusky. 

Length,  13.25-18.00;  wing,  9.75-11.40;  tail,  6.50-8.00.     (Fisher). 

Range. — America,  from  Ecuador  north  over  eastern  North  America 
to  New  Brunswick,  Hudson  Bay.  Breeds  from  Cuba  and  southern 
United  States  northward.  Winters  from  New  York  and  in  Mississippi 
Valley  from  latitude  40°  south. 

Nest,  in  trees,  of  sticks,  lined  with  strips  of  bark  and  leaves.  Eggs, 
2-4;  dull  grayish-white,  spotted  and  blotched  with  different  shades  of 
brown,  hazel,  drab  and  fawn-color,  also,  sometimes,  shell  markings 
(Bendire);  1.93  by  1.56. 

Resident  in  southern  Indiana;  summer  resident  northward.  Not 
common.  Most  often  seen  in  spring  and  fall.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  tells 
me  it  breeds  in  Lake  County,  and  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  notes  its  breed- 
ing in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
they  depart  from  August  till  the  coming  of  severe  weather,  and  return 
in  March  or  early  April. 

This  Buteo  is  much  smaller  than  either  the  Red-tailed  or  Red-shoul- 
dered. It  nests  later,  usually  in  May  or  June.  The  nests  are  smaller, 
and  sometimes  a  crow's  nest  is  occupied.  It  has  been  known  to  nest 
in  the  fork  of  a  tree,  within  three  feet  of  the  ground.  The  sites  range 
from  that  to  about  60  feet  high.  The  eggs  are  deposited  at  intervals 
of  one  or  two  days.  But  one  brood  is  raised.  Both  parents  incubate 
and  care  for  the  young.  The  incubation  period  is  from  twenty-one  to 
twenty-five  days.  The  following  summary  of  the  stomachs  of  65  of 
these  Hawks  examined  shows  that  2  contained  small  birds;  15,  mice; 
13,  other  mammals;  11,  reptiles;  13,  batrachians;  30,  insects;  2,  earth- 
worms; 4,  crawfish;  and  7  were  empty  (Fisher,  Hawks  and  Owls  of 
U.  S.,  p.  83).  This  Hawk  is  valuable  because  of  its  destruction  of 
mice  and  other  mammals  and  insects.  In  the  meadows  it  wages  war 
upon  grasshoppers,  crickets,  May  beetles  and  other  beetles;  and  in  the 
orchards  and  woods,  upon  caterpillars,  the  larvae  of  large  moths,  which 
feed  upon  the  foliage.  This  Hawk  is  much  more  beneficial  than 
otherwise,  and  is  worthy  of  protection. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  789 

7.=i.    Gekus  AROHIBUTBO  Brbhm. 

138.    (347a).    Archibuteo  lagopus  sancti-johannis  (Gmbl.). 

American  Rough.-legged  Hawk. 
Synonym,  Black  Hawk. 

Legs,  densely  feathered  in  front  and  on  sides  down  to  base  of  toes. 
Width  of  bill  at  corners  of  month,  1.35-1.45  inches;  head  and  neck, 
whitish,  streaked  with  dusky.  Above,  irregularly  varied  with  white, 
grayish,  dusky  or  rusty;  base  of  tail  and  feathers  covering  its  upper 
surface,  white;  broad  band  near  end  of  tail,  grayish  or  dusky;  below, 
whitish,  usually  with  a  band  of  dusky  across  front.  Specimens  are 
sometimes  nearly  uniform  black. 

Length,  19.50-23.50;  wing,  15.75-18.00;  tail,  9.00-11.00.     (Fisher). 

Range. — North  America,  north  of  Mexico,  breeding  north  of  the 
United  States  (excepting  Alaska),  from  about  latitude  49°;  Quebec 
northward. 

Nest,  in  trees  or  on  rocks,  of  sticks,  grass  and  weeds.  Eggs,  2-5; 
greenish  or  dingy-white,  streaked  or  spotted  and  blotched  with  various 
shades  of  dark  and  light  brown,  ochraceous  and  drab;  '2.31  by  1.74. 

Winter  visitor  of  irregular  occurrence;  usually  rare,  except  along 
the  western  side  of  the  State,  where  it  is  more  or  less  common.  Some 
winters  they  are  very  abundant  throughout  the  State.  Each  fall 
these  birds  come  into  the  United  States  from  their  breeding  grounds, 
far  to  the  north,  like  an  army.  They  are  most  numerous  in  the  prairie 
districts,  and  the  extension  of  their  range  depends  upon  food  and 
weather  conditions.  In  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  Cook  County,  111.,  and 
Lake  County,  Ind.,  it  is,  during  winter,  the  most  common  of  the  larger 
hawks.     (J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.). 

In  Knox  County,  Ind.,  it  is  usually  common  at  the  same  season 
(Chansler).  To  the  south  and  east  of  the  Wabash  River  it  is  unusual 
to  find  them,  but  when  they  do  appear  it  is  almost  always  in  some 
numbers.  The  winter  of  1894-5  they  extended  their  range  as  far  as 
Boone  County,  where  they  were  found  in  numbers. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  wrote  me,  January  8, 1895,  that  he  then  had  in  his 
office  at  Lebanon  six  specimens,  all  from  Boone  County.  One  was 
taken  near  Greencastle,  October  21  or  22,  1894  (Black). 

The  winter  of  1886-7  they  accompanied  the  grea.t  multitude  of 
rapacious  birds  that  spread  over  the  States  north  of  the  Ohio  River. 
They  appeared  in  the  southeastern  counties  of  Indiana  in  December 
and  remained  until  near  April  1.  Thirteen  were  reported  from  De- 
catur and  Rush  counties.  They  were  equally  abundant  in  Franklin. 
Some  of  the  specimens  in  my  collection,  obtained  that  winter,  repre- 


790  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

yented  the  extreme  of  the  black  phase.  They  frequented  the  meadows, 
pastures  and  stubbles,  where  they  fed  upon  the  mice,  which  were  so 
common  that  winter.  They  appear  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  from 
the  middle  to  the  last  of  October  and  in  Knox  County,  Ind.,  from  the 
1st  to  the  20th  of  November.  Some  years  they  leave  in  February, 
but  usually  they  remain  well  into  March,  sometimes  to  about  April  1. 
March  12,  1887,  Mr.  E.  L.  Guthrie,  of  Adams,  sent  me  one  of  six  or 
seven  noted  in  that  vicinity.  He  said  their  principal  food  was  mice, 
but  he  discovered  one  a  few  days  before,  feeding  on  the  carcass  of 
a  dead  lamb.  Another  person  saw  one  eating  the  carcass  of  a  dead 
skunk.  The  stomachs  of  six  examined  by  me  that  winter  contained 
nothing  but  mice  and  one  rabbit.  The  summary  of  the  report  of  the 
investigations  made  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Merriam,  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  shows  that  of  49  stomachs  ex- 
amined, 40  contained  mice;  5,  other  mammals;  1,  lizards;  1,  insects; 
and  4  were  empty.  It  is  known  also,  at  times,  to  eat  grasshoppers 
extensively.  It  sits  upon  a  low  perch  and  watches  for  its  prey,  and 
also  sweeps  the  meadow,  prepared  to  seize  a  mouse,  when  it  appears. 
They  vary  much  in  color,  ranging  from  very  light  to  nearly  uniform 
black.  Whenever  they  are  with  us  they  are  valuable  friends  of  the 
farmer.  So  far  as  we  know,  there  is  not  a  harmful  thing  they  do. 
They  are  wholly  beneficial.  They  breed  far  north,  in  trees,  or  upon 
cliffs.  The  eggs  are  deposited  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  days.  In- 
cubation apparently  begins  before  all  are  laid,  and  lasts  about  four 
weeks.  One  brood  is  raised  a  year.  This  Hawk  is  said  to  be  of  a  very 
peaceful  disposition,  and  soon  becomes  accustomed  to  permitting  itself 
to  be  handled  after  a  few  days'  captivity. 

76.    Genus  AQUILA  Brisson. 

139.     (349).    Aquila  chrysaetos  (Linn.). 

Golden  Eagle. 

Legs,  densely  feathered  down  to  base  of  toes.  This  character  will 
separate  it,  in  any  plumage,  from  the  White-headed  Eagle,  which  is 
the  only  other  Eagle  in  the  United  States. 

Length,  30.00-40.00;  wing,  23.00-27.00;  tail,  14.00-16.00.    (Fisher). 

Range. — Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  south  in 
North  America  to  southern  California,  Mexico  and  Georgia.  Breeds 
chiefly  in  mountainous  regions  throughout  its  range. 

Nest,  on  cliffs,  sometimes  in  trees;  a  collection  of  sticks.  Bggs, 
2-3;  whitish,  sometimes  unmarked,  usually  more  or  less  blotched, 
spotted  or  clouded  with  various  shades  of  brown;  2.93  by  2.34. 


Birds  of  India:na.  791 

Winter  resident;  occurs  regularly,  but  is  not  common.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  more  numerous  formerly.  There  is  no  record  of  its  having 
bred  in  Indiana;  though  Mr.  C.  L.  Cass  reports  having  observed  a 
specimen  at  Clear  Lake,  Steuben  County,  August  17  and  18,  1894, 
and  Dr.  Joseph  L.  Hancock,  of  Chicago,  saw  one  at  Dune  Park,  Ind., 
August  7,  1897.  It  usually  is  not  seen  until  late  in  November.  A 
fine  specimen  was  taken  near  Andersonville,  November  24,  1895,  and 
was  alive  when  last  heard  from,  the  present  summer  (1897).  A  fine 
adult  was  taken  near  Indianapolis,  November  29,  1891  (Noe).  They 
disappear  irregularly,  not  being  seen  usually  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  State  after  February,  but  sometimes  remaining  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lake  Michigan  into  March,  or  even  April.  One  was  noted  in  Porter 
County,  April  25, 1887  (Trouslot).  A  pair  were  seen  in  Lake  County, 
March  10,  1885  (Meyer);  and  one  at  Tracy  Station,  Starke  County, 
March,  1884  (Coale).  The  greater  number  are  seen  in  December, 
January  and  February.  The  winter  of  1881,  it  was  noted  by  Mr. 
E.  E.  Quick  near  Brookville,  three  times.  In  1884,  once,  and  1889, 
twice,  in  the  same  vicinity. 

December  18,  1895,  one  was  caught  in  a  steel  trap,  -set  for  n  skunk, 
and  baited  with  a  rabbit,  near  Fairfield,  Ind.  That  same  month  one 
was  killed  near  Waynetown,  and  is  now  in  the  collection  of  Wabash 
College,  Crawfordsville.  In  addition  to  these,  I  have  ten  other 
records  of  its  recent  occurrence  in  this  State.  It  is  most  often  taken 
when  the  landscape  is  clad  in  snow,  and  the  streams  locked  in  ice. 
Their  food  is  scarce,  and  they  are  often  taken  in  traps,  set  for  animals, 
or  for  owls,  from  which  it  has  attempted  to  take  the  bait.  While 
the  Golden  Eagle  will  occasionally  carry  off  lambs,  young  pigs  and 
poultry,  and  even  attack  animals  as  large  as  a  calf,  their  natural  food 
is  rabbits,  ground-hogs,  grouse,  waterfowl  and  other  game  birds. 
They  are  very  destructive  to  the  noxious  rodents  that  damage  the 
farmers'  crops.  Stories  of  their  carrying  off  children  have  been  usual- 
ly found  to  have  orginated  in  the  brain  of  man,  and  not  in  fact. 
Prof.  Stanley  Coulter  informs  me  of  one  of  these  Eagles,  that  was 
killed  by  Mr.  M.  G.  Jordan,  Jordan  Grove,  White  County,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1896,  as  it  was  hovering  over  a  litter  of  little  pigs.  Much  has 
been  said  about  the  fierceness  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  and  its  ability  to 
defend  its  nest,  yet  those  who  have  studied  its  habits  say  these  state- 
ments are  false,  as  these  birds  are  cowardly,  leaving  the  nest  when 
persons  approach  it,  and  not  returning  till  danger  is  past.  They 
seem  sometimes  to  mate  before  they  leave  us,  in  the  spring.  They 
breed  in  the  mountainous  parts  of  America.  The  nest  is  usually 
placed  upon  a  projecting  shelf,  on  the  side  of  a  high,  steep  cliff.     In 


'\i2 


Repoht  ok  State  GeoI;0(}1st 


(Jali.f()niin,  liowover^  most  of  tlie  nests  fire  placed  in  trees.  The  nest 
is  large.  Two  or  three  eggs  are  a  set,  and  hut  one  hrood  is  raised  in  a 
year.  They  hegin  nesting,  in  this  latitude,  in  March,  and  continue 
ihrough  May,  and  even  far  north  fresh  eggs  have  heen  found  in  June. 
Sevei'al  days,  sometimes  a  week,  intervenes  hetween  laying  the  eggs. 
Incubation  lasts  about  four  we^ks.  It  is  performed  almost  entirely 
by  the  female,  who  is  supplied  with  food  by  the  male. 

77.    (iKNus  HAL1^:ETI'S  Saviony. 

*140.     (352).    Haliaeetus  leucocephalus  (Linn.). 

Bald  Eagle. 


Lowe]'  third  of  leg  naked  all  ai'ound.  This  character  will  sej)aratc 
it  in  any  plumage  from  the  Golden  Eagle,  which  is  the  only  other 
]^]agle  in  the  United  States. 

Length,  ;}()-4;^;  wing,  ^0-28;  Uil,  ll-l(>.     (blsher). 

ILvNGE. — AVhole  of  Koiih  America,  from  Mexico  to  Arctic  coast. 
Aknitian  Islands,  and  Kamcliatka.  Breeds  locally  throughout  its 
range. 

Nrst,  large,  in  trees, or  on  clilTs;  of  sticks;  sometimes  lined  with  gi-as- 
oi-  moss.     J^figs.  1-3;  white;  2.90-2.27. 

Resident  locally;  formerly  common  resident  throughout  the  State, 
and  still  generally  distributed  in  fall,  winter  and  spring.  Through- 
out the  Whitewater  Valley,  where  they  formerly  nested,  and,  in  fact. 


Birds  of  Indfana.  793 

ill  all  the  region  eant  and  ^ontli  of  the  Wabash  River,  it  is  not  now 
known  to  breed.  There  they  appear  in  October  and  November,  and  are 
seen  nntil  March,  and  sometimes  late  April.  One  was  noted  at  Brook- 
ville,  April  19,  1881.  Its  former  occurrence  led  to  a  number  of 
streams,  fords  and  lakes,  and  other  topographic  features,  receiving  the 
distinctive  name  Eagle.  It  has  recently  been  reported  as  breeding  in 
Laporte  County,  1885  (Byrkit);  Knox  County,  1886  (Eidgway);  may 
breed  yet,  noted  April  18  and  26,  1897  (Chansler);  Porter  County, 
near  De  Motte,  1894  (Pfrimmer).  In  Lake  County  it  bred  quite  com- 
monly 40  years  ago.  Still  breeds  in  limited  numbers  in  the  tall  trees 
along  the  Kankakee  River  (Meyer,  Ball).  Found  breeding  near 
Tolleston  in  1871,  and  at  Water  Valley  in  1886  (Aiken).  August  8, 
1887,  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  saw  five  Bald  Eagles  at  Miller's,  Ind.,  and 
shot  one,  which  proved  to  be  a  young  one.  August  21,  he  took  a 
female,  and  found  a  nest  about  one  mile  south  of  the  sand  hills  in  the 
pine  timber. 

In  Starke  County,  at  English  Lake,  they  still  l^reed  regularly.  I 
have  reports  from  there  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1892  two  pairs 
were  found  nesting  within  a  half  mile.  One  nest  was  found  February 
27,  when  it  was  repaired,  and  probably  contained  eggs.  It  was  about 
80  feet  up  in  a  dead  elm.  The  other  was  found  March  6.  It  was 
in  the  top  of  a  tall  sycamore  (Deane).  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Gould  took  three 
fresh  eggs  from  a  nest  in  a  sycamore  tree,  sixty-five  feet  up,  at  English 
Lake,  March  19,  1893  (0.  and  0.,  April,  1892,  p.  64).  They  for- 
merly bred  along  the  Tippecanoe  River,  in  Carroll  County  (Ever- 
mann);  and  in  Dekalb  County,  where  it  is  possible  they  may  yet, 
1890  (H.  W.  McBride).  One  of  their  nests,  built  near  the  river  about 
five  miles  west  of  Brookville,  was  used  by  them  for  many  years.  While 
in  general  the  nest  is  in  trees,  from  20  to  100  feet  up,  it  is  sometimes 
found  on  projections  of  cliffs;  on  the  coast  of  Texas,  rarely,  on  the 
ground. 

The  nest  is  very  bulky,  and  is  often  repaired,  and  used  for  many 
years.  Nesting  begins  with  us  late  in  February,  and  continues 
through  March,  sometimes  in  April.  Eagle  Ford,  near  by,  so-called  on 
account  of  this  well-known  nest,  will  continue  to  designate  the  lo- 
cality. 

The  eggs  are  laid  at  intervals  of  three  or  four  days.  Both  birds 
take  part  in  incubation,  which  lasts  about  a  month.  But  one  brood 
is  raised  in  a  year. 

The  Bald  Eagle,  in  its  adult  form,  is  the  emblem  of  the  United 
States.  It  will,  in  that  plumage,  be  readily  recognized  by  its  white 
head  and  tail.     As  in  hawks,  the  female  exceeds  the  size  of  the  males. 


794  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  young  have  a  greater  expanse  of  wing  than  the  adults,  and  have 
not  the  white  head  and  tail.  They  do  not  assume  perfect  plumage 
until  the  third  year.  The  first  year  they  are  black,  and  are  known 
as  the  Black  Eagle,  also  "Washington  Eagle."  The  second  year,  they 
are  commonly  called  "Gray  Eagles."  It  is  well  to  recall  that  this  and 
the  Golden  Eagle  are  the  only  Eagles  in  the  United  States. 

The  favorite  food  of  the  Bald  Eagle  is  fish.  These  it  picks  up  on 
the  beach,  where  they  are  strewn;  takes  by  robbery  from  the  Osprey; 
or,  when  it  can  get  them  in  no  other  way,  catches  itself.  February 
24,  1891,  Mr.  E.  Deane  saw  one  of  them  fishing  at  English  Lake.  It 
poised  in  the  air,  after  the  manner  of  a  Kingfisher,  sustaining  itself 
by  rapid  vibration  of  its  wings,  then  suddenly  "let  go"  and  fairly  dived 
to  the  water.  This  was  repeated  twice.  Failing  in  procuring  fish,  it 
preys  upon  all  kinds  of  waterfowl.  They  also  eat  lambs,  small  pigs 
and  poultry.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  informs  me  of  a  Bald  Eagle  that 
was  killed  in  Knox  County,  October  1,  1896,  which  had  killed  two 
lambs.  Mice  and  other  rodents  form  an  important  article  of  their 
food,  and,  all  in  all,  they  are  considered  to  belong  to  that  class  of 
rapacious  birds  whose  lives  are  mostly  beneficial. 

Subfamily  FALCONING.     Faix:!ons. 

78.    Gbnus  FALCO  Linn^us. 

a^.  Only  first  primary  with  inner  web  emarginated;  first  quill  longer  than  the 
fourth;  tarsus  shorter  than  middle  toe,  and  scarcely  feathered  below  the  knee; 
wing  over  11.00.     Subgenus  Rhynchodon  Nilzsch. 

F.  peregrinus  anatum  (Bonap.).     141 
a^.  Two  outer  primaries  with  inner  webs  emarginated;  first  quill  shorter  than  the 
fourth. 
b^.  Basal  joints  of  toes  with  small  hexagonal  scales;  tarsus  about  equal  to  mid- 
dle toe.     Size  small;  wing,  9.00  or  less;  sexes  unlike. 

Subgenus  tEsalon  Kaup.      F.  columbarius  Linn.     142 
b^.  Basal  joints  of  toes  covered  with  transverse  plates;  tarsus  longer  than  middle 
toe;  size  small,  wing  8.00  or  less;  sexes  different. 

Subgenus  Tinntjnculus  Vieillot.     F.  sparverius  Linn.     143 

Subgenus  Rhynchodon  Nitzsch. 

'^141,    (356).    Falco   peregrinus  anatum    (Bonap.). 

Duck  Hawk. 

Adult. — First  and  second  wing  feathers  equal  and  longest.  Top 
of  head,  black,  decidedly  darker  than  back;  chest,  ereamy-buif, 
buffy-white,  or  pure  white,  often  unspotted,  never  very  heavily 
spotted  with  blackish.  Immature. — Lower  parts  streaked  with 
dusky.  In  Peale^s  Falcon,  the  top  of  the  head  is  dark  slaty,  uniform 
with  back;  chest,  heavily  spotted  with  blackish. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  71)5 

Lengt.h,  15.50-20.00;  wing,  11.30-14.75;  tail,  6.00-9.00.     (Fisher). 

Range. — America,  from  Chili  to  Arctic  coast.  Breeds  locally  from 
the  mountains  of  South  Carolina,  Arkansas  and  Lower  California, 
north.  Winters  chiefly  south  of  northern  boundary  of  United  States 
(New  York  and  Manitoba  south). 

Nest,  in  cavity  in  trees,  and  on  cliffs.  Eggs,  3-5;  pale  creamy- 
white,  sometimes  overlaid  with  light  chocolate,  irregularly  blotched, 
streaked  and  spotted  with  brown  or  reddish-brown;  2.10  by  1.68. 

Resident,  not  rare,  in  Lower  Wabash  Valley.  Throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  the  State,  rare.     Migrant.     Breads. 

In  the  spring  of  1878,  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  discovered  that  this 
was  by  no  means  a  rare  bird  in  the  heavy  timber  in  the  bottoms  of  the 
Wabash  River,  in  the  vicnity  of  Mt.  Carmel,  Illinois.  Three  nests 
were  found  there.  All  were  placed  in  cavities  in  the  top  of  very  large 
sycamore  trees,  and  were  inaccessible.  One  of  these  trees  was  felled, 
and  measurements  with  a  tapeline  showed  the  nest  had  been  eighty- 
nine  feet  from  the  ground.  It  was  placed  in  a  shallow  cavity,  caused 
by  breaking  off  of  the  main  limb,  the  upper  part  of  which  projected 
sufficiently  to  protect  it.  Four  fully  feathered  young  were  taken  from 
the  nest  (B.  N.  0.  C,  1878,  pp.  163,  164). 

Mr.  Ridgway  also  informs  me  it  breeds  in  Knox  and  Gibson  coun- 
ties, Ind.  The  Duck  Hawk  usually  nests  on  the  projections  of  cliffs, 
and  the  foregoing  sites  are  unusual.  It  has  been  taken  elsewhere  in 
Indiana  but  a  few  times.  A  specimen  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  G.  F. 
Morson  was  taken  in  Starke  County,  Ind.,  September  25,  1884.  Mr. 
Toppan  has  noted  it  in  Lake  County  in  winter.  There  is  a  specimen 
in  the  collection  in  the  State  Museum,  which  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley 
informs  me  was  taken  near  Slabtown,  Boone  County,  May  14,  1896. 
This  is  the  largest  of  the  true  Falcons.  If  the  days  of  falconiy 
were  here,  it  would  be  considered  of  great  value  for  such  sport.  It 
generally  mates  in  February.  In  this  latitude  its  nesting  time  is 
April  and  May.  The  eggs  are  deposited  two  or  more  days  apart. 
Incubation  is  performed  by  both  birds,  and  lasts  about  four  weeks. 
But  one  brood  is  reared  in  a  year.  The  late  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  said,  the 
males,  as  far  as  noticed,  sit  upon  the  eggs  in  the  fore  part  of  the  day, 
and  the  females  during  the  latter  part.  It  is  found  to  be  one  of  the  dis- 
tinctively harmful  species.  If  it  were  more  common,  it  wpuld  do  great 
injury.  Its  principal  food  is  waterfowl,  sandpipers,  plover,  snipe  and 
such  birds.  It  is  also  destructive  to  domestic  poultry  and  pigeons. 
"Of  20  stomachs  examined,  7  contained  poultry  or  game  birds;  9, 
other  birds;  1,  mice;  2,  insects;  and  4  were  empty.''  (Fisher,  Bull. 
No.  3,  Div.  Orn.  and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  109.) 


7%  Ufoi'okt  of  8'1'ate  (iKologist. 

Subgenus  JEsALoa  Kaup. 

142.    (857).    Falco  columbarius  Linn. 

Pigeon  Hawk. 

Middle  tail  feathers,  cro&sed  by  not  more  than  four  blackisli  or  five 
light  bands.  Above,  bluish  gray  or  brownish;  below,  whitish,  buffy, 
or  light  rusty;  streaked  with  brownish  or  dusky.  The  Black  Merlin 
is  much  darker.  Above,  plain  brown;  below,  heavily  marked  with 
dusky. 

Length,  10.00-13.25;  wing,  7.40-8.60;  tail,  4.65-5.50.     (Fisher.) 

Range. — America,  from  Ecuador  to  Arctic  Ocean.  Breeds  from 
Maine  to  Iowa  and  California,  northward.  Winters  from  New  York, 
Pennsylvania  and  Indiana,  southward. 

Nest,  in  trees,  sometimes  in  cavities  and  on  cliifs.  Eggs,  4-5;  pale 
creamy-white,  often  overspread  by  red-brown,  and  spotted  and 
blotched  with  darker  brown;  1.65  by  1.20. 

Regular  migrant,  and  in*egular  winter  resident,  not  common.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  it  may  rarely  nest  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State. 

It  is  most  often  seen  in  September  and  October,  March  and  April. 
In  the  Whitewater  Valley,  from  which  it  was  reported  by  Dr.  Ray- 
mond (Ind.  Geol.  Rept.  1869,  p.  209),  it  is  now  rarely  seen.  A  speci- 
men was  taken  near  Valley  Junction,  0.,  in  September,  1885,  and  one 
was  taken  near  Brookville,  Ind.,  October  20,  1880.  A  specimen  was 
taken  in  Monroe  County  March  12,  1887  (Blatchley),  and  another 
was  noted  April  8,  1886,  by  Evermann,  who  also  reports  it  from  Car- 
roll County.  In  Lake  County  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  shot  one  September 
25,  1875,  and  Mr.  Aiken  saw  it  at  Water  Valley.  It  has  been  noted 
elsewhere  as  follows:  Dekalb  County,  two,  in  October  (Mrs.  Hine); 
Elkhart  County,  February  6,  1891  (H.  W.  McBride);  Allen  County 
(Stockbridge);  Putnam  County  (Clearwaters):  Boone  County,  one  in 
collection  of  State  Museum  (Beasley);  Laporte  County  (Byrkit).  It 
builds  nests  on  limbs  of  trees,  in  hollows  of  them,  as  well  as  in  cavi- 
ties or  on  projections  of  clitTs.  In  the  southern  part  of  its  breed- 
ing range,  it  nests  in  March  or  April,  while  in  Central  Alaska  and 
the  Anderson  River  country,  its  nests  are  found  in  May  or  June. 
But  one  brood  is  raised  in  a  season.  Incubation  lasts  about  three 
weeks  (Bendire).     Capt.  Dall  reports  it  as  resident  in  Alaska. 

The  Pigeon  Hawk  is  a  true  Falcon.  It  takes  much  of  its  prey  upon 
the  wing.  This  consists  chiefly  of  small  birds.  Of  56  stomachs  exam- 
ined, 2  contained  poultry;  16,  insects;  41,  small  birds;  2,  mice;  and  5 
were  empty  (Bull.  No.  3,  Div.  0.  and  M.,  IT.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  113. 


Report  of  State  Geologist,  1 


III iw WWi 


:*i$ 


Fisher.  Tear  Book,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  l»t. 

SPARROW  HAWKS.    ^Male  and  female. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  797 

Fisher).  Wlieii  the  number  of  "English  sparrows/'  mice  and  insects 
it  eats  are  considered,  it  seems  to  fall  within  the  number  of  those 
Hawks  that  are  mostly  ]>eneficial. 

SubfenoE  TisifUKCULUS  Vieillot. 

"^143.    (360).    Falco  sparverius  (Linn.). 

American  Sparrow-liawk. 

Male. — Tail,  chestnut  rufous,  crossed  by  a  broad  black  band  near 
end;  wings,  graWsh-blue,  more  or  less  spotted  with  black.  Above, 
rufous,  with  or  \\ithout  black  bars  or  spots.  Below,  varying  from 
white  to  deep  rufous,  with  or  without  black  spots. 

Fettmh. — Tail,  wings  and  back,  crossed  by  numerous  narrow  bands 
of  dusky. 

Length,  8.75-12.00:  wing,  6.55-8.15;  tail,  4.20-5.60.    (Fisher). 

Range. — America^,  from  northern  South  America  to  Newfoundland 
and  Great  Slave  Lake.  Breeds  from  Mexico  and  Florida,  north. 
Winters  from  Xew  York  and  Indiana,  southward. 

Nest,  in  hollow  in  tree  or  built  among  branches,  or  in  cavity  in  cliff. 

Eggs;  3-7;  clear  white  to  pale  buff,  variously  marked  with  different 
shades  of  brown  and  ochraceous;  1.38  by  1.11. 

Regular  resident  north  to  Wabash,  Tippecanoe  and  Carroll  Counties. 
In  winter,  rare  north  from  there,  more  numerous  southward.  Every- 
where common  in  summer. 

This  little  Hawk  is  well  known,  and  no  visitor  to  the  country  will 
long  await  a  sight  of  their  busy  forms.  They  begin  to  leave  the  north- 
em  part  of  the  State  in  September,  and  some  winters  all  leave.  Se- 
vere winters  they  often  seek  protection;  lq  one  instance  in  Januax}' 
one  was  found  in  a  stable,  sharing  a  stall  with  a  horse.  Nowhere, 
perhaps,  are  they  so  numerous  in  winter.  In  more  open  winters,  their 
numbers  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  l^egin  to  increase  in  Feb- 
ruary, ^ligrations  then  begin  and  continue  through  March.  In  the 
Whitewater  Valley  I  have  always  seen  them  mating  in  April.  I  have 
found  their  nest  as  early  as  April  11,  but  fresh  eggs  are  found  farther 
northward  well  into  May. 

A  favorite  nesting  site  is  a  Woodpeckers  hole  in  a  dead  limb,  at 
the  top  of  a  tall  sycamore  tree.  The  usual  nesting  site,  in  timber 
countries,  is  a  hole,  natural  or  otherwise,  in  the  top  of  a  tree;  some- 
times, however,  they  are  made  quite  low.  Other  places,  they  occa- 
sionally nest  in  holes  in  cliffs  or  banks,  or  in  the  nest  of  some  large 
bird,  like  a  crow,  and  in  buildings.  In  trees,  the  eegs  are  laid  upon 
fragments  of  chips  in  the  hole. 


798  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  incubation  period  is  near  three  weeks.  Both  birds  share  in 
the  labor.  They  are  very  watchful  of  their  charges,  and  many  a 
spirited  encounter  is  had  to  drive  some  intruder  from  the  neighbor- 
liood.  Usually,  but  one  brood  is  reared  each  season.  When  disturbed, 
they  have  been  known  to  lay  a  second  and  third  set  of  eggs.  How- 
ever, eggs  have  been  found  as  late  as  August,  indicating,  possibly, 
more  than  one  brood  in  a  season.  In  July  and  August,  when  old  and 
young  are  found  together,  along  the  farm  fences,  they  are  most  often 
seen.  From  the  report  prepared  by  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  we  learn  that  of  330  stomachs  examined,  1  contained  a 
game  bird;  53,  other  birds;  89,  mice;  12,  other  mammals;  12,  reptiles, 
or  batrachians;  215,  insects;  29,  spiders;  and  29  were  empty  (Bull. 
ISTo.  3,  Div.  0.  and  M.,  Fisher,  p.  127).  At  times  it  is  known  to 
attack  young  chickens  and  beneficial  birds.  A  telegraph  line  is  a 
favorite  place  for  these  Hawks.  There,  particularly  at  the  time  of 
the  spring  migrations,  every  few  poles  will  be  found  to  form  a  point 
of  observation  for  them.  From  this  point  they  wage  war  upon  the 
mice  and  other  small  mammals  along  the  roadway  and  in  adjacent 
fields.  They  subsist  largely  upon  grasshoppers,  and  other  insects, 
especially  in  late  summer  and  early  fall,  before  the  vegetation  is  cut 
down  by  the  frost.  Upon  the  Mexican  plateau,  in  winter,  I  found 
these  birds  as  much  at  home  as  they  are  with  us.  They  were  quite 
common,  and  lived  chiefly  upon  insects.  The  lives  of  these  birds  are 
mostly  beneficial.     They  should  receive  protection  at  our  hands. 

Subfamily  PANDIONIN^.     Ospreys. 
79.    Genus  PANDION  Savigny. 

*144.    (364).    Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis  (Gmel.). 

American  Osprey. 

Claws  of  the  same  length,  narrower  and  rounder  on  under  side. 
Above,  plain  dusky-brown,  tail  more  grayish,  narrowly  tipped  with 
white,  and  crossed  by  about  six  or  seven  narrow  bands  of  dusky;  head, 
neck  and  lower  parts,  white;  the  chest  sometimes  slightly  blotched 
with  brown;  sides  of  head  with  dusky  stripe,  top  more  or  less  streaked 
with  dusky. 

Length,  20.75-25.00;  wing,  17.00-21.00;  tail,  7.00-10.00. 

Eange. — America,  from  northern  Brazil  to  Labrador,  Hudson  Bay. 
and  Alaska.  Breeds  throughout  its  North  American  range.  Winters 
from  South  Carolina,  and  rarely  in  Southern  Indiana,  south. 

Nest,  bulky,  of  sticks,  reeds,  cornstalks,  etc.,  lined  with  grass,  corn 
blades  and  other  fine  material,  in  top  of  tree,  on  cliff,  or  on  ground. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  799 

J^gys,  2-'6;  creamy-white  or  buffy-white,  blotched  and  spotted  with 
brown  and  vinaceous  red;  2.44  by  1.77. 

Locally  summer  resident;  regular  migrant,  and  some  winters  rare 
winter  resident  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State. 

The  winter  of  1880-81  they  were  seen  a  number  of  times  along 
the  Whitewater  (E.  E.  Quick),  and  have  been  noted  other  years. 
Along  the  Wabash  Eiver,  it  has  been  observed  in  winter  as  far  up  as 
Lafayette  (Moffitt),and  it  was  also  noted  in  Putnam  County,  the  winter 
of  1888  (Clearwaters).  Usually  they  begin,  when  not  found  in  win- 
ter, to  appear  upon  our  larger  streams  with  the  disappearance  of  the 
ice,  generally  in  February.  The  greater  number  of  them,  however, 
are  seen  in  April,  in  the  Whitewater  Valley,  between  April  2  and 
29.  In  the  fall  they  begin  to  appear  there  by  September  6,  and  are 
sometimes  common  until  October  7.  Mr.  V.  H.  Bamett  saw  one  in 
Vermillion  County,  August  31,  1897. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Michigan  City,  it  is  abundant  along  the  lake  in 
summer  (Byrkit). 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  saw  it  in  Starke  County,  June  10,  1888.  Mr. 
T.  H.  Ball  says  they  formerly  nested  along  the  Kankakee,  and  a  few 
yet  remain.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  informs  me  of  its  breeding  in 
Knox  and  Gibson  counties.  In  the  spring  of  1893,  Mr.  Joseph  F. 
Honacker  reports  finding  a  nest,  a  short  distance  below  Lafayette. 
They  will  probably  be  found,  by  persistent  investigators,  to  breed  in 
other  parts  of  the  State. 

Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  found  them  in  Steuben,  Lagrange  and  Elk- 
hart counties  early  in  May,  1891,  and  in  Dekalb  County,  May  12, 1890. 
They  breed  commonly  along  the  coast,  and  not  so  numerously  in  the 
interior,  as  far  north  as  Labrador,  Hudson  Bay  and  the  Yukon,  in 
Alaska.  It  generally  builds  its  nests  on  the  top  of  trees,  but  some- 
times on  or  in  cliffs,  and  on  the  ground.  The  same  nest  is  occupied 
for  years.  The  eggs  are  deposited  at  intervals  of  one  or  two  days, 
and  the  period  of  incubation  is  given  as  21  days,  but  Maj.  C.  E.  Ben- 
dire  thinks  it  is  nearer  28.  A  single  brood  is  raised  in  a  season, 
though  other  sets  may  be  laid  if  the  first  one  is  destroyed.  In  this 
latitude  they  nest  from  about  April  25  to  June.  The  Osprey  is  com- 
r.Tonly  called  Fish  Hawk,  or  Fishing  Eagle. 

Its  food  consists  entirely  of  fish,  which  it  usually  captures.  It  is 
a  famous  fisher,  catching  food  not  only  for  itself,  but  often  for  the 
Bald  Eagle,  which  robs  it  of  its  catch.  Mr.  Chas.  S.  Shick,  of  New 
Jersey,  says:  "It  is  interesting  to  watch  the  Fish  Hawk  obtaining  its 
food,  sailing  along  from  60  to  100  feet  above  the  water;  with  its  keen 
e3'es  it  can  easily  see  any  fish  swimming  close  to  the  surface  of  the 


800  I{i<:roRT  OF  State  Gkolocjtsi'. 

vvaleij  and  na  sooi)  as  it  ^tey  its  (quarry,  stops  its  flight,  and  remains 
suspended  motionless  in  the  air  for  a  moment,  closes  its  wings,  and 
then  darts  downward  like  an  arrow.  It  disappears  under  the  water 
for  a  few  seconds,  and  when  it  arises  and  again  takes  wing,  a  shining, 
wriggling  fish  can  be  plainly  seen  in  the  grasp  of  its  powerful  talons. 
It  is  a  curious  fact  that  this  bird  -sivill  never  carry  the  fish  with  the 
tail  to  the  front.  Many  times  have  I  seen  them  turn  the  fish  around 
in  mid  air''  (Bendire,  L.  H.,  N.  A.  B.,  I.,  pp.  321,  322). 

The  Osprey  often  selects  a  tree,  sometimes  miles  from  any  water, 
where  it  resorts  to  devour  its  food. 

Suborder  STRIGES.    Owls. 
XXVII.     Family  STRIGID^.     Barn  Owls. 

Characters  same  as  family.  Strix.     80 

80.    Grxus  strix  Linn^us. 

"^146.     (365).    Strix  pratincola  Bonap. 

American  Barn  OwL 

Facial  disk  not  circular,  but  somewhat  triangular.  Middle  and 
inner  claws  of  equal  length;  inner  edge  of  middle  claw,  jagged;  wing, 
long,  reaching  beyond  tail  when  folded;  tail  about  half  the  length  of 
wing. 

Color. — Above,  ochraceous-yellow,  more  or  less  marbled  with  white 
or  ashy,  and  speckled  with  black,  and  sometimes  with  white  spots. 
Below,  varying  in  every"  degree  from  silky  white  to  bright  tawny, 
dotted  with  black  spots.     Eyes,  small,  black. 

Length,  15.00-20.00;  wing,  13.00-14.00;  tail,  5.75-7.50.     (Fisher). 

Range. — North  America,  from  Mexico  north  to  Massachusetts,  N'ew 
Jersey  and  Ontario,  Michigan,  southern  Minnesota  and  Oregon. 
Breeds  from  southern  Xew  York,  northern  Indiana,  southward. 
Winters  from  northern  limit  of  breeding  range  southward. 

Nest,  in  steeple  or  ])arn  loft,  or  in  a  hole  in  tree  or  l)auk.  I'^gf/s, 
5-11;  dead  white;  1.65  by  1.31. 

Found  throughout  the  State;  locally  resident;  rare  northward;  more 
mimerous  in  the  Wabash  Valley  and  southward.     Breeds. 

In  1879  there  were  but  five  known  records  of  its  occurrence  in 
Ohio.  It  was  then  considered  a  very  rare  visitor.  At  that  time  there 
was  no  record  of  its  occurrence  in  Indiana.  And  as  far  as  I  have 
since  heard,  the  only  one  who  had  met  it  was  Dr.  F.  Stein,  who  noted 
it  in  the  lower  Wnbash  Valley.     In  Illinois  it  was  considered  rare  in 


Birds  of  Indiana.  801 

1878.  Mr.  Nelsou  had  noted  two  taken  near  Chicago.  The  year  J88;> 
is  notable  for  a  sndden  increase  in  the  number  observed  nortli  ol*  the 
Ohio  River.  In  October  of  that  year  ten  Barn  Owls  were  killed  near 
Cincinnati,  several  of  which  were  found  occupying  the  tower  of  the 
town  hall  at  Glendale,  0.  On  October  18th,  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  visited 
the  town  hall  at  Glendale.  Four  Barn  Owls  flew  out.  I  give  some 
extracts  from  Mr.  Dury's  account.  The  floor  and  ledges  were  covered 
with  the  cast-up  pellets  of  the  birds. 

"With  Owls  the  indigestible  matter  is  formed  into  balls  in  the 
stomach,  and  afterwards  cast  up.  These  are  called  pellets.  They 
covered  the  floor  several  inches  deep  in  places.  I  examined  many  of 
them,  and  found  them  made  ui)  entirelv  of  the  hair  and  bones  of 


Foot  of  Barn  Owl.    Natural  size. 

the  smaller  rodents,  mostly  mice.  There  must  have  been  the  debris 
of  several  thousand  mice  and  rats.  But  the  strangest  part  of  the 
curious  habitation  was  the  flock  of  domestic  pigeons  that  were  living, 
seemingly,  on  intimate  terms  with  the  Owls,  and  judging  from  the 
old  pigeon  nests,  I  presume  the  pigeons  had  actually  nested  and  reared 
young  there"  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  N.  IL,  Dec.,  1883,  pp.  237,  238.)  Soon 
afterwards  two  Barn  Owls  were  taken  at  Monroe,  Ohio. 

These  birds  also  spread  into  Indiana.  October  25,  1883,  the  only 
one  ever  reported  in  the  Whitewater  Valley  was  killed  near  Brook- 
ville.  There  is  one  in  the  collection  at  the  State  Museum  that  was 
taken  at  Franklin,  December,  1883.  Th^y  bred  near  Frankfort, 
Clinton  County,  in  the  summer  of  1889.  In  Vigo  County  young  were 
taken  about  July  18,  1890.  In  the  north  part  of  Tippecanoe  County, 
two  young  were  taken  from  the  nest  in  a  hole  in  a  large  elm,  about 
June  15,  1890.  The  winter  of  1891-92,  Mr.  Fletcher  M.  Is^oe  received 
three  of  those  owls  taken  in  this  State.  The  following  additional 
records  are  at  hand:  January  19,  1893,  one  was  found  dead  in  an  old 
61 — Geol. 


802  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

house  in  Decatur  County  (W.  P.  Shannon,  October  7,  1893);  one  was 
taken  alive,  five  miles  north  of  Greencastle,  and  brought  into  that  city 
(J.  Earlle);  November  10,  1894,  one  was  picked  up  dead  ten  miles 
southwest  of  Lafayette  (L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test).  In  1894,  Mr.  J.  0. 
Dunn  supplied  two  records  from  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  September 
25.  About  June  10  he  saw  one  alive  in  a  saloon  window  on  La  Salle 
street.     He  procured  one  from  a  small  boy,  which  he  still  has. 

One  was  picked  up  alive  by  Mr.  Wm.  Baum,  three  miles  south 
of  Delphi,  August  30,  1897  (D.  C.  Ridgely).  May  23,  1896,  a  female 
was  shot  on  the  Kankakee  River,  at  Kouts,  Ind.,  by  Mr.  M.  F.  Hilgard, 
which  is  now  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  who  says  it 
undoubtedly  had  a  nest  close  by.  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  reports  one 
from  Sandusky,  0.,  April  11,  1896.  He  informs  me  a  local  taxider- 
mist had  received  two  others.  Mr.  J.  B.  Burris  (Cloverdale,  Ind.) 
writes  one  was  shot  from  a  pine  tree  in  a  neighbor's  yard,  March  20, 
1897.  It  has  also  been  noted  from  the  following  counties:  Wabash 
(Ulrey  and  Wallace);  Boone  (Beasley);  Allen  (Stockbridge). 

With  us,  these  birds  seem  to  frequent,  except  at  the  breeding  season, 
the  belfry  and  tower  of  buildings,  barns  and  deserted  buildings,  and 
nest  in  hollows  of  trees.  This  is  the  bird  that  is  written  up  in  the  news- 
papers as  the  "Monkey-faced  Owl.''  They  also  nest  in  deserted  mine 
shafts,  old  wells,  the  burrows  of  animals,  holes  in  banks  and  cliffs. 
They  make  little  or  no  nest.  "Incubation  usually  commences  with 
the  first  egg  laid,  and  lasts  about  three  weeks.  The  eggs  ate  almost 
invariably  found  in  different  stages  of  development,  and  young  may 
be  found  in  the  same  nest  with  fresh  eggs.  Both  sexes  assist  in  incu- 
bation, and  the  pair  may  be  sometimes  seen  sitting  side  by  side, 
each  with  a  portion  of  the  eggs  under  them"  (Bendire,  L.  H.,  N.  A. 
Birds,  I,  p.  327).  The  examination  of  stomachs  under  the  direction 
of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  showed  that  "of  39 
examined,  1  contained  poultry;  3,  other  birds;  17,  mice;  17,  other 
mammals;  4,  insects;  and  7  were  empty."  (Fisher,  Bull.  No.  3,  Div. 
0.  and  M.,  p.  139).  It  is  one  of  the  most  decidedly  nocturnal  of  the 
owls.  At  dusk  it  goes  forth  to  hunt;  over  meadow  and  marsh,  pasture 
and  prairie,  its  quest  leads  it.  Its  game  is  meadow  mice,  gophers 
and  other  destructive  mammals,  all  more  or  less  injurious.  Its  work 
is  highly  beneficial.  The  farmer  and  orchardman  especially  should 
give  them  protection. 


Birds  of  Indiaj^a.  803 


XXVIII.     Family  BUBONID^.     Horned  Owls,  Etc. 

a'.  Wing  more  than  10.00  inches. 

b^.  Cere  longer  than  rest  of  culmen  ;  iris  yellow;  external  ear  very  large. 

Asio.     81 
b^.  Cere  short. 

c^.  Ear  tufts  very  conspicuous;  size  large.  Bubo.     86 

c^.  Ear  tufts  very  small,  or  none. 
d^.  Toes  entirely  covered  with  feathers;  bill  nearly  hidden  by  feathers. 
e^.  Tail  10.  inches  or  less;  plumage  mostly  white.  Nyctea.     87 

e^.  Tail  over  10.  inches;  plumage  not  white.  Scotiaptex.     83 

d^.  Toes  not  entirely  covered  with  feathers ;  bill  large,  yellowish. 

Syrnium.     82 
a^.  Wing  less  than  10.  inches. 

/^  Ear  tufts  conspicuous.  MECiASCOPS.     85 

f'^.  Ear  tufts  none. 
^\  Wing  over  8.  inches.  Surnia.     8S 

g^.  Wing  under  8.  inches.  Nyctala.     84 

81.    Genus  ASIO  Beisson. 

a^.  Ear  tufts  well  developed,  of  8  to  12  feathers.     Subgenus  Asio. 

A.  wilsonianus  (Less.).     146 
a^.  Ear  tufts  not  conspicuous,  of  few  feathers.     Subgenus  Brachyotus  Gould. 

A.  accipitrinus  (Pall.).     147 

*146.     (366).    Asio  wilsonianus  (Less.). 

American  Long-eared  Owl. 

Ear  tufts  conspicuoTis,  containing  eight  to  ten  feathers,  and  about 
as  long  as  middle  toe  with  claw. 

Color. — Above,  dusky,  mottled  with  gray,  tawny,  and  blackish. 
Below,  grayish-white,  with  confused  marbling  of  brown,  black  and 
tawny,  many  feathers  with  a  median  longitudinal  dusky  stripe,  which 
gives  off  transverse  bars.     Feet  and  legs,  tawny  and  unspotted. 

Length,  13.00-16.00;  wing,  11.00-12.00;  tail,  5.50-6.50.     (Fisher). 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Valley  of  Mexico  to  Nova  Scotia, 
Hudson  Bay  (and  latitude  61  degrees).  Breeds  throughout  its  range. 
Winters  in  Maine,  Northern  New  York,  Michigan  and  Minnesota. 

Nest,  in  trees,  using  an  old  nest  of  some  bird  or  squirrel,  in  cavities 
in  cliff.     Eggs,  3-6;  oval;  pure  white. 

Resident,  not  common  in  summer;  more  numerous  in  winter. 
Breeds. 

The  Long-eared  Owl  is  more  numerous  than  is  generally  thought. 
It  is  the  woodland  species  of  this  genus,  as  the  Short-eared  Owl  is 
fhe  prairie  representative.     Its  woodland  retreats,  retiring  ways,  and 


804  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

habit  of  frequenting  certain  localities,  make  it  inconspicuous.  Except 
at  the  mating  season,  it  is  rather  quiet.  Some  years  they  are  more 
numerous  in  winter  tha.n  others.  In  Southern  Indiana  they  have 
Ijeen  most  commonly  noted  from  October  18  to  January  30.  Mr.  J. 
A.  Balmer  informs  me  it  breeds  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  Dr. 
Langdon  notes  that  Mr.  Dury  took  full-fledged  young  of  the  year,  at 
Avondale,  Ohio,  in  July,  1878.  April  29,  1890,  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride 
shot  two  old  ones  and  caught  two  young  ones  in  Dekalb  County. 
AVith  us,  they  must  begin  laying  late  in  March  or  early  in  April.  In 
Wayne  County,  Mich.,  Mr.  Jerome  Trombley  reports  nests  with  five 
eggs,  taken  in  May.     (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  80.) 

Almost  always  this  Owl  repairs  and  uses  the  old  nest  of  a  bird  or  a 
squirrel;  occasionally  it  is  said  to  build  a  nest  for  itself.  The  eggs 
are  deposited  at  intervals  of  one  or  two  days.  Incubation  begins  with 
the  first  egg  laid  and  lasts  about  three  weeks.  If  the  first  setting  is 
destroyed,  another,  and  sometimes  a  third,  will  be  laid.  The  female 
incubates,  but  the  male  is  usually  near  by.  This  species,  unlike  the 
Short-eared  Owl,  does  all  its  hunting  by  night.  By  day  it  keeps  hid- 
den in  the  seclusion  of  some  dark  woods  or  dense  thicket.  In  winter 
they  select  a  particular  spot,  and  in  early  spring  the  ejected  pellets  lie 
beneath  the  perch  in  great  numbers.  In  them  the  naturalist  will  find 
recorded  much  of  the  zoological  history  of  the  past  winter  of  the 
neighborhood.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  gives  us  the  result  of  the  examina- 
tion of  107  stomachs  examined:  1  contained  a  game  bird;  15, 
other  birds;  84,  mice;  5,  other  mammals;  1,  insects,  and  15  were 
empty.  (Bull.  Xo.  3,  Div.  0.  and  M.,  V.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  145.)  Please 
note  what  a  great  proportion  of  injurious  animals  these  l)irds  destroy. 
Of  the  stomachs  which  contained  food,  over  93  per  cent,  contained 
the  remains  of  small  mammals.  They  are  the  friends  of  agriculture. 
Be  careful  to  protect  them. 

'^147.    (367).    Asio  accipitrinus  (Pall.). 

Short-eared  OwL 

Ear  tufts  inconspicuous,  much  shorter  than  middle  toe,  with  claw. 

Color. — Whole  plumage  varying  from  bright  tawny  to  huffy  white, 
with  c(mspicuous  dark-brown  stripes;  a  small  tuft  of  feathers  above 
hind  toe. 

Length,  13.75-17.00;  wing,  12.00-13.00;  tail,  5.75-6.10.     (Fisher). 

Kange. — Nearly  cosmopolitan;  in  America  from  southern  South 
America  to  Arctic  Ocean.  Breeds  from  Kansas,  Indiana  and  Ohio, 
southern  Oregon,  northern  Maine.  Winters  chiefly  south  of  northern 
boundary  of  ITnited  States. 


BiUDs  OF   Indiana. 


<sor) 


Nest,  on  groiiiul  in  marsli,  meadow  or  j)i'airic,  ol'  «>rass  and  stick;^. 
Eg(js,-4^-7;  white  or  creamy  white;  1.59  l)y  1.23. 

Eesident  in  some  numbers  northward;  elsewhere  irregular  winter 
resident  in  varying  numbers.  Some  winters  not  seen.  Occasionally 
very  abundant. 


(Merriam. 


Short-eared  Owl. 
-Annual  Rept.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  1888,  p.  496.) 


Their  original  home  was  the  prairie.  Therefore,  we  may  expect  to 
find  it  most  often  in  the  area  of  original  prairie  land.  It  seems  to  pre- 
fer the  long,  rank  grass  about  marshes,  and  in  such  localities  it  breeds. 
About  May  6,  1890,  two  nests  of  the  Short-eared  Owl  were  found  at 
English  Lake.  They  were  built  in  large  grass  tussocks  in  the  open 
meadow.  One  contained  three  young  and  two  eggs;  the  other,  three 
eggs  (Deane).  Since  the  forest  area  has  so  largely  given  place  to 
meadow,  pasture  and  small  grain,  where  prairie  animals  and  insects 


806  Repoht  of  State  Geologist. 

have  come,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  these  owls  will  visit  it  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent.  They  irregularl}^  range  over  it  in  greater  or  less  num- 
bers, sometimes  in  flocks  of  from  seven  to  twenty-five  in  winter.  They 
take  up  their  quarters  in  our  meadows,  and  all  winter  long  wage  a  re- 
lentless war  upon  the  mice,  shrews  and  other  four-footed  pests.  Their 
coming  is  evidently  regulated  by  the  food  supply,  for  always  when 
they  come  in  force  the  meadows  are  overrun  with  mice. 

In  the  Whitewater  Valley  Dr.  Raymond  never  recognized  it.  The 
first  specimen  taken  there  was  November  8,  1878.  From  that  time  to 
1886  no  more  were  seen.  The  winter  of  1883  they  were  tolerably  com- 
mon in  Rush  County.  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  obtained  six  specimens 
from  a  flock  there.  In  November  and  early  December,  1886,  they 
came  in  immense  numbers,  in  company  with  other  Owls  and  several 
Hawks,  and  ranged  over  Indiana  and  Ohio  to  their  southern  boun- 
dary. In  some  places  they  are  reported  in  flocks  of  ten  to  twenty-five. 
Near  Cincinnati  Dr.  Langdon  notes  that  during  February,  1887,  a 
young  man  who  was  crossing  a  partially  inundated  field  counted  these 
birds  as  they  arose  before  him,  and  at  one  time  there  were  thirty  in 
the  air.  There  was  only  one  tree  in  the  field,  upon  which  they  all 
alighted.    (Jour.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XII,  1889,  p.  59.) 

In  Franklin  County,  Indiana,  they,  were  very  common  throughout 
the  county.  Every  one  was  speaking  about  the  Prairie  Owls.  In  one 
neighborhood  in  Decatur  County  there  were  three  flocks,  and  another 
two,  with  from  ten  to  twenty-five  owls  each.  It  is  estimated  there 
were  hundreds  of  these  birds  in  that  county  that  winter  (Shannon), 
A  great  many  were  seen  in  January,  1887,  in  Fayette  County  (Rehme). 
The  same  winter  they  were  common  in  Knox  County  (Chansler),  and 
were  reported  from  Vigo  (Evermann).  They  remained  in  the  spring 
of  1887  well  into  April.  The  last  one  noted  in  Franklin  County  was 
April  26.  Wherever  they  were  observed  their  great  destruction  of 
mice  was  noted.  In  the  winter  of  1890  they  were  very  common  in 
Clinton  County  (Evermann).  In  1892  a  large  number  were  killed  in 
Knox  County  (Chansler).  The  winter  of  1894-5  they  ranged  as  far  as 
Putnam  County,  where  a  small  flock  was  found  (Earlle).  The  stom- 
achs of  ten  of  those  taken  the  winter  of  1886-7  showed  that  one  was 
empty  and  nice  contained  the  remains  of  mice.  A  summary  of  101 
stomachs  examined  shows  that  11  contained  small  birds;  77,  mice;  7, 
other  mammals;  1,  insects,  and  14  were  empty.  (Dr.  Fisher,  Bull.  No. 
3,  Div.  of  0.  and  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.). 

Fully  75  per  cent,  of  its  food  consists  of  mice,  no  less  than  six 
having  been  found  in  one  stomach.  In  addition  to  their  mousing  hab- 
its, their  habit  of  wandering  and  appearing:  in  localities  where  mice 


Report  of  State  Geologist,  1897. 


Plate  XXIII. 


4  I 


J 


Fisher,  Year  Book,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  1891. 


BARRED  OWL. 


Birds  oe  Indiana.  807 

have  become  so  rmnieroiis  that  they  could  not  be  overcome  by  ordi- 
nary means,  is  one  of  great  importance,  and  renders  them  chiefly  bene- 
factors to  the  farmers.  Their  presence  in  unusual  cases  in  times  of 
great  emergency  adds  much  to  their  value  of  service  to  man.  In 
cloudy  weather  they  may  often  be  seen  hunting  their  food  by  day. 
Their  eggs  are  laid  in  April  and  May,  in  nests  in  such  situations  as 
have  been  mentioned  at  English  Lake.  They  require  about  three 
weeks  to  hatch.    But  one  brood  is  raised  a  year. 

82.    Genus  SYRNIUM  Savigny. 

*148.     (368).    Syrnium  nebulosum  (Forst.). 

Barred  Owl. 

Large  size;  no  ear  tufts;  general  color,  umber-brown  and  buffy 
whitish;  the  plumage  everywhere  barred  transversely  except  on  the 
belly,  where  the  stripes  run  lengthwise;  bill,  yellow;  eyes,  brown-black. 

Length,  19.00-24.00;  wing,  12.50-14.00;  tail,  9.00-10.00.    (Fisher). 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  Dakota  and  Kansas  from 
Texas  and  Georgia;  north  to  Manitoba  and  Nova  Scotia.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range.  Eesident  except  at  the  extreme  northern  por- 
tion of  its  range. 

Nest,  in  hollow  trees  or  in  deserted  large  birds^  nests.  Eggs,  2-4; 
pure  white;  1.94  by  1.65. 

Common  resident.  Breeds.  Not  so  common  as  it  was  formerly,  and 
apparently  not  so  numerous  in  the  Whitewater  Valley  as  elsewhere. 
The  followin"g  references  to  counties  will  give  some  idea  of  its  num- 
bers: Knox,  common  resident  (Chansler);  Porter,  common  along  the 
Kankakee  River;  quite  rare  in  Cook  County,  Illinois  (Parker);  Starke, 
common  (Deane);  Carroll,  the  most  abundant  owl  (Evermann);  Mon- 
roe, quite  common  (Blatchley);  Dekalb,  common  resident  (Mrs.  Hine); 
Lake,  rather  common  at  Water  Valley  (Aiken);  Wabash,  quite  abund- 
ant resident  (Ulrey  and  Wallace);  Brown,  rather  common  (Kindle). 

This  is  the  common  large  muley  owl — the  big  woods  owl  that  has 
no  horns  or  ears.  It  is  commonly  known  as  the  "Hoot  Owl,^^  on  ac- 
count of  its  well-known  hooting,  which  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  interprets 
"Who-who-who-who-who-who-who-r-r-e-you?"  although  sometimes 
translated  as  "Who  cooks  for  you  all?"  "This  call  is  far  louder  than 
the  deep  bass  hooting  of  the  Great  Horned  Owls,  and  is  also  more 
varied.  Frequently  it  is  preceded  by  a  very  loud,  blood-curdling 
shriek,  causing  the  hair  of  the  uninitiated  to  rise  on  his  head  and 
his  knees  to  tremble  for  fear  that  a  panther  is  prowling  in  the  neigh- 
borhood.   When  several  get  together  their  nocturnal  concerts  are  very 


808  Report  of  State  Geolo(us'i\ 

entertaining.  One  appears  to  tell  some  joke  or  do  something  I'unny, 
at  wliich  the  rest  set  np  a  hearty  though  demoniacal  he,  he,  he,  he,  hi, 
hi,  hi,  hi,  ha,  ha,  ha,  ha,  and  the  uncanny  company  is  boisterously 
hilarious  for  a  few  moments,  when  the  solitude  of  the  night  again 
reigns  supreme/'    (Birds  of  Illinois,  I,  pp.  409,  410.) 

Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman  says:  "'The  usual  call  is  a  sonorous  'Who-who- 
who,  who-whoo,  to  whoo-oh.' '"    (B.  E.  N.  A.,  p.  216.) 

They  begin  mating  in  February,  and  some  years  may  lay  that 
month,  though  it  is  usually  in  March.  The  nest  is  in  the  hollow  of  a 
tree;  or  when  that  is  not  couA^enient,  in  an  abandoned  crow's  or  hawk's 
nest.  The  female  appears  to  incubate  the  eggs,  which  requires  from 
three  to  four  weeks.  Unless  the  eggs  are  taken,  but  one  brood  is 
raised. 

They  may  be  seen  abroad  on  sunless  days,  and  then  usually  receive 
much  notice  from  crows  and  other  birds,  which  collect  to  persecute 
them.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  informs  me  of  an  unique  instance  of  this. 
June  15,  1884,  in  Starke  County,  Indiana,  he  came  upon  a  Barred  Owl 
in  a  high  tree.  It  was  being  attacked  by  the  following  birds:  AVood 
Thrush,  Blue  Jay,  Gnat-catcher,  Great  Crested  Fly-catcher,  Eed  Start 
and  Yellow  Warbler,  all  calling  and  %ing  at  it.  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride 
kept  a  pair  until  they  were  a  year  old,  but  they  did  not  breed. 

Occasionally  the  Barred  Owl  eats  a  chicken,  but  this  is  not  common, 
and  perhaps  most  frequently  when  snow  covers  the  ground  in  winter. 
The  examination  of  the  stomachs  of  these  owls,  made  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  shows  that  of  109  examined  5  contained 
poultry  or  game;  13,  other  birds;  46,  mice;  18,  other  mammals;  4, 
frogs;  1,  a  lizard;  2,  fish;  14,  insects;  2,  spiders;  9,  crawfish,  and  20 
were  empty.  (Bull.  No.  3,  Div.  0.  and  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  156.) 
But  about  4 J  per  cent,  of  its  food  is  poultry  or  game,  and  this  is  doubt- 
less mostly  obtained  from  fowls  roosting  in  trees  or  exposed  places. 
By  far  the  bulk  of  their  food  is  composed  of  injurious  animals,  the 
principal  part  of  which  is  mice.  We  are  disposed  to  wage  war  upon 
them  -for  the  occasional  pullet  they  destroy  and  consider  not  the  ten 
destructive  mice  of  which  they  rid  us. 

8;^.    Genus  SCOTIAPTEX  Swainson. 

149.    (370).    Scotiaptex  cinerea  (Gmel.). 

Great  Gray  Owl. 

Largest  of  our  Owls.  No  ear  tufts.  Wing,  16.00-18.00;  bill,  small, 
nearly  hidden  by  feathers;  eyes,  yellow;  general  color,  dusky  grayish- 
brown  and  grayish-white. 

Length,  25.00-30.00;  tail,  11.00-12.50.     (Fisher). 


BlRDR    OF    TnDIANA.  Sin) 

Range. — Northern  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  northern 
border  of  United  States,  casually  to  southern  New  England,  New 
Jersey,  Ohio,  Illinois  and  southern  Montana  and  California.  Breeds 
from  Hudson  Bay  territory  and  Washington  State  throughout  the 
northern  timber  area. 

Nest,  of  sticks,  lined  with  feathers,  in  trees.  Eggs,  2-4;  dull  white; 
2.16  by  1.71. 

Accidental  visitor  in  winter.  From  the  northern  part  of  the 
State  it  has  been  reported  by  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton,  and  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick 
has  noted  it  in  Franklin  County,  where  it  was  captured  several  years 
ago.  It  has  been  reported  from  Ohio,  Michigan  and  Illinois  also.  Its 
home  is  far  north.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says  it  is  a  common  and  well- 
known  resident  throughout  all  the  wooded  parts  of  Alaska,  and  thence 
south  to  Washington  Territory  (N.  H.  Coll.  Alaska,  p.  150).  From 
there  it  ranges  into  the  Anderson  River  district  and  throughout  the 
Hudson  Bay  country. 

84.    Genus  NYCTALA  Beehm. 

*150.    (372).    Nyctala  acadica  (Gmbl.). 

Saw-whet  Owl. 
Synonym,  Acadian  Owl. 

Smallest  Owl  of  the  eastern  Fnited  States;  no  ear  tufts;  wing,  less 
than  6  inches;  tail,  less  than  3.50  inches;  above,  brown,  more  or  less 
spotted  with  white;  beneath,  whit«,  striped  with  reddish-brown. 

Length,  7.25-8.50;  wing,  5.25-5.90;  tail,  2.80-3.25.    (Fisher). 

Range. — North  America  eastward,  from  Carolinas  and  Kentucky 
north  to  Hudson  Bay.  Westward  it  ranges  south  along  the  moun- 
tains to  Oaxaca,  Mex.  Breeds  from  central  Indiana,  New  York  and 
Massachusetts,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  northward. 

Nest,  in  hollow  tree,  Woodpeckers  hole,  occasionally  in  open,  de- 
serted nest.    Eggs,  3-7;  pure  white;  1.19  by  1.00. 

Not  uncommon  resident  northward;  irregular  winter  resident  south. 
Some  winters  rather  common  locally.  Occasionally  little  parties  or 
families  are  found  in  a  locality,  and  it  is  very  interesting  to  note  the 
precision  with  which  one  will  occupy  a  certain  perch,  and  if  it  is  taken, 
another  will  take  its  place.  In  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  it  seems  tol- 
erably numerous.  Mr.  Nelson  mentions"  over  a  dozen  having  been 
taken  within  two  years  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Dec,  1876,  p.  117).  Mr. 
H.  K.  Coale  reports  from  that  general  locality  thirty  specimens  within 
ten  years  (Ridgway,  B.  of  I.,  Sec.  7,  p.  414).  Mr.  B.  T.  Gault  took  a 
specimen  in  a  grove  at  Sheffield,  Lake  County,  Indiana,  June  14, 


810  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

1889;  another,  June  28.  They  were  in  the  juvenile  or  albifrons  stage. 
He  thinks  they  undoubtedly  were  raised  there.  In  Boone  County,  Mr. 
J.  E.  Beasley  says,  it  occurs  both  summer  and  winter.  Prof.  B.  W. 
Evermann  thus  gives  an  account  of  its  nesting  in  Carroll  County,  May 
8,  1883:  "In  an  old  thicket  near  Burlington  I  found  six  young 
Saw-whets  in  a  hole  in  a  dead  elm.  The  hole  was  about  twenty  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  the  young  Owls  were  able  to  fly."  He  adds  he 
has  heard  it  at  various  times  in  the  spring.  (The  Auk,  Oct.,  1888, 
p.  351.)  This  is  the  most  southerly  record  of  its  nesting  (Bendire,  L. 
H.  K  A.  B.,  I,  p.  350). 

The  winter  of  1886-7  they  seem  to  liave  been  generally  dis- 
tributed over  the  State.  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton  informs  me  that 
winter  thay  were  rather  common  in  Indianapolis.  The  fall  of 
1894  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  found  them  near  Greencastle.  The  following 
summary  of  his  notes  is  given.  November  10  found  one  so  tame  he 
caught  it  in  his  hands.  November  26  saw  another,  but  failed  to 
catch  it.  It  was  in  the  identical  place  where  he  caught  the  first  one. 
It  had  brownish  eyes.  November  27  found  one,  a  male,  dead,  on  the 
railroad,  about  a  mile  from  where  he  found  the  others.  December  15 
saw  two;  caught  one,  which  was  at  the  same  place  where  first  was 
taken,  in  a  butterfly  net.  One  of  these  was  probably  the  same  one 
seen  November  26,  as  its  eyes  were  similar.  December  17,  caught  the 
remaining  one,  with  brownish  eyes,  a  female.  He  tried  to  keep  this 
and  the  first  one  taken,  alive,  but  after  about  a  month  they  died. 
They  have  been  reported  from  the  following  additional  counties: 
Franklin,  April  29,  1883  (Haymond);  Tippecanoe  (Dr.  E.  Test); 
Allen,  rare  (Stockbridge);  Dekalb  (R.  W.  McBride,  Snyder);  Fayette, 
January  10,  1887  (Rehme);  Monroe,  November,  1886  (Evermann); 
Wabash,  November  20,  1894  (Ulrey  and  Wallace). 

The  Saw-whet  Owl  is  decidedly  nocturnal.  It  seems  tot^illy  blinded 
and  helpless  in  bright  daylight.  It  is  the  smallest  Owl  found  within 
this  State.  The  absence  of  tufts  on  its  head  renders  it  easily  distin- 
guishable from  the  Screech  Owl.  They  usually  nest  in  cavities  in 
trees,  sometimes,  perhaps,  beginning  in  April  and  continuing 
through  May.  It  is  thought  that  both  sexes  assist  in  incubation.  The 
note  of  this  Owl  is  rasping,  reminding  one  somewhat  of  the  sound 
made  by  filing  a  cross-cut  saw.  From  this  it  derives  its  name.  Of  22 
stomachs  examined,  17  contained  mice;  1,  a  bird;  1,  an  insect,  and  3 
were  empty.  (Dr.  Fisher,  Bull.  No.  3,  Div.  0.  and  M.,  IT.  S.  Dept.  Agr., 
p.  162.)  Its  favorite  food  is  mice,  and  it  is  friendly  to  all  whom  the 
mice  despoil. 


Biiujs  OF  Indiana.  811 

86.    Genus  MEGASCOPS  Kaup. 

*151.     (373.)    Megascops  asio  (Linn.). 

Screech  Owl. 


Screech  Owl. 

"Toes  more  or  less  distinctly  feathered  or  bristled  on  upper  side; 
ear  tufts  conspicuous;  plumage  presenting  two  totally  distinct  phases, 
having  no  relationr  to  sex,  age  or  season,  one  grayish,  the  other  bright 
rufous;  a  more  or  less  conspicuous  bright  colored  stripe  runs  along 
each  side  of  the  back  and  a  blackish  line  along  the  shafts  of  the 
feathers,  sometimes  throwing  out  transverse  bars. 

"Length,  6.50-10.00;  wing,  5.60-7.10;  tail,  3.00-3.70.^^   (Fisher). 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Texas  and  Georgia  to  Lake 
Superior  and  New  Brunswick,  west  to  South  Dakota  and  Kansas. 
Generally  resident  throughout  its  range. 

Nesty  in  hollow  trees  or  in  old  buildings.  Eggs,  4-7;  white;  1.42  by 
1.19. 

Resident;  abundant;  breeds.  Everywhere  the  little  Screech  Owl  is 
a  well-known  bird.  Sometimes  it  is  seen  in  gray  plumage,  but  at  this 
time  in  Indiana  it  is  more  often  seen  in  the  red  phase.  People  for- 
merly thought  each  color  reprcvsented  a  different  bird  and  that  we  had 


812  Uki'oim"  of  State  (Ieoj.ogist. 

two  kinds  oi*  Screech  OwJs,  one  red,  the  other  gray.  Tlie  fact  is,  the 
color  is  indei^endent  of  age,  sex  or  season.  This  double-color  phase  is 
called  dichromatism. 

In  Indiana,  in  the  Wabash  N^alley,  95  per  cent,  of  the  Screech  Owls 
have  been  found  to  be  red  (Eidgway).  From  the  Miami  Valley  of  Ohio 
and  the  Whitewater  in  Indiana  about  60  per  cent,  were  found  to  be 
red  (Langdon,  Jour.  Gin.  Soc.  N.  H.,  April,  1882,  pp.  52-3).  In  the 
winter  of  1886-7,  in  Franklin  County,  Indiana,  red  Screech  Owls  were 
abundant  and  gray  ones  exceedingly  rare.  Up  to  1882  almost  all 
seen  were  gray,  and  prior  to  1886  red  Screech  Owls  w^ere  rare.  At 
Terre  Haute  a^id  at  Bloomington,  Carroll  County,  red  is  the  prevailing 
phase.  But  it  had  not  always  been  so.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  in  1890 
said:  "In  1877-'79  we  got  a  good  many  Screech  Owls  at  Camden,  per- 
haps twenty  all  told,  and  I  think  there  were  only  four  or  five  red  ones. 
Since  1885  I  have  seen  four  or  five  at  Burlington,  all  red.  In 
Wabash  County  both  the  red  and  gray  phases  are  abundant.  Since 
1886,  at  Terre  Haute,  I  have  seen  perhaps  fifteen  or  twenty,  and  only 
three  or  four  of  them  were  gray.  In  1891  Miss  Bessie  0.  Gushing 
(Ridgely)  secured  three  red  Screech  Owls  at  Peru.^'  In  Lake  County, 
in  1886,  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  said  the  gray  form  predominated.  Mr.  E.  M. 
Hasbrouk  has  given  us  the  result  of  his  studies  of  this  problem  (Amer- 
ican Naturalist,  Vol.  XXXII,  p.  521,  etc.,  1893),  from  which  I  make  a 
few  notes: 

There  are  places  wliere  only  the  gray  is  known.  There  is  at  least 
one  place,  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  River 
southward  to  Louisiana,  where  only  the  red  form  prevails,  while  be- 
tween the  two  areas  are  found  both  red  and  gray.  The  State  of  In- 
diana is  in  this  belt,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  is  in  that  portion  where 
the  red  form  predominates.  All  records  show  that  the  offspring  of  a 
pair  of  gray  birds  are  invariably  gray.  On  the  contrary,  the  young  of 
a  pair  of  red  birds,  or  a  pair  of  which  one  is  of  each  color,  red  and 
gray,  may  be  part  of  one  color  and  part  of  the  other. 

To  the  mind  of  the  author  all  this  presents  a  nice  little  study  in 
evolution,  in  which  he  has  discovered  humidity,  temperature,  acquired 
characters  and  forest  area  are  important  factors.  Mr.  Ridgway  had 
previously  suggested  humidity  as  one  cause.  (Proc,  U.  S.  N'at.  Mus., 
1878,  p.  108). 

Mr.  John  Wright,  a  relative,  living  in  Bartholomew  County,  told 
me  in  the  summer  of  1897  of  some  Owls  that  lived  in  or  near  a  bridge 
in  that  county  that  attacked  a  number  of  persons  who  attempted  to 
cross  the  bridge  after  night.  They  had  attacked  him.  They  were 
small  Owls,  ho  said,  niuT  ho  thought  they  were  this  species. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  813 

They  iiest  in  cavities  in  trees,  an  old  apple  tree  in  an  orchard  being 
a  favorite '  place,  in  old  squirrel  nests  and  old  buildings.  Eggs  are 
laid  in  May  or  early  June.  Incubation  is  thought  to  last  about  three 
weeks,  beginning  with  the  time  the  first  one  is  laid.  Eggs  are  deposited 
every  two  or  three  days. 

These  owls  are  much  more  numerous  about  our  towns  than  they  were 
formerly.  English  Spaxrows  have  become  numerous,  and  the  Screech 
Owls  have  found  them  to  be  good  eating  and  easily  obtained.  They 
keep  the  number  of  Sparrows  down.  In  fact,  the  Sparrows  are  not 
nearly  so  common  now  as  they  were  a  few  years  ago.  The  owls  are 
quite  nocturnal,  sitting  through  the  day  with  eyes  closed,  and  by  ap- 
proaching carefully,  they  may  often  be  taken  by  hand.  March  26, 
1887,  I  caught  one  alive  on  his  perch  on  the  lower  limb  of  a  small 
beech  tree.  The  perch  had  long  been  occupied,  for  there  was  a  great 
quantity  of  ejected,  material  below  the  place  where  it  sat.  Amongst 
the  refuse  I  identified  the  skull  of  the  following:  Mice,  Synaptomys 
cooper i,  Arvicola  riparius,  Calomys  americanus;  fragments  of  beetles, 
cicadse  and  crawfish.  Its  stomach  contained  the  remains  of  a  shrew. 
A  specimen  sent  me  by  Mr.  E.  L.  Guthrie,  Adams,  Ind.,  contained  3 
crawfish  and  one  minnow.  There  is  no  other  record  of  this  Owl  eat- 
ing fish.  A  specimen  taken  at  Brookville,  December  31,  1887,  had 
eaten  a  quantity  of  butter.  Of  255  stomachs  reported  upon  from  the 
["nited  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1  contained  poultry;  38, 
other  birds;  91,  mice;  11,  other  mammals;  2,  lizards;  4,  batrachians;  1, 
fish;  100,  insects;  5,  spiders;  9,  crawfish;  7,  miscellaneous;  2,  scorpions; 
2,  earthworms;  and  43  were  empty  (Bull.  No.  3,  Div.  0.  &  M.,  U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  p.  173).  Birds  were  found  in  about  15  per  cent.,  fully  one- 
third  of  which  were  English  Sparrows. 

Throughout  the  warmer  parts  of  the  year  insects  form  quite  a  large 
part  of  its  food.  "As  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  OwFs  food  consists 
of  injurious  mammals  and  insects,  and  only  about  one-seventh  of 
birds  (a  large  portion  of  which  are  destructive  English  Sparrows), 
there  is  no  question  that  this  little  owl  should  be  carefully  protected" 
(Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  Year  Book  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  1894,  p.  226). 

86.    Genus  BUBO  Dumbiil. 

152.    (375).    Bubo  virginianus  (Gmbl.). 

Great  Horned  Owl. 

Large  and  heavy.  Ear  tufts  very  conspicuous.  Plumage,  irregu- 
larly varied  with  buffy,  tawny,  whitish,  and  dusky,  one  or  other  of 
the  colors  predominating  in  the  different  races.    The  buffy  and  tawny 


814 


Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


tints  are  most  marked  in  the  typical  bird,  the  dusky  in  the  dusky 
Homed  Owl,  and  white  in  the  Arctic  hird. 

Length,  18.00-25.00;  wing,  14.50-16.00;  tail,  8.25-9.00.    (Fisher). 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Costa  Eica  to  southern 
Labrador  and  eastern  Manitoba.  Winters  to  central  Texas  and  middle 
Kansas.    Eesident  throughout  most  of  its  range. 


Great  Horned  Owl. 
(Fisher.— Year  Book  United  States^epartment  of  Agriculture,  1894,  p.  228.) 

Nest,  usually  in  hollow  tree,  or  deserted  nest  of  other  large  bird. 
Eggs,  1-5,  usually  2  or  3;  white;  2.12  %  1.81. 

Common  resident.  Breeds.  In  southeastern  Indiana  this  is  the 
most  common  large  Owl.  In  some  other  portions  of  the  State  it  is  not 
so  numerous  as  the  Barred  Owl,  but  everywhere  it  is  common.  Fre- 
quents mostly  deep  woods.  It  is  commonly  called  "Cat  Owl"  or  the  "Big 
Long-eared  Owl,"  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Long-eared  Owl  (Asio 


BiHDS  OF  Indiana.  815 

wilsonianus),  which  is  termed  "Little  Long-eared  Owl."  This  Owl  is 
nocturnal  in  its  habits.  Occasionally  it  is  seen  abroad  on  a  cloudy 
day.  Then  it  becomes  the  target  for  the  attacks  of  Crows,  Kingbirds 
and  other  birds.  The  excited  cawing  of  a  lot  of  Crows  on  such  a  day 
often  indicates  that  an  Owl  is  abroad. 

Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman  says:  "Its  usual  call  is  a  loud,  deep-toned 
Whoo,  hoo-hoo-hoo,  whooo,  whooo.  The  syllables  are  all  on  the  same 
note,  and  bear  some  resemblance  to  a  bass-voiced  dog  barking  in  the 
distance.  A  much  rarer  call  is  a  loud,  piercing  scream,  one  of  the 
most  blood-curdling  sounds  I  have  ever  heard  in  the  woods."  (Birds 
E.  N.  A.,  p.  220.) 

Mating  begins  in  January  and  continues  through  the  next  month. 
They  lay  their  eggs  in  the  nests  of  Hawks  and  Crows  and  in  hollow 
trees.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  records  one  instance  of  the  Great  Horned 
Owl  and  Eed-tailed  Hawk  occupying  the  same  nest  at  different  times. 
This  had  been  kept  up  for  years,  the  former  using  it  in  February,  the 
latter  in  April  (Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  83).  They  usually  lay  their  eggs  in 
February,  sometimes  by  the  first  of  the  month.  Major  Bendire  thinks 
about  three  days  elapse^ between  the  laying  of  each  egg,  and  that 
about  28  days  is  the  incubation  period.  The  female,  he  thinks,  per- 
forms that  duty.  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  has  raised  several,  and  says  he 
finds  it  impossible  to  tame  them.  He  took  young  Owls,  March  14, 
1890.  Mr.  Chas.  Barber  found  a  nest  near  Laporte,  March  11,  1892. 
March  26  he  first  examined  it;  then  it  contained  two  young,  covered 
with  white  down.  Before  the  young  was  piled  parts  of  two  rabbits, 
two  rats  and  two  mice;  all  quite  fresh.  The  Crows  had  been  con- 
st^.ntly  and  persistently  bothering  the  old  ones.  April  9,  one  died; 
April  11,  the  white  downy  covering  nearly  all  had  disappeared.  Bill, 
cere,  and  toenails,  black;  wing-quills,  2 J  inches  long,  with  tuft  of 
feathers  at  end;  feathers,  variegated,  yellow  and  black.  From  the  first, 
seemed  afraid  of  him.  Occasionally  pairs  may.  be  found  breeding  most 
any  time  in  summer  as  late  as  October.  Mr.  F.  M.  Noe  had  a  half- 
grown  Owl  brought  to  him  at  Indianapolis,  December  1,  1891. 

This  large  Owl  destroys  more  poultry  and  game  than  any  other  of 
our  Owls.  This  may  be  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  individuals  seem 
to  have  a  great  preference  for  this"  kind  of  food'  and  become  unusually 
destructive.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  informs  me  that  he  lost  59  young 
Guineas  one  fall  by  them.  To  balance  this,  sometimes  they  seem  de- 
termined to  live  upon  rats.  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  records  that  the  remains 
of  113  N'orway  rats,  most  of  them  with  the  heads  split  open  and  the 
brains  removed,  were  found  in  and  about  a  nest  of  these  Owls,  which 


;#■ 


^'iSbL  — 


816  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

was  in  a  sycamore  stub  near  a  farmer's  barn  (Joiirn.  Cin.  Soc.  N.  H., 
April,  1885,  p.  66). 

Rabbits  are  the  principal  mammals  eaten,  though  they  are  great 
destroyers  of  mice.    They  also  eat  muskrats,  opossums  and  skunks. 

The  summary  of  127  stomachs  examined  shows  that  31  contained 
poultry  or  game  birds;  8,  other  birds;  13,  mice;  65,  other  mammals; 
1,  a  scorpion;  1,  fish;  10,  insects;  and  17  were  empty.  (Fisher,  Bull. 
No.  3,  Div.  0.  &  M.,  IT.  S.  Dept.  Agr.)  Undoubtedly  almost  all  the 
poultry  eaten  by  the  Great  Horned  Owl  is  taken  from  fences,  trees 
and  other  exposed  perches,  where  many  farmers  permit  their  fowls 
to  roost.  If  they  will  take  care  to  have  them  properly  housed,  the 
Owls  will  seldom  bother  them.  The  farmer  who  takes  proper  care 
of  his  poultry  has  no  charge  to  make  against  this  Owl.  To  all  such  it 
is  a  beneficial  bird.  To  the  fruit  growers,  by  reason  of  its  destruction 
of  rabbits  and  mice,  it  is  a  true  friend.  Let  it  be  protected  accord- 
ingly. 

87.    Gbnus  NYCTEA  Stbphehs. 

163.    (376).    Nyctea  nyctea  (Linn.). 

Snowy  Owl. 

^^Ear  tufts,  rudimentary;  plumage,  pure  white,  sometimes  almost 
unspotted,  but  usually  marked  more  or  less  with  transverse  spots  or 
bars  of  slaty-brown. 

"Length,  20.00-27.00;  wing,  15.50-18.75;  tail,  9.00-10.30."  (Fisher). 

Range. — Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North 
America  breeding  from  Labrador,  Hudson  Bay  and  north  Alaska, 
northward.  South,  in  winter,  to  Ohio  Valley;  casually  to  South  Caro- 
lina, Texas,  California  and  Bermudas. 

Nesty  a  few  feathers,  or  bits  of  moss,  in  a  depression  on  a  knoll. 
Eggs,  3-10;  white;  2.24  by  1.76. 

Winter  visitor,  of  irregular  oecurrence.  Most  every  winter  it  is  seen. 
Usually  it  is  rare,  but  occasionally  it  appears  in  some  numbers.  In 
the  northern  part  of  the  State  it  is  seen  more  often  than  elsewhere. 
There  are  but  few  records  from  the  Whitewater  Valley.  A  specimen 
taken  in  Franklin  County,  in  December,  1879,  is  in  the  collection  of 
Mr.  E.  R.  Quick,  of  Brookville.  The  winter  of  1886-7  one  was  seen  north 
of  Brookville,  and  one  was  taken  at  Cedar  Grove,  December,  1893. 
In  Fayette  County  one  was  taken,  February  18,  1887  (Rehme),  and  in 
Wayne  County  one  was  reported  during  the  holidays,  1887 .  (F.  M. 
Smith).  The  winter  of  1885-6  several  were  reported  from  different 
parts  of  the  State,  and  in  the  winter  of  1886-7  they  were  still  more  nu- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  817 

nieroiis  and  were  generally  distributed.  They  were  again  observed 
over  the  northern  part  of  the  State  in  1889-90.  The  earliest  appear- 
ances are  early  in  November,  and  most  of  them  are  generally  seen  in 
that  month  and  December.  Usually  they  are  gone  in  February, 
though  one  was  reported  from  Valparaiso,  March  31,  1887  (Trouslot); 
and  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me  of  one  observed  "about  May,"  1870, 
in  Lake  County.  Besides  a  lot  of  general  records,  I  may  mention  the 
following,  from  the  counties  named:     Carroll,  1865  (Evermann);  La- 


Snowy  Owl. 

porte,  Michigan  City,  December  21,  1883  (Miss  Colfax);  Lawrence, 
near  Bedford,  1887  (Chansler);  Chicago,  111.,  two,  November  3,  1885 
(Parker);  Porter,  two,  winter  of  1885-6;  one  prior  to  that  (Trouslot); 
1st  of  November,  1887  (Byrkit);  Decatur  (Guthrie);  2  taken,  several 
others  seen,  winter  of  1886-7  (Shannon);  Putnam,  1888  (Clearwaters) ; 
Vigo,  November  20,  1889;  Olivet,  Mich.,  December  2,  1889,  near 
White  Pigeon,  Mich.,  1889  (Evermann);  Allen,  one,  winter  of  1889-90 
(Stockbridge);  Tippecanoe,  February  20,  1891  (Moffitt);  Wabash,  near 
Roann,  one,  probably  winter  of  1891-2,  one,  near  North  Manchester, 
winter  1893,  and  one  in  1894  (Ulrey  and  Wallace);  Marion,  near 
Southport,  November,  1894  (Noe);  one  also  taken  at  Sandusky,  0., 
November  26,  1896  (Moseley). 

Although  they  are  with  us  only  occasionally,  their  visits  are  bene- 

52— Geol. 


818  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

iicial.  Their  chief  food,  with  us,  is  meadow  mice;  in  the  Arctic  re- 
gions these  mice  and  lemmings  principally  supply  its  wants.  Mr. 
L.  M.  Turner,  in  his  "Notes  on  the  Birds  of  Labrador  and  Ungava," 
says:  "It  never  seizes  its  prey  except  while  the  latter  is  in  motion, 
except  in  the  case,  probably,  of  fish."  The  examinations  of  stomachs 
conducted  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  show,  of 
38  stomachs  of  the  Snowy  Owl  examined,  2  contained  game  birds;  9, 
other  birds;  18,  mice;  2,  other  mammals;  and  12  were  empty.  (Fisher, 
Bull.  No.  3,  Div.  0.  &  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  187.) 

The  beauty  of  the  plumage  of  this  useful  bird  marks  it  for  slaugh- 
ter. It  flys  by  day,  and  is,  therefore,  very  conspicuous.  Few,  if  any, 
of  those  that  visit  the  United  States  live  to  return.  The  winter  of 
1876-7,  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  estimates  as  many  as  500  were  killed  in 
New  England. 

Audubon  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  fishing  habits  of  this 
Owl,  as  observed  by  him  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  (Orn.  Biog.,  Vol.  II, 
p.  136). 


88.    (iKVLvs  SUKMA   Dn.MKRii,. 

154.     (377a).    Sumia  ulula  caparoch  (Mull.). 

American  Hawk  Owl. 

"No  ear  tufts;  tail  rounded  at  tips,  and  indistinctly  barred  with 
white.  Top  of  head  and  back  of  neck,  spotted  with  white  and  black, 
or  dark  brown ;  a  patch  of  uniform  blackish  or  dark  brown  on  each  side 
of  hind  neck;  upper  parts,  brown,  more  or  less  spotted  with  white; 
lower  parts,  regularly  barred  with  brown. 

"Length,  14.75-17.50;  wing,  7.50-9.00;  tail,  6.80-7.00."    (Fisher). 

Range. — Northern  North  America.  Breeds  from  Newfoundland 
and  Manitoba,  northward.  South,  in  winter,  irregularly,  to  northern 
United  States;  Massachusetts,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Minnesota,  Da- 
kota and  Montana. 

Nest,  in  natural  cavity,  in  tree  or  among  limbs  of  bushy  conifers. 
Eggs,  3-7;  white;  1.51  by  1.23. 

Accidental  visitor.  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  identified  it  in  Franklin 
County,  in  January,  1878. 

This  Owl  is  diurnal  in  its  habits.  It  hunts  by  day,  generally  in  the 
morning,  or  in  evening.  It  nests  from  Newfoundland  noi-thward  to 
the  Arctic  regions,  wherever  timber  is  found.  Nelson  says:  "This 
is  perhaps  the  most  abundant  resident  bird  of  prey  throughout  the  en- 
tire wooded  part  of  northern  Alaska.''  (N.  H.  Coll.  in  Alaska,  p.  155.) 
The  Hawk  Owl  has  been  taken  in  the  lower  peninsula  of  Michigan,  the 


Birds  of  Indiana.  819 

last  being  in  1891  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  84).  It  has  been  noted  in 
Ohio  (Wheaton,  Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  414),  and  one  record  is  known  from 
Illinois.  It  was  taken  in  Kane  County  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Velie  the  1st 
of  September,  1869  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIII,  1876,  p.  117).  This 
Owl  is  classed  among  those  that  are  principally  beneficial.  Incuba- 
tion begins  as  soon  as  the  first  egg  is  deposited,  and  both  sexes  share 
in  the  work  (Bendire*). 


K.     Okder  PSITTACI.     Parrots,  Macaws, 
Paroquets,  Etc. 

XXIX.     Family  PSITTACID^.     Parrots  and  Paroquets. 

a^  Middle  tail  feathers  longest.  Conurus.     89 

89.    Genus  CONURUS  Kuhl. 

'155.     (382).    Conurus  carolinensis  (Linn.). 

Carolina  Paroquet. 

Adult. — Rich  grass-green,  varying  to  emerald  in  some  lights,  the 
lower  parts  lighter  and  more  yellowish-green  than  the  upper;  tertials, 
tips  of  greater  coverts,  and  basal  portion  of  primaries,  greenish-yellow; 
primaries,  dark  blue  at  tips;  forehead,  lores  and  cheeks,  rich  orange-red, 
or  orange-crome;  rest  of  head,  with  upper  part  of  neck,  pure  gamboge- 
yellow;  edge  of  wing,  tinged  with  orange;  bill,  creamy- white;  eyelids, 
whitish;  iris,  blackish-brown;  feet,  whitish.  Immature. — Similar,  but 
no  yellow  on  head  or  neck,  which  are  green;  the  forehead  only,  or  the 
forehead  and  lores,  dull  orange-red. 

Length,  11.35-14.00;  wing,  7.00-7.60;  tail,  6.40-7.10. 

Eange. — Formerly  eastern  United  States,  from  Florida  and  Gulf 
coast  north  to  Denver,  Col.,  northern  Nebraska,  Iowa,  northern  Illi- 
nois, southern  Michigan,  to  Albany,  N.  Y.  Now,  probably  only  found 
locally  in  Florida  and  perhaps  Indian  Territory.  Said  to  breed  in 
cavities,  in  trees,  and  also  to  build  nests  among  the  branches. 

JEggs,  2;  white;  1.39  by  1.07. 

Formerly  resident;  found  throughout  the  State;  now  extinct.  Bred 
at  least  north  to  the  vicinity  of  Indianapolis. 

This  beautiful  little  Parrot  is  now  almost  extinct.  It  will  soon  be 
entirely  exterminated.  At  present  it  is  probably  to  be  found  in  small 
numbers  in  Florida  and  in  a  few  favorable  localities  from  there  to 
northeastern  Texas  and  Indian  Territory. 


820  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

Less  than  a  century  ago  they  reached  north  into  Micliigan,  thence 
east  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  west  into  Colorado.  In  1806  they  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Manimee  (Maumee)  in  Ohio  (Audubon)  and  prob- 
ably the  northern  line  of  this  State.  R.  Kennicott  took  specimens  in 
the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  and  Dr.  H.  M.  Bannister  saw  it  there  (Nel- 
son). They  were  seen  at  Madisonville,  near  Cincinnati,  0.,  as  late  as 
1840  (Langdon).  Audubon  says,  in  1842,  few  were  to  be  found  higher 
than  Cincinnati. 

In  the  Whitewater  Valley,  in  1835,  they  were  last  reported  from 
Brookville,  Ind.  They  were  common  in  Switzerland  County  in  1838-9 
and  were  last  noted  in  Clarke  County  in  1844.  From  the  other  coun- 
ties named  the  last  record  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  is  as  follows: 
Vermillion,  1844;  Parke,  1842;  Marion,  1835;  Monroe,  1836;  Morgan, 
1838-40;  Owen,  1845;  Greene,  1849;  Martin,  1845;  Knox  and  Daviess, 
1857-8;  Posey,  1858;  and  the  latest  date  is  Knox  County,  1859. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  they  disappeared  from  all  of  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
except  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  by  about  1840.  Their  range  con- 
tinued to  diminish;  it  is  still  growing  less.  There  are  persons  now 
living  from  80  to  90  years  of  age  in  this  State  who  can  remember  when 
they  were  to  be  found  in  great  numbers  over  more  than  one-half  of 
the  southern  part  of  Indiana.  It  will  not  be-  surprising  if  they  should 
live  to  hear  that  the  Paroquets  are  extinct. 

They  preferred  the  valleys  of  streams  and  the  vicinity  of  ponds. 
There  they  were  found  in  flocks  ranging  from  six  to  a  hundred  or 
more.  In  such  places  grew,  in  quantities,-  their  favorite  food,  the 
"cockle-burr"  or  "cuckle-burr'^  (Xanthium  canadense  Mull.).  For 
these  it  is  said  they  would  leave  any  other  food.  Sometimes  they 
would  gather — numbers  of  them — upon  a  stump  and  shell  out  the 
kernel,  leaving  instead  a  pile  of  empty  burrs.  Wherever  they  were 
found,  the  universal  testimony  is,  they  preferably  ate  this  food. 
Next  to  cockle-burrs  they  preferred  hackberries. 

In  spring  they  were  very  destructive  in  orchards,  eating  the  leaf- 
buds,  blossoms  and  young  fruit.  Early  apples  were  often  eaten.  In 
fall  they  fed  upon  apples,  grapes  and  grain.  They  also  ate  cherries, 
persimmons,  black-gum  berries,  haws,  beechnuts,  acorns,  and  pecans. 
One  authority  says  they  split  open  the  apples  and  ate  the  seeds,  dis- 
carding the  remainder  of  the  fruit.  Sometimes,  when  in  large  flocks, 
they  seemed  bent  upon  mischief.  Then  they  destroyed  an  entire  crop 
of  fruit.  After  eating  what  they  wanted  they  would  tear  the  apples 
off  the  tree,  and,  after  taking  a  bite,  throw  them  to  the  ground.  They 
also  tore  off  the  heads  of  wheat  and  threw  them  upon  the  ground. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  821 

It  is  always  diiiiciiit  i'or  those  who  have  not  soeu  a  paii  of  the 
changes  that  the  last  century  has  wrought  in  the  Ohio  Valley  and  Lake 
Region  to  comprehend  what  has  occurred.  The  Paroquets  were  found 
there  in  great  numbers.  Dr.  Rufus  Haymond,  who  wrote  the  first 
record  of  their  occurrence  in  the  interior  of  Indiana^,  in  1856,  said: 
"This  bird  was  formerly  very  numerous  along  the  Whitewater  River. 
Several  years  have  elapsed  since  any  of  them  have  been  seen."  Proc. 
Phil.  Acad.,  November,  1856,  p.  293.)  Wilson  found  them  in  1810, 
in  flocks,  near  Lawrenceburg,  and  in  great  numbers  at  the  Big  Bone 
Lick,  in  Kentucky,  but  a  few  miles  away.  When  my  father  was  a 
boy,  six  or  eight  years  old,  about  1816-18,  they  were  common  about 
Brookville.  They  were  quite  numerous  in  Morgan  County  in  1835-40. 
Prof.  E.  T.  Cox  informs  me  that  they  were  as  numerous  about  New 
Harmony  in  1826  as  Blackbirds  (Quiscalus  quiscula  ceneus)  are  now. 
Several  others  have  given  the  same  estimate  of  their  numbers. 

Another  authority  says  they  alighted  upon  an  apple  tree  in  such 
numbers  as  to  almost  cover  it  over.  They  flew  in  two  lines  converging 
to  a  point,  in  form  resembling  the  figure  made  by  a  flock  of  Wild  Geese 
(B.  canadensis).  While  on  the  wing  they  chatter  and  cry  continually. 
This  cry  sounds  like  qui,  with  rising  inflection  on  the  i.  This  is  re- 
peated several  times,  the  last  one  being  drawn  out  like  qui-i-i-i  (ISTehrl- 
ing,  N.  A.  B.,  XVI,  p.  439). 

The  older  people  all  claim  they  roosted  and  nested  in  cavities,  nat- 
ural or  otherwise,  in  trees.  Prof.  John  Collett  has  supplied  me  with 
the  following  note:  'T[n  1842,  Return  Richmond,  of  Lodi  (Parke 
County),  Ind.,  cut  down,  in  the  cold  weather  of  winter,  a  sycamore 
tree  .some  four  feet  in  diameter.  In  its  hollow.^trunk  he  found  hun-- 
dreds  of  Parakeets  in  a  quiescent  of  semi-torpid  condition.  The 
weather  was  too  cold  for  the  birds  to  fly  or  even  to  make  any  exertion 
to  escape.  Mr.  Richmond  cut  off  with  his  saw  a  section  of  the  hollow 
trunk  some  five  feet  long,  cut  out  a  doorway  one  foot  by  two  in  size, 
nailed  over  it  a  wire  screen  of  his  fanning  mill,  rolled  this  cumbersome 
cage  into  the  house  and  placed  in  it  a  dozen  of  the  birds.  They  soon 
began  to  enjoy  the  feed  of  fruit,  huckleberries  and  nuts  he  gave  them, 
and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  settling  absolutely  the  disputed  question 
of  how  they  slept.  At  night  they  never  rested  on  a  perch,  but  sus- 
pended themselves  by  their  beaks,  and  with  their  feet  on  the  side  of 
their  cage.  This  was  repeated  night  after  night  during  their  cap- 
tivity." 

Mr.  W.  B.  Seward,  of  Bloomington,  informs  me  of  obtaining  some 
five,  he  thinks,  young  Paroquets  from  a  farmer's  boy  in  Owen  County, 
in  1845.    His  impression  is  they  were  taken  from  the  inside  of  a  hoi- 


822  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

low  tree,  on  the  borders  of  White  River.  This  is  the  farthest  north 
we  have  any  account  of  their  nesting. 

Audubon,  Wilson  and  others  say  they  nested  in  hollow  trees.  In 
1889,  while  making  explorations  in  Florida,  Mr.  William  Brewster 
made  every  inquiry  he  could  concerning  the  breeding  habits  of  these 
birds.  There  he  was  informed  they  built  nests  like  those  of  a  Carolina 
Dove,  in  the  forks  of  small  cypress  trees.  It  is  possible  that  both  kinds 
of  sites  were  selected.  The  number  of  eggs  is  unknown,  but  has  been 
given  as  from  two  to  ^Ye. 

They  are  easily  tamed  and  make  interesting  pets.  In  their  wild 
state  they  are  very  affectionate.  It  is  said  when  one  of  a  flock  was 
wounded  the  others  gathered  about,  regardless  of  danger,  and  made 
every  effort  to  render  the  cripple  assistance. 

The  following  papers  treat  of  this  subject  more  extensively  and  are 
referred  to  for  the  benefit  of  any  who  care  to  investigate  it  further: 
The  Carolina  Paroquet  (Conurus  carolinensis),  by  Edwin  M.  Has- 
brouck  (The  Auk,  Vol.  VIII,  October,  1891,  pp.  369-379).  Notes  on 
the  Range  and  Habits  of  the  Carolina  Parakeet,  by  Amos  W.  Butler 
(Ibid,  Vol.  IX,  January,  1892,  pp.  49-56). 

L.     Order  COCCYGES.     Cuckoos,  Etc. 

Suborder  CUCJJLI.    Cuckoos,  Etc. 

XXX.     Family  CUCULID^.     Cuckcoos,  Anis,  Etc. 

Subfamily  COCCYGINJE.    American  Cuckoos. 

a^.  Tail  feathers  10;  bill  gently  curved  downwards;  colors  of  plumage  soft  and 
blended;  wing  less  than  6.00;  tail  less  than  8.00.  CoCcyzus.     90 

SO.    Genus  COCCYZUS  Vikillot. 
a^.  Tail  feathers  except  middle  pair  black  with  white  tips;  lower  mandible  yellow, 

C.  americanus  (Linn.).     156 

a^.  Tail  feathers  grayish  brown,  with  narrow  tips  of  dull  whitish;  lower  mandible 

not  yellow.  C.  erythrophtlialmus  (Wils.).     157 

"^166.     (B87).    Coccyzus  americanus  (Linn.). 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo. 
Synonyms  Eain  Crow,  Cow-Cow. 

Bill,  extensively  yellow  below,  except  tip;  above,  glossy  black;  cen- 
tral tail  feathers,  like  the  back;  above,  uniform  satiny  olive-gray,  with 
bronzy  reflections;  below,  pure  white;  wings,  extensively,  rufous  on 
inner  webs  of  the  quills,  the  rest  black,  with  large  white  tips,  the 
outermost  usuallv  edged  with  white. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  823 

Length,  11.90-12.70;  wing,  5.40-5.80;  tail,  6.00-6.15. 

Ranoe. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Costa  Eica  and  West  Indies 
northward  to  New  Brunswick,  southern  Ontario,  and  Minnesota. 
Breeds  from  Florida  and  east  Texas  northward.  Winters  south  of 
United  States. 

Nest,  a  mere  platform  of  twigs,  in  bushes  or  in  trees,  4  to  20  feet  up. 
Eggs,  2-5,  rarely  6  or  7;  light  greenish-blue;  1.21  by  .88. 


Yellow-billed  Cuckoo. 
(Beal.— Farmers'  Bulletin  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.) 

Common  summer  resident;. less  numerous  northward.  Arrives  usu- 
ally early  in  May.  Southern  Indiana  spring  aiTivals  show  as  dates 
first  observed:  April  23,  1887,  May  9,  1893  (Greensburg);  April  30, 
1895  (Bicknell,  Knox  County);  May  3,  1888  (Vincennes);  April  29, 
1894,  May  3,  1893  (Spearsville,  Brown  County).  Northern  Indiana: 
Lafayette,  May  8,  1897;  Dekalb  County,  Sedan,  May  11,  1894,  May  6, 
1895;  Waterloo,  May  3,  1896,  May  6,  1897;  Laporte,  May  15,  1894, 
May  10,  1895,  May  6,  1896.  The  following  fall  records  indicate  when 
the  last  bird  was  seen.  In  1889  the  last  one  remained  at  Sedan  until 
October  13,  and  in  1894  the  last  one  was  noted  at  Plymouth,  Mich., 
September  3.  In  1896  the  last  one  was  noted  at  Lafayette,  October 
13.  In  1895  the  last  one  was  seen  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  22; 
at  Lafayette,  September  9;  at  Bicknell,  Ind.,  October  14.  The  earliest 
date  at  which  it  left  Brookville  was  September  6,  1886,  and  the  latest, 
October  10,  1884.  The  last  seen  in  Warren  County,  in  1897,  was 
September  20.     On  September  17  old  birds  were  seen  feeding  their 


8^4  Eepokt  of  S'J'ate  Geologist. 

young.  They  begin  to  leave  early  in  xVugust.  August  16,  1897,  at 
9:15  p.  ni.,  Mr.  Bamett  heard  one  in  Vermillion  County  flying  south. 
They  sometimes  are  pairing  when  they  arrive;  again  they  mate  soon 
after  arrival.  They  are  very  numerous  in  May,  in  southern  Indiana — 
one  who  has  not  observed  them  does  not  know  how  plentiful  they  are. 
Then  they  frequent  orchards,  lawns,  and  woods.  Both  species  are 
called  Eain  Crow,  Cow-Cow,  and  Wood  Pigeon.  . 

I  have  seen  them  mating  May  8  (1886),  and  as  late  as  June  10 
(1893).  I  have  found  their  nest  and  eggs  by  May  20.  Prof.  B.  W. 
Evermann  found  a  nest,  with  fresh  eggs,  June  30,  1885.  They  build 
their  nests  in  thick  bushes,  on  ends  of  low  limbs  of  trees,  especially  of 
beech,  and  wild  grape  vines,  from  5  to  15  feet  high.  The  usual  nest 
is  a  mere  pretense,  a  flimsy  structure  of  a  few  sticks,  with  a  few  blos- 
soms, generally  of  the  oak,  with  us,  upon  which  to  lay  the  eggs.  Occa- 
sionally a  very  sul)stantial  nest  is  built — one  such  was  found  at  Bloom- 
ington,  Ind.,  by  my  friend,  Mr.  0.  M.  Meyncke.  Often  eggs  are  found 
upon  the  ground,  beneath  the  nest;  either  the  bird  flirts  them  out  as 
she  leaves  the  nest  or  they  are  thrown  out  as  the  limb  or  bush  is 
swayed  by  the  wind.  Incubation  begins  when  the  first  egg  is  laid. 
Young  birds  and  eggs  in  various  stages  of  incubation,  some  almost 
fresh,  are  often  found  together.  This  and  tlie  next  species  occasionally 
lay  in  each  other's  nests,  also  in  the  nests  of  other  birds.  They,  how- 
ever, do  not  do  this  habitually,  as  the  European  Cuckoo  does. 

Its  common  call,  that  may  be  heard  throughout  its  stay,  is  Cook- 
cook-cook-coolc ;  another  call  is.  Cow-cow-cow-cow ;  another  is,  Oclc- 
ock-och-och,  sometimes  changed  into  Ke-ock,  Tce-och,  he-och,  Ice-ocTc. 

Few  birds  are  of  so  much  service  to  the  farmer.  Especially  are  the 
fruit  growers  and  nurserymen  its  debtors.  In  early  spring,  they  love 
the  orchard.  I  have  known  them  to  destroy  every  tent  cgcterpillar 
(Clisiocampa  americana)  in  a  badly  infested  orchard,  and  tear  up  all 
the  nests  in  a  half  day.  While  they  may  have  eaten  some  caterpillars, 
out  of  most  of  them  the  Juices  were  squeezed  and  the  hairy  skin 
dropped  to  the  ground.  Almost  every  watchful  fruit  grower  has  had 
a  similar  experience.  Prof.  F.  11.  King  found,  upon  examination, 
that  one  had  eaten  nine  larvae  of  a  species  that  destroys- the  foliage 
of  l)lack  walnut  trees.  They  also  eat  many  canker-worms.  Of  nine 
specimens  dissected  by  Dr.  ]^.  H.  Warren,  all  but  one  had  eaten  in- 
sects, chiefly  taken  from  shade  and  forest  trees;  these  were  beetles 
and  caterpillars,  besides  one  had  eaten  grasshoppers  and  snails 
(Helix),  and  one  had  eaten  berries.  While  they  occasionally  eat 
some  of  the  smaller  fruit,  their  work  all  summer  long  is  to  protect  the 
fruit  tree  from  its  enemies.     Although  it  has  been  accused  of  robbing 


Birds  of  Indiana.  835 

tilt'  jR'sis  ol'  oiluT  birds,  and  eatiiio-  tlieir  c^gs,  1  do  not   ln'Jicvc  tlie 
charge  has  been  sustained. 

The  results  of  the  examinations  of  21  stomaclis  of  these  birds  showed 
that  the  contents  consisted  of  355  caterpillars,  18  beetles,  23  grass- 
hoppers, 31  sawflies,  14  bugs,  6  flies  and  12  spiders;  one  stomach 
contained  12'  American  tent  caterpillars;  another,  217  fall  web  worms. 
(Beal,  Farmers'  Bulletin,  Xo.  54,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  6). 

H67,    (388).    Coccyzus  erythrophthalmus  (Wils.). 

Black-billed  Cuckoo. 

Adult. — Bill,  black;  tail  like  the  back  and  tipped  with  white;  under 
surface  of  tail  feathers,  dull  white;  eyelids,  red.  Above,  uniform  olive 
gray,  with  bronzy  reflections;  below,  pure  white,  sometimes  with  faint 
tawny  tinge  on  fore  parts;  wings,  with  little  or  no  rufous.  Imma- 
ture.— Eyelids,  yellow,  more  grayish  above. 

Length,  11.00-12.70;  wing,  5.12-5.65;  tail,  6.25-7.00. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil,  Amazon  Valley  to  Labrador,  Mani- 
toba and  east  Assiniboia.  West  to  Eocky  Mountains.'  Breeds  from 
about  latitude  35  degrees  north.    Winters  from  Florida  south. 

Nest,  similar  to  that  of  C.  americanus,  but  a  little  better  built. 
Eggs,  2-5,  rarely  6  or  7;  smaller  and  darker  green  than  those  of  last 
species;  1.11  by  .78. 

Summer  resident;  common  northward;  much  less  numerous  south- 
ward, except  during  migrations,  when  it  is  common.  It  is  common 
north  of  the  Wabash  River,  and,  perhaps,  locally  farther  south.  Fol- 
lowing 1884,  Prof.  Evermann  thought  this  species  became  more  com- 
mon than  the  last  in  Carroll  and  Monroe  Counties.  We  have  been 
accustomed  to  regard  this  species  as  a  later  migrant  than  the  last. 
Some  years  it  is,  others  they  come  together,  and  occasionally  it  is 
much  earlier.  I  took  it  at  Brookville,  April  26,  1892.  This  is  the 
only  record  of  its  arrival  in  April.  In  1893  I  did  not  get  it  until 
May  16.  In  southern  Indiana,  it  may  be  expected  between  those 
dates.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  the  following  will  give 
some  idea  of  the  date  of  its  first  arrival:  Lafayette,  May  7,  1897; 
Dekalb  County,  Sedan,  May  11,  1894,  May  6,  1895;  Waterloo,  May  3, 
1896,  May  14,  1897;  Laporte,  May  9,  1896. 

They  leave  in  August  and  September,  but  occasionally  one  may 
be  seen  well  through  October.  At  Chicago,  111.,  the  last  was  seen 
September  25,  1895,  October  24,  1885;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September 
20,  1894;  Bicknell,  Knox  County,  Ind.,  September  16,  1894;  Greens- 
burg,  September  26,  1896;  Warren  County,  September  23,  1897. 


826  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Their  mating,  nesting  and  other  habits  are  substantially  the  same 
as  the  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo.  They  build  insecure  nests,  and  lay 
irregularly.  A  nest  may  be  seen  with  a  fresh  egg,  one  ready  to  hatch, 
and  a  young  bird  well  fledged.  Nests  may  be  found  from  early  May 
well  through  the  summer.  A  set  of  eggs  in  the  collection  of  the 
United  States  Museum  was  taken  near  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  May  7,  1878 
(Bendire,  L.  H.,  N.  A.  Birds,  II.,  p.  29).  The  eggs  must  have  been 
laid  with  little  time  intervening.  Usually  considerable  interval 
elapses  between  the  laying  of  each  egg,  and  incubation  begins  soon 
after  the  first  one  is  laid.  Sometimes,  however,  an  egg  is  laid  each 
day.  Both  sexes  incubate.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  mentions  four  taken 
at  St.  Clair  Flats,  July  20,  1893  (Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  86).  Mr.  J.  F. 
Clearwaters  found  a  nest,  containing  two  fresh  eggs,  in  a  willow 
thicket,  near  Michigan  City,  August  13,  1891.  Some  years  most  of  the 
birds  have  left  at  that  date.  The  nest  of  the  Black-billed  Cuckoo  is, 
perhaps,  a  little  more  substantial  than  that  of  the  Yellow-billed.  Its 
eggs  are  smaller,  and  a  deeper  shade  of  green. 

Its  food  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  last  species.  Prof.  Forbes 
informs  us  that  75  per  cent,  of  the  food  of  some  he  examined  contained 
canker-worms  (Eept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc,  1891,  p.  204).  Prof.  F.  H.  King 
says  13  ate  13  hymenoptera,  68  caterpillars,  10  beetles,  26  orthoptera, 
and  2  harvestmen  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  Vol.  1,1883,  p.  568).  Prof.  Beal  notes 
that  16  taken  during  the  summer  months  ate  328  caterpillars,  11 
beetles,  15  grasshoppers,  63  sawflies,  3  stink  bugs,  and  4  spiders 
(Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  54,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  5).  Almost  entirely 
do  they  eat  injurious  insects,  and  their  work  is  distinctively  beneficial, 
because  they  eat  so  largely  of  those  hairy,  destructive  caterpillars  that 
other  birds  do  not  choose  for  food.  Its  common  note  is  a  soft  coo- 
coo-coo-coo.  In  addition,  it  has  other  notes,  resembling  those  of  the 
last  species. 

Suborder  ALCYONES.     Kingfishers. 

XXXI.     Family  ALCEDINID^.     Kingfishers. 

Characters  same  as  family.  Ceryl?:.     91 

91.    Genus  CERYLE  Boie. 

Subgenus  Streptocbryle  Bonaparte. 

*168.    (390).    Ceryle  alcyon  (Linn.). 

Belted  Kingfisher. 

Adult  Male. — Head  with  crest;  above,  bluish-gray,  with  a  white 
collar,  wings  marked  with  white.  Below,  white;  band  across  breast 
and     sides,    bluish-gray.      Adult    Female. — Sides    tinged    with    ru- 


Birds  of  Indiaj^a. 


827 


fous;  band  across  belly,  rufous.  Immature. — Similar  to  adult,  but 
band  across  breast  and  sides  tinged  with  rufous. 

Length,  13.50-14.50;  wing,  9.10-9.50;  tail,  3.80-4.30. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Panama  and  West  Indies  to  Arctic 
Ocean.  Breeds  from  Florida  and  Texas,  northward.  Winters  from 
Virginia,  southern  Indiana,  southern  Illinois  and  Kansas,  southward. 


Belted  Kingfisher. 

Nest,  a  burrow  in  a  steep  bank,  usually  near  water.  Eggs,  5-8;  pure 
white;  1.36  by  1.05. 

Resident  southward,  the  extent  and  number  depending  upon  the 
severity  of  the  winter,  and  the  number  of  open  streams;  common 
summer  resident  northward.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  they 
usually  depart  late  in  October  or  early  in  November,  and  return  in 


■  Syndactyle  foot  of  Kingfisher. 

March  and  early  April.  During  mild  winters,  they  doubtless  remain 
wherever  open  water  is  found.  Mr.  Jerome  Trombley  says  it  is  occa- 
sionally seen  in  mild  winters  in  Monroe  County,  Mich.  (Cook,  Birds 
of  Mich.,  p.  86),  but  in  1897  it  was  not  seen  until  April  18.  One  was 
reported  from  Dekalb  County,  February  15,  1888  (H.  W.  McBride). 
He  also  notes  it  first  seen  in  1889,  March  5.     In  1893,  it  was  first 


828  Eepoet  OF  State  Geologist. 

seen  in  Dekalb  Countj^,  Sedan,  April  5  (Mrs.  Hine).  At  Waterloo, 
in  1894,  March  18;  1896,  March  29  (Feagler). 

Those  living  away  from  water  courses  and  lakes  do  not  know  how 
numerous  Kingfishers  are,  and  sometimes  persons  living  along  streams 
think  them  more  common  than  they  are.  A  pair  cover  a  certain 
stretch  of  river,  having  certain  places  where  they  alight  and  watch 
for  fish.  They  are  very  busy,  and  their  loud  rattling  noise  often  gives 
the  impression  that  there  are  more  than  the  actual  number. 

I  have  seen  them  mating  at  Brookville  as  early  as  March  24  (1893), 
and  as  late  as  April  15  (1887).  In  April  they  excavate  a  hole  in  a 
precipitous  bank,  usually  of  a  water  course,  and  therein  deposit  their 
eggs.  Sometimes  by  May  10  a  full  set  is  laid.  Along  the  rivers  sub- 
ject to  high  waters,  many  of  these  birds  seem  to  have  learned  to  build 
in  other  higher  banks;  occasionally,  however,  one  builds  on  the  low 
river  banks,  and  is  drowned  out.  They  generally  breed  in  single 
pairs.  Some  places  they  are  found  in  colonies,  and  the  banks  are 
honeycombed  with  their  burrows.  Often  they  and  swallows  occupy 
the  same  bank,  even  sometimes  having  a  common  entrance  to  their 
burrows.  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  found,  near  Cincinnati,  0.,  May  22, 
1879,  in  the  same 'creek  bank,  the  burrows  of  a  Kingfisher  and  of  a 
Rough-winged  Swallow.  Each  was  occupied  by  the  owner.  Each  bur- 
row was  occupied, in  addition,  by  a  colony  of  Bumble  Bees,  all  dwelling 
in  perfect  harmony.  The  Kingfisher  was  sitting,  and  would  not  leave 
her  eggs  until  taken  by  the  bill  and  lifted  off  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  N.  H., 
Dec,  1881,  p.  338). 

The  Kingfisher  reminds  one  of  a  Woodpecker,  which  excavates  holes 
in  banks  instead  of  trees.  It  lives  principally  upon  fish,  although 
insects  are  sometimes  eaten.  The  bones,  scales  and  other  indigestible 
portions  of  its  food  are  ejected  in  pellets,  as  is  the  custom  with  Owls. 

M.     Order  PICI.    Woodpeckers,  Wrynecks,  Etc. 

XXXII.     Family  PICID^.     Woodpeckeks. 

a^  Toes  3.  Picoides. 

a2.  Toes  4. 

6^.  Head  with  a  conspicuous  crest;  size,  much  over  a  foot  long, 
c^ .  Bill  white.  CAMPEPHrLXJS.     92 

c2.  Bill  dark.  Ceophixeus.     95 

62.  Head  not  crested. 

d^.  Outer  hind-toe  longer  than  outer  front-toe. 

e^.  Upper  mandible  with  three  distinct  ridges,  one  in  the  middle,  one  on 
each  side ;  groove  from  nostrils  to  near  the  end  of  bill ;  plumage  not 
yellowish  below.  Dryobates.     93 


Birds  of  Ii^diana.  829 

e-.  Upper  mandible  with  one  middle  ridge;  grooves  from  nostril  running 
to  about  the  middle  of  cutting  edge  of  upper  mandible ;  plumage  with 
more  or  less  yellow  below.  Sphyrapicus.     94 

d^.  Outer  hind-toe  not  longer  than  outer  front-toe. 

f^.  Plumage  of  lower  parts  spotted  with  black ;  under  surface  of  quills 
and  tail  feathers  yellow  or  reddish ;  upper  mandible  without  distinct 
lateral  ridge  or  nasal  groove.  Colaptes.     97 

/■-'.  Plumage  of  lower  parts  without  spots;  under  surface  of  quills  and 
tail  feathers  without  yellow  or  red  ;  upper  mandible  with  a  distinct 
lateral  ridge  and  nasal  groove.  Melanekpes.     96 

92.    Gbnus  CAMPEPHILUS  Gray. 

169.     (392).    Campephilus  principalis  (Linn.). 

Ivory-billed  Woodpecker. 

Adult  Male. — Bill^  ivory-white.  Most  of  plumage,  glossy  black;  a 
conspictious  scarlet  crest;  white  feathers  covering  nostrils;  a  white 
stripe  Ijeginning  under  each  eye,  and  extending  down  the  sides  of 
neck,  and  meeting  on  the  back;  secondaries  and  end  of  shorter  pri- 
maries, white.    Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  with  black  crest. 

Length,  19.75-21.60;  wing,  9.00-10.00;  tail,  6.25-6.80. 

Eange. — Formerly  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  from  North 
Carolina  to  Texas,  north  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  Missouri,  south- 
em  Illinois,  and  southern  Indiana.  Now  restricted  to  the  Gulf  States 
and  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley,  where  only  locally  distributed  (A. 
0.  II.  Check  List). 

Nest,  an  excavation  in  a  dead  tree.  Eggs,  3-5;  glossy  white;  1.37 
by  .99.    (Bendire.) 

Formerly  resident,  locally,  in  the  southern  part  of  Indiana;  now 
extinct  within  our  limits.  It,  like  the  Carolina  Paroquet,  has  grad- 
ually retired  from  the  Ohio  Valley,  and  all  the  land  formerly  occupied 
by  it,  till  now  it  is  only  found  in  certain  localities  in  the  Gulf  States 
and  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley,  being,  perhaps,  most  numerous  in 
Florida.  It  frequents  the  heavily  wooded  lowlands  and  cypress 
swamps,  excavating  its  nests  in  the  large  dead  top  limbs  of  the  largest 
trees.  Dr.  R.  Raymond,  in  1869,  mentioned  it  as  a  former  resident 
of  Franklin  County,  where,  he  afterwards  told  me,  it  frequented  the 
swampy  woods  and  vicinity  of  the  beaver  ponds,  in  what  is  now  Bath 
and  Springfield  Townships.  From  the  late  Mr.  Louis  Bollman,  Prof. 
Evermann  learned  that  it  was  formerly  found  in  Monroe  County. 
Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  recalled  having  seen  it  in  White  County,  111., 
which  adjoins  Posey  County,  Ind.  Audubon  mentions  it  nesting  at 
Henderson,  Ky.,  and  speaks  of  it  occurring  in  Indiana.  Undoubtedly, 
too,  Wilson,  gainefl  his  knowledge  from  his  trip  down  the  Ohio  River, 


830  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

in  1810,  to  write  the  beautiful  tribute  to  it,  beginning,  "Majestic 
bird!  the  broad  Ohio  knows  its  presence  well/' 

Its  white  bill  has  given  it  the  local  name  of  "White-billed  Log- 
cock,"  or  "White-billed  Woodcock,"  to  distinguish  it  from  the  'Ti- 
leated  Woodpecker." 

There  have  been  reports  of  its  occurrence  in  this  State  in  recent 
years,  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  verify  them. 

(See  Hasbrouck,  The  Auk,  Vol.  YIII.,  1891,  pp.  174-186.  Also 
Maurice  Thompson,  "A  Red-headed  Family.") 

93.    Gbnus  DRYOBATES  Boie. 

a^.  Wing  4.25  or  more;  outer  tail  feathers  white.  D.  villosus  (Linn.).  160 
a^.  Wing  under  4.25;  outer  tail  feathers  barred  with  black. 

D.  pubescens  (Linn.).     161 

*160.     (393).    Dryobates  vHlosus  (Linn.). 

Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  black,  with  a  long  white  stripe  down  middle 
of  the  back;  sides  of  head,  with  white  stripes;  with  a  red  band 
across  the  back  of  head;  the  wing  coverts  and  quills  with  white  spots; 
below,  whitish;  outside  tail  feathers,  white;  others,  black,  or  black  and 
white.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  lacking  the  red  on  head.  Im- 
mature.— With  the  crown  more  or  less  red  or  yellow. 

Length,  8.50-9.00;  wing,  4.50-5.00;  tail,  3.10-3.60. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States  and  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States;  north  to  Nova  Scotia,  Quebec  and  Manitoba;  west  to  Montana, 
Wyoming,  Kansas  and  eastern  Texas.  Resident  throughout  most  of  its 
range. 

Nest,  an  excavation  in  dead  or  dying  tree.  Eggs,  3-5;  glossy  white; 
.93  by  .71. 

Common  resident;  more  numerous  southward  in  fall,  winter  and 
spring.  Breeds.  Not  as  numerous  as  the  next  species,  which  is 
smaller  and  more  sociable,  but  almost  its  exact  pattern  in  coloration. 
Sometimes  found  about  orchards  and  lawns,  and  other  rather  open 
places,  though  it  frequents  the  woodland,  where  it  generally  nests.  It 
is  especially  active  in  its  warfare  upon  insects.  Both  this  Woodpecker 
and  the  next  have  stiff,  pointed  tongues,  sharply  barbed  for  sticking 
and  extracting  insects;  they  are  also  supplied  with  a  sticky  secretion, 
which  assists  them  in  gathering  food.  They  live  largely  upon  the 
larvae  that  bore  in  the  wood  or  burrow  beneath  the  bark  of  trees,  and 
upon  ants.  One  instance  is  recorded  of  their  catching  and  storing 
Colorado  Potato  Beetles.     They  also  eat  the  fruits  of  dog-wood,  Vir- 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


831 


g'lnvd  creeper,  and  poison  ivy.  Prof.  Beal  informs  us  that  from  one- 
third  to  three-fourths  of  its  food  consists  of  insects  which  are  chiefly 
noxious. 


Hairy  Woodpecker. 
(Beal.— Bulletin  No.  7,  Division  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  United  States  Department 

of  Agriculture,  p.  14.) 


The  examinations  made  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture show  that  82  of  these  Woodpeckers  ate  68  per  cent,  of  animal 
matter,  31  per  cent,  vegetable,  and  1  per  cent,  mineral.  Of  the  animal 
food,  17  per  cent,  was  ants;  24,  beetles,  adult  and  larvae;  21,  cater- 
pillars; 2,  bugs  and  plant  lice;  4,  spiders  and  myriapods  (Bull.  No.  7, 
Div.  0.  and  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  11). 

It  mates  early,  and  usually  may  be  found  breeding  in  April,  in  the 
dead  tops  or  larger  limbs  of  forest  trees.  I  have  noticed  it  seems  to  pre- 
fer hard  maple.  One  brood  is  raised  in  a  season.  Both  birds  assist  in 
incubation,  which  lasts  about  two  weeks.     The  young  are  fed  by 


832  Report  of  State  Geoeogjst. 

rc!<;in'gi(ati<)u,  ;«s  arc  most  VVondpt'ckcis.  Mosl  j)e(>[)lc  cjui  distiiiguLsli 
it  by  its  larger  size.  To  sueli  it  is  eoniinouJy  known  as  "Big  Spotted 
Woodpecker/'  or  "Big  Sapsucker.'^  Against  this  latter  name  I  desire 
to  protest.  It  is  not  a  sapsneker,  but  a  destroyer  of  injurious  insects, 
for  which  I  trust  it  may  receive  the  protection  which  it  deserves. 

*161.    (394).    Dryobates  pubescens  (Linn.). 

Downy  "Woodpecker. 


Head  of  Downy  Woodpecker.    Xatural  size. 

Smaller,  but  coloration  similar  to  D.  villosus,  except  the  outer  tail 
feathers,  which  are  barred  with  black;  the  smaller  size  will  distin- 
guish it. 

Length,  6.25-7.00;  wing,  3.55-4.15;  tail,  2.30-2.70. 

Eange. — Eastern  and  northern  North  America,  from    Florida  to 
Labrador  and  North  Alaska;  west  to  eastern  Texas,  Nebraska,  North 
Dakota,  Manitoba,  Northwest  Territory,  and  irregularly  to  California 
and  Washington.     Resident  generally  throughout  it*  range. 
Nest,  a  hole  in  a  tree.     J^ggs,  3-6;  glossy  white;  .76  by  .59. 

Common  resident.  This  is  the  smallest  of  our  Woodpeckers,  and  is 
at  the  same  time  the  most  sociable.  It  is  called  "Little  Spotted 
Woodpecker'  and  "Little  Sapsucker."  This  last  it  is  not.  Let  no 
one  accuse  it  wrongly.  They  come  about  our  homes  in  winter,  even 
into  towns,  to  let  us  know  that  they  are  present  and  ever  watchful  for 
our  interests.  When  they  do  not  come  to  us,  a  walk  into  the  orchard 
or  the  wood  pasture  will  almost  always  bring  them  within  sight.  But 
some  windy  November  day,  when  rain  or  snow,  one  can't  tell  which, 
threatens,  when  every  bird  is  out  of  sight,  a  rather  deep  hollow  in 
the  lea  of  a  bluff  is  found  to  be  peopled  by  a  goodly  company,  not 
of  Downy  Woodpeckers,  for  they  seem  never  to  be  very  sociable  with 
each  other,  but  a  mixed  party,  a  composite  of  bird  life,  in  which  sev- 
eral quite  different  birds  are  recognized.  The  greatest  number  are 
Juncos.     There  are  more  of  them  than  all  other  kinds  together.     A 


Birds  of  Indiana.  833 

few  Tree  Sparrows  and  a  Song  Sparrow  are  with  tLeni,  chipping  on  the 
ground.  A  pair  of  Carolina  Chickadees  and  a  pair  of  Tufted  Titmice 
are  searching  the  fence.  A  few  Goldfinches  are  swinging  on  the  dried 
Goldenrod  stalks,  and_,  last,  a  pair  of  Downy  Woodpeckers,  one  of 
which  is  vigorously  pounding  with  his  bill  the  trunk  of  a  small  willow. 
All  are  active;  all  are  happy.  Each  is  talking  as  earnestly  and  cheer- 
fully as  it  can  in  its  own  language.  Upon  the  approach  of  an  in- 
truder, all  leave,  the  Downy  Woodpecker  being  the  last  to  go.  Tufted 
Titmice  and  Juncoes  lead  the  way.  Such  companies  are  ever  found 
from  frost  to  March.  ISTot  always  composed  of  the  same  kinds  of 
birds,  for  sometimes  one,  sometimes  another  feature  will  be  absent. 
At  other  times.  Bluebirds,  Cardinals,  or  Nuthatches  may  be  of  the 
company.  What  a  Jolly  band!  Eating  weed  seeds,  destroying  insects, 
and  bringing  cheer  even  on  the  most  cheerless  days.  They  roost  and 
pass  the  most  inclement  weather  in  their  old  nest  sites. 

Late  in  March,  or  early  in  April,  the  bands  begin  to  break  up. 
Mating  begins  sometimes  by  April  1.  Nesting  begins  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  month.  They  nest  in  holes  in  fences,  in  orchard  trees, 
in  dead  willows  along  streams,  in  dead  stubs  in  the  woods,  generally 
not  high  up.  Both  sexes  incubate,  which  requires  about  twelve 
days.     But  one  brood  is  raised  a  year. 

The  food  habits  of  this  species  are  essentially  the  same  as  the  last.  It 
frequents  orchards  and  yards  more.  Beginning  at  the  base  of  a  tree, 
it  searches  every  inch  of  trunk  and  branch  out  to  the  smallest  limb, 
searching  for  insects.  In  summer  they  may  often  be  seen  examin- 
ing the  apples,  and  from  the  blossoms  occasionally  extracting  a 
coddling  moth.  Its  food  is  much  similar  to  the  last,  but  it  eats  a 
larger  percentage  of  insects,  principally  ants,  and  less  vegetable  food. 
I  have  often  found  them  feeding  upon  sunflower  seeds,  of  which  they 
are  very  fond.  The  following  summary  from  investigation  by  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  shows  that  of  140  stomachs 
examined,  74  per  cent,  of  the  contents  was  animal;  25,  vegetable,  and 
1,  mineral;  23  per  cent,  was  ants;  24,  beetles  and  their  larvae;  16,  cater- 
pillars; 3,  grasshoppers;  4,  bugs  and  plant  lice;  1,  flies;  3,  spiders  and 
myriapods  (Bull.  No.  7,  Div.  of  0.  and  M.,  p.  11).  Prof.  Beal  notes 
that  of  the  7  species  examined,  our  most  common  one,  the  Downy 
Woodpecker,  is  the  most  beneflcial.  Three-fourths  of  its  food  is  in- 
sects, but  few  of  which  are  useful.  The  greatest  harm  it  does  is  in 
spreading  the  seeds  of  poison  ivy.  These  seeds  have  a  hard  shell;  the 
juices  of  the  stomach  do  not  destroy  them.  They  are  dropped,  having 
full  vitality,  and  sprout  where  they  fall. 

5S— Geol. 


834 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


itt,    (Uuvs  SPHYRAPIOTTS  Baikl. 

*162.     (402).    Sphyrapicus  varius  (Linn.). 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker. 
.SviionviTis,  Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker,  Sapsucker. 


Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker. 

(Beal.— Bulletin  No.  7,  Division  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalopy,  United  States  Department 

of  Agriculture,  p.  28.) 

Adult  Male. — Crown,  forehead,  chin  and  throat,  crimson;  other  up- 
per parts,  black,  marked,  or  variegated  with  white  or  yellowish-white; 
a  line  from  nostril,  below  the  eye,  and  one  from  behind  the  eye,  run- 
ning backwards,  white,  sometimes  tinged  with  yellowish;  wings,  black, 
the  feathers  with  white  spots,  generally  in  pairs;  wing  coverts,  chiefly 
white;  tail  with  middle  pair  of  feathers  and  upper  coverts  mostly 


BiBDs  OF  Indiana,  835 

white.  Below,  belly  pale  yellow;  sides  with  dusky  pointed  spots; 
breast  crossed  with  black,  from  which  a  black  stripe  runs  on  side 
of  throat  to  the  base  of  the  bill.  Adult  Female. — Chin  and  throat, 
white;  crimson  restricted  or  wanting"  on  top  of  head.  Immature. — 
Black,  red  and  white  of  head,  neck  and  breast  wanting,  or  nearly  so; 
above,  the  mottling  more  or  less  brownish. 

Length,  7.75-8.75;  wing,  4.80-5.00;  tail,  2.90-3.20. 

Range. — Eastern  and  northern  North  America,  from  Costa  Rica 
and  West  Indies  north  to  Nova  Scotia,  northern  Ontario,  Great  Slave 
Lake,  Ft.  Liard,  B.  C;  west  to  Texas,  Kansas,  North  Dakota  and 
Manitoba.  Accidental  in  Greenland.  Breeds  from  mountains  of 
North  Carolina,  northern  New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  northward.  Winters  from  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, southward. 

Nest,  a  hole  in  a  tree.     Eggs,  5-7;  glossy  white;  .88  by  .67. 

Winter  resident  southward,  and,  occasionally,  over  most  of  the 
State,  varying  in  numbers;  rare  summer  resident  northward;  common 
everywhere  during  migrations. 

This  is  the  Sapsucker.  Others  are  called  by  his  name,  and  get  the 
credit  of  his  deeds.  It  is  more  quiet  and  sluggish  than  the  other 
Woodpeckers  commonly  seen.  With  its  bill  it  pierces  the  bark  of 
several  kinds  of  trees,  making  round,  oval  or  approximately  quad- 
rangular holes,  arranged  in  circles  or  spirals,  about  the  trunk  or  larger 
limbs.  This  is  done  for  three  things;  to  secure  the  sap;  to  obtain  the 
inner  bark  (cambium);  to  attract  insects.  All  of  these  it  feeds  upon. 
It  knows  when  sugar  making  begins.  Then  its  work  upon  the  sugar 
and  soft  maples  begins.  I  have  found  their  borings,  from  which 
sap  was  flowing,  February  15,  1896.  Through  March  and  into  April 
they  continue  this  work.  As  warm  days  come  in  March,  the  insects 
are  drawn  by  the  flow  of  sap  and  sometimes,  upon  the  east  hill-sides, 
the  sound  from  their  wings  recalls  the  hum  of  a  hive  of  bees.  In 
this  way  food  comes  to  the  eater.  But  little  effort  is  required  on  the 
part  of  the  Sapsucker  to  supply  his  wants.  In  some  parts  of  the 
New  England  States  it  has  been  observed  they  have  sugar  orchards 
which  they  frequent  regularly.  In  fall  when  they  come  to  us  they 
resume  their  work  of  piercing  the  bark  of  maple,  apple,  and  other 
trees.  Sometimes  they  merely  reopen  the  old  puncture,  by  cutting 
the  healing  edges,  and  enlarging  the  hole.  I  have  found  their  fresh 
work  on  young  apple  trees,  never  before  pierced,  as  late  as  November 
19,  1895.  Pine  trees  are  also  girdled,  chiefly,  however,  through  the 
winter,  for  among  them  the  Sapsucker  spends  his  winter,  and  about 
lawns  where  pines  and  maples  grow  together  they  are  most  commonly 


830  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

found  at  that  season.  By  spring  they  have  removed  most  of  the  bark- 
scales  from  the  pine,  and  it  then  appears  quite  clean.  The  resin  flows 
from  the  wounds  the  bird  has  made  and  forms  milky  streaks  and 
gummy  excrescences  later  in  the  season,  which  look  unsightly.  The 
damage  they  do  is  to  lawn  and  orchard  trees.  The  pines  are  weakened, 
their  tops  girdled  until  they  become  bent,  and  even  blown  off  by 
the  wind.  Apple  trees  and  choice  maples  are  seriously  damaged,  espe- 
cially when  the  Sapsuckers  are  very  abundant.  I  have  counted  six  of 
these  birds,  at  one  time,  on  a  dozen  sugar-maples  in  front  of  one  lot 
in  my  own  town,  and  have  seen  the  sap  flow  in  a  stream.  Mrs.  Jane 
L.  Hine,  in  the  spring  of  1888,  saw  one  of  these  birds  alight  beneath 
a  tap  in  a  small  maple  tree  near  its  top.  It  emptied  the  holes  of  sap, 
then  waited  for  it  to  collect,  and  drank  again.  This  was  repeated  time 
after  time  for  hours.  The  observer  determined  to  stay  until  the  bird 
was  satisfied  or  left.  She  watched  it  from  10  o'clock  in  the  morning 
until  5  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  then  left  the  bird  where  she  first 
saw  it.  In  the  entire  seven  hours  it  had  not  moved  more  than  a 
yard  from  the  holes  from  which  it  drank.  They,  of  course,  get 
the  principal  supply  of  sap  at  the  time  when  it  flows  most  freely. 
Then  they  also  eat  most  of  the  inner  bark.  At  these  times  they  also 
eat  much  insect  food,  and  as  summer  comes  they  undoubtedly  live 
more  and  more  upon  insects.  The  tongue  is  not  provided  with  a 
spear-like  point,  and  it  can  not  be  extended  as  far  as  other  Wood- 
peckers project  theirs,  because  of  the  short  hyoid.  Instead,  the  tip 
of  the  tongue  of  the  Sapsucker  is  provided  with  stiff  hairs,  and  farther 
back  with  spines.  The  hairs  may  serve  as  a  brush  or  mop,  or  to  guide 
the  sap  onto  the  tongue,  and  they  and  the  spines  may  serve  them  in 
their  insect-catching.  Prof.  F.  E.  L.  Beal,  in  Bulletin  No.  7,  of  the 
Division  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  of  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  informs  us  that  of  eighty-one  stomachs  examined, 
50  per  cent,  of  the  food  was  animal  and  50  per  cent,  vegetable.  Of 
the  former  36  per  cent,  was  ants;  5,  beetles  and  their  larvae;  2,  cater- 
pillars; 1,  grasshoppers;  1,  bugs  and  plant  lice;  3,  flies,  and  2,  spiders 
and  myriapods.  Fruit  formed  26  per  cent,  of  the  entire  food,  and  the 
inner  bark  of  trees  23  per  cent.,  most  of  which  was  eaten  in  April  and 
October. 

In  southern  Indiana  they  usually  appear  in  October,  and  through 
that  month  and  well  into  November  they  are  common.  The  earliest 
date  I  have  seen  them  in  fall  at  Brookville  Avas  September  24,  1886. 
Mr.  H.  V.  Barnett  noted  the  first  arrivals  in  Warren  County,  Sep- 
tember 21,  1897.  When  with  us  they  utter  a  call  that  reminds  one 
of  the  low  mew  of  a  cat.    This  is  most  often  heard  in  spring.    Gener- 


Report  of  State  Geologist,  1897. 


Platk  XXIV, 


Beal,  Bull.  No.  7.,  Dlv.  Ornith.  and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr. 

PILEATED  WOODPECKER. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  837 

ally  some  winter^  some  occasionally  remain  even  noi-tli  of  the 
center  of  the  State.  It  has  been  noted  at  Brookville  almost  every 
winter  for  the  past  seventeen  years.  Prof.  Evermann  reported  it  from 
Carroll  County  December  15,  1884,  and  January  11,  1885,  and  Mrs. 
Hine  observed  it  at  Sedan,  Dekalb  County,  January  25,  1894.  They 
begin  to  become  more  abundant  when  sugar-making  begins;  generally 
in  February  and  through  March  are  common,  some  years  abundant. 
Sometimes  they  leave  early  in  April,  April  2,  1893;  April  6,  1895. 
Other  years  they  remain  until  the  last  of  that  month;  April  30,  1887. 
Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  saw  one  in  June,  1891.  The  first  migrants  arrive  at 
the  northern  boundary  about  April  1.  Chicago,  Til.,  April  1,  1885; 
April  3,  1886;  Sedan,  March  31,  1896;  Laporte,  March  30,  1896.  I 
saw  them  mating  at  Brookville  April  5,  1897,  at  which  date  they  were 
common. 

It  has  been  found  breeding  in  the  following  counties:  Carroll  (Ever- 
mann), Laporte  (Cobum);  Starke,  English  Lake,  "abundant  breed- 
ing," June  3,  1888  (Deane);  Dekalb,  1888,  1890  (Mrs.  Hine),  1889 
(H.  W.  McBride);  Porter,  1895,  1896  (Parker).  Mrs.  Hine  first  ob- 
served the  Sapsucker  in  summer  in  1888.  That  summer  she  saw  their 
young  of tener  than  those  of  any  other  woodpecker.  In  the  summer  of 
1890  she  saw  old  birds  feeding  their  young.  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  took 
three  eggs  from  a  nest,  near  Waterloo,  May  13,  1889.  Mr.  J.  G.  Par- 
ker, Jr.,  collected  one  young,  saw  them  at  Kouts  in  1895.  He  found 
it  breeding  at  the  same  place  May  28,  1896.  The  nests  do  not  differ 
from  those  of  other  woodpeckers.  They  have  been  found  from  eight 
to  fifty  feet  high.  Eggs  may  be  looked  for  in  May.  An-  egg  is  laid 
daily  until  the  set  is  complete.  Both  parents  take  part  in  incuba- 
tion. The  young  are  fed  almost  wholly  upon  insects.  At  that  time 
the  old  birds  develop  an  expertness  at  fly-catching  that  is  very  notice- 
able. Aside  from  their  damage  to  orchards  and  lawn  trees,  they  are 
very  beneficial  birds. 

95.   Genus  CEOPHLCBUS  Cabanis. 

*163.    (405).    Ceophlceus  pileatus  (Linn.). 

Pileated  Woodpecker. 
Synonyms,  Black  Woodcock,  Logcock,  Big  Black  Woodpecker. 

Adult  Male. — Brownish-black;  top  'of  head,  conspicuous  crest  and 
stripe  from  base  of  lower  mandible,  bright  red;  white  stripe  from  the 
eye,  and  one  from  the  nostril,  backwards  and  along  the  side  of •  the 
neck,  white  and  yellowish;  throat,  white;  bases  of  wing  feathers,  white; 


838  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

bill,  dark.    Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  with  fore  part  of  head  black- 
ish, and  red  stripe  at  base  of  lower  mandible  wanting. 

Length,  15.15-19.00;  wing,  8.90-10.00;  tail,  6.60-7.40. 

Eange. — Formerly  the  heavily-wooded  region  of  North  America, 
south  of  about  latitude  63  degrees,  and  Mexico,  except  in  the  southern 
Rocky  Mountains;  now  rare  or  extirpated  in  the  more  thickly  settled 
parts  of  the  Eastern  States. 

Nest,  excavation  in  tre€.    Eggs,  3-5;  glossy  white;  1.28  by  .95. 

Resident,  confined  to  the  more  heavily-timbered  and  more  inacces- 
sible portions  of  the  State.  Rarely  breeds.  It  was  formerly  very  com- 
mon, but  disappears  before  civilization.  To  the  older  settlers  it  was 
known  as  "Logcock,"  and  "Black  Woodcock."  It  is  about  thirty 
years  since  I  can  hear  of  its  occurrence  in  Franklin  County.  In  1890 
I  reported  it  from  several  counties  in  which  it  had  been  noted,  or 
taken  mostly  within  five  years  preceding  (Proc.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc,  1890, 
p.  59).  From  the  following,  I  have  no  more  recent  record:  Vigo, 
Dekalb,  Decatur,  Allen,  and  Gibson.  Since  that  time  it  is  reported 
from  the  following  counties:  Boone  and  Fountain;  specimens  in  col- 
lection of  the  State  Museum;  Knox,  rare,  1894,  February  4,  May  24, 
October  19,  one;  spring  of  1897,  two.  I  saw  one  fly  through  the 
main  street  of  Carlisle,  Ind.,  August  14,  1^97  (Chansler).  Brown, 
1894,  rare  (Kindle),  May  24,  one  (Bamett);  1895,  April  6,  two;  April 
15,  April  16,  very  few  (Miss  Jacobs).  Monroe,  1892,  February  13, 
saw  two,  took  female  (Ulrey);  Porter,  1894,  December  5,  saw  a  male 
killed  by  George  Wilcox,  at  Kouts;  1896,  December  11,  I  saw  three 
near  same  town  (J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.). 

Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  also  informed  me  he  obtained  a  specimen  at  Water 
Valley,  Lake  County,  where  it  was  rare,  a  few  years  ago.  I  have  no 
doubt  of  its  occurrence  in  limited  numbers  still  in  Gibson  and,  per- 
haps, several  other  counties  in  southwestern  Indiana.  In  fact,  it  may 
exist  wherever  there  are  extensive  woods  that  are  not  much  frequented. 
They  are  more  liable  to  be  seen  in  winter,  as  the  leafless  woods  and 
their  tendency  to  range  to  some  extent  for  food  then  makes  them 
more  conspicuous.  Mr.  H.  Nehrling  gives  an  account  of  these  birds, 
which  every  one  who  has  known  them  in  our  State  will  recognize  as 
his  own  experience.  He  says:  "The  Pileated  Woodpeckers  were  con- 
stantly at  work;  with  powerful  strokes  they  hammered  off  the  bark 
and  captured  their  insect  prey.  Their  beauty,  activity  and  docility 
excited  my  admiration.  When  ^  approached  one  of  them  too  closely, 
it  uttered  a  loud  and  laughing  Jia-he,  ha-he,  and  then  took  wing.  It  is 
very  noisy  during  mating  season,  and  indulges  a  good  deal  of  its  time 
in  drumming  on  a  dry,  hollow  limb.    Its  call-note  sounds  like,  a-wicTc, 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  839 

a- wick,  \m[.  it  ;ilso  utters  a  tack-tack-tach,  which  is  several  times  re- 
peated (N.  A.  Birds,  PL  xvi.,  p.  411).  Eggs  may  he  looked  for  with 
lis  late  in  April  and  through  May.  Its  nests  are  excavated  in  dead 
trees  or  snags  from  12  to  75  feet  np.  The  opening  is  3  to  3^  inches  in 
diameter,  and  the  excavation  is  from  7  to  30  inches  deep,  heing  larger 
at  the  Ijottom,  which  is  covered  \nth  chips,  or,  sometimes,  sand.  A 
new  one  is  generally  built  each  year.  They  also  use  a  nest  or  excavate 
a  shelter  for  protection  in  severe  weather.  An  Qgg^  is  laid  daily.  The 
period  of  incubation  is  about  18  days.  In  this,  as  in  digging  the  nest 
and  caring  for  the  young,  both  birds  share.  But  one  brood  is  raised 
each  year. 

This  is  the  largest  Woodpecker  in  the  United  States  except  the 
Ivory-bill.  Its  powerful  bill  enables  it  to  tear  off  tough  bark,  and 
dig  deep  into  trees  for  grubs,  borers  and  ants.  Such  is  its  work.  Prof. 
Beal  examined  23  stomachs,  all  taken  in  fall  and  winter;  51  per  cent, 
of  the  contents  was  animal,  and  49  per  cent,  vegetable  matter.  The 
animal  matter  was  chiefly  insects,  of  which  ants,  beetles,  and  wood- 
boring  larvffi  formed  the  greater  part  (Bulletin  ^o.  7,  Div.  0.  and  M., 
r.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  32). 


96.    Oknus  MELANERPES  SwAiNso>f. 


a' 


((■ 


Head  and  neck  deep  red  or  grayish  brown  ;  back  black. 

M.  eiythrocephalus  (Linn.).  164 
Head  grayish,  more  or  less  red  on  crown ;  back  and  wings  banded  transversely 
with  black  and  white.  M.  carolinus  (Linn.),     165 


Subgenus  Melanerpfs. 

'164.     (4 OH).    Melanerpes  erythrocephalus  (Linn.). 

Red-headed  Woodpecker. 
Synonym,  Redhead. 

Adult. — Head,  neck  and  breast,  crimson;  rump,  end  of  secondaries 
and  remaining  under  parts,  white;  back,  glossy  blue-black;  bases  of 
secondaries,  primaries  and  tail,  black.  Immature. — Crimson  parts  re- 
placed by  grayish-brown. 

Length,  9.25-9.75;    wing,  5.30-5.70;    tail,  3.60-3.75. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States,  west  to  Rocky  Mountains;  from 
Florida  to  northern  New  York,  Ontario,  Nova  Scotia,  Manitoba.  Rare 
oast  of  Hudson  River.  Accidental  in  ITtah  and  Arizona.  Winters  ir- 
regularly throughout  northern  New  York,  Pennsylvania.  Indiana, 
^Tichigan.     Breeds  throughout  \i^  range. 


840 


Kej'Okt  of  State  Geoi.ocjtst. 


Nest,  a  hole  in  a  tree.    Egijs,  4-7,  rarely  8;  glossy  white;  .99  by  .76. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  introduce  the  familiar  "Red-head"  to  any  In- 
dianian.  It  is  liable  to  be  found  resident  in  any  part  of  the  State,  but 
not  always  frequenting  the  same  localities  winter  and  summer.  How- 
ever, it  usually  migrates  from  the  northern  part  when  cold  weather 


Red-headed  Woodpecker. 

(Beal.— Bulletin  No.  7,  Division  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  United  States  Department 

of  Agriculture.) 


comes,  and  occasionally  seems  to  leave  the  State  almost  entirely. 
The  severity  of  the  weather  does  not  govern  their  removal.  Food 
supply  is  the  great  factor.  Some  mild  winters  they  leave.  Other 
severe  winters  they  stay.  The  al)undance  of  mast  keeps  them.  Beech- 
nuts are  the  favorite  winter  food,  but  all  kinds  of  acorns  and  other 
nuts  are  eaten.  Wherever  there  are  quantities  of  beechnuts,  there 
these  Woodpeckers  winter.  Some  winters  they  are  found  in  one  local- 
ity and  are  absent  in  others.  They  disappear  every  winter  from  the 
Whitewater  Valley,   and   other   localities   where   beechnuts   are   not 


Birds  of  Indiana.  841 

found.  The  past  year  they  were  not  seen  along  the  Whitewater 
Eiver  from  October  1,  1896,  to  April  20,  1897;  while  in  the 
beechland  of  Decatur  and  Shelby  counties,  they  were  found 
all  winter.  Into  the  river  lowlands  it  comes  as  a  migrant,  while 
it  is  resident  in  the  beech  woods  ten  to  twenty-five  miles  away.  The 
winter  of  1895-6,  it  remained  in  Wayne  and  Jefferson  counties,  and 
at  the  north  end  of  the  State  in  Dekalb  County,  where  it  was  found 
common  in  colonies  (Mrs.  Hine).  The  winter  of  1894-5,  they  wintered 
in  the  following  counties,  in  most  of  them  commonly:  Brown,  Deca- 
tur, Putnam,  Boone,  Parke,  Tippecanoe.  In  1893-4,  in  Decutur  and 
Dekalb,  but  none  remained  in  Brown,  where  there  were  no  beech- 
nuts, and  where  they  were  the  next  winter.  In  1892-3,  they  wintered 
in  Lake  County,  but  none  remained  in  Monroe.  In  1891-2,  they  re- 
mained in  Monroe,  Push,  and  Dekalb. 

The  winters  of  1888-9  and  1885-6,  they  wintered  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chicago;  1887-8,  in  Vigo  County,  in  large  numbers;  beechnuts  were 
common;  1886-7,  at  Grand  Eapids,  Mich.,  and  Marion  County,  Ind. 
Wlien  they  all  disappear,  they  are  liable  to  return  at  any  time  between 
March  1  and  May  1.  Usually,  however,  they  appear  in  April.  This 
Woodpecker  has  learned  to  store  its  winter  food.  While  it  does  not 
do  so  to  the  extent  the  California  Woodpecker  does,  yet  at  times 
this  habit  is  quite  noticeable.  Dr.  Raymond  was  first  to  observe  it 
here  (Proc.  P.  A.,  November,  1856,  p.  293).  Mrs.  Hine  tells  me  the 
winter  of  1891-2,  they  stored,  in  addition  to  beechnuts  and  acorns, 
some  hickoiy  nuts.  Prof.  0.  P.  Hay  has  given  the  result  of  his  obser-' 
vations  of  the  hoarding  habits  of  this  bird  near  Irvington  in  the  win- 
ter of  1886-7,  in  "The  Auk,"  Vol.  IV.,  July,  1887,  pp.  193-196. 

The  Eed-headed  Woodpecker  is  not  as  common  as  it  formerly  was. 
When  deadenings  were  numerous,  the  numbers  of  these  Woodpeckers 
therein  is  beyond  estimate.  To  know  these  birds  as  they  were,  one 
should  live  where  a  deadening  of  beech  timber  was  near  a  cherry 
orchard.  There,  through  June,  times  were  lively  and  the  gay,  tri- 
colored  bird  of  which  I  wrote  was  one  of  the  chief  factors. 

The  more  attractive  mating-call,  Kurr-lcurr,  of  a  month  before  has 
given  place  to  the  harsher  Kahrr-kahrr,  which  sounds  from  woods, 
fence  stakes  and  cherry  trees  from  sunrise  till  dark.  They  mate  from 
the  first  to  the  middle  of  May.  The  nest  is  in  a  dead  snag  or  the  dead 
top  of  a  live  tree.  Beech,  maple,  and  sycamore,  are  most  used  here, 
from  10  to  80  feet  high.  In  prairie  districts,  fence  posts  and  telegraph 
poles  are  used.  One  egg  is  laid  a  day;  incubation  sometimes  begins  be- 
fore the  set  is  laid,  and  lasts  about  two  weeks.  Both  parents  take  part 
in  preparing  the  nest,  incubating  and  caring  for  the  young.  But  one 
brood  is  reared  a  year. 


S4:)i  Report  ov  State  Geologist. 

In  August  they  often  begin  to  disappear  from  their  accustomed 
places.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  informs  me  that  on  the  night  of  October 
30,  1897,  at  8:15  p.  m.,  he  heard  the  Eed-headed  Woodpecker  and 
some  warblers  flying  south. 

The  Eed-headed  Woodpecker  has  the  greatest  range  of  food  of  our 
species.  At  times  its  chief  food  is  fruit;  for  another  period  it  may  be 
chiefly  insects;  again,  it  will  live  on  nuts  and  cereals.  Of  101 
stomachs  reported  upon  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, 50  per  cent,  contained  animal  matter;  47.  per  cent,  vegetable 
matter;  3  per  cent,  mineral  matter.  The  animal  matter  was  insects, 
of  which  there  were  found  ants,  wasps,  beetles,  bugs,  grasshoppers, 
moths,  caterpillars,  spiders,  and  myriapods.  Ants  amounted  to  about 
11  per  cent.;  beetles,  nearly  one-third,  and  grasshoppers  and  crickets, 
fi  per  cent.  Seventeen,  collected  from  May  to  September;  had  eaten 
corn,  one  had  eaten  strawberries;  15,  blackberries,  raspberries;  2,  culti- 
vated cherries;  4,  apples;  6,  pears  (Beal,  Bulletin  No.  7,  Div.  0.  and 
M.,  pp.  24,  25).  Prof.  Forbes  found  that  of  these  birds  he  examined, 
32  per  cent,  of- their  food  was  canker  worms  (Rep.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc, 
1881,  p.  204).  This  Woodpecker  seems  to  be  able  to  adapt  itself  to 
any  circumstances.  It  has  been  accused  of  robbing  birds  of  their  eggs, 
and  I  have  seen  it  catching  insects  after  the  manner  of  a  flycatcher. 
While  it  eats  some  fniit,  except  berries  and  cherries,  it  eats  too  small 
an  amount  to  amount  to  much.  On  the  contrary,  its  insect-eating, 
in  which  it  destroys  many  large  beetles  and  quantities  of  grasshoppers, 
•malces  it  a  very  beneficial  bird  ordinarily. 

Besides,  from  the  variety  of  its  foods,  it  is  a  valuable  factor  in  a 
contest  with  any  unusual  increase  of  old  or  the  sudden  appearance  of 
new  insect  foes. 


Subgenus  Ckntijrus  Swainson. 

*165.     (409).    Melanerpes  carolinus  (Linn.). 

Red-bellied  Woodpecker. 

Synonyms,  Guinka  Woodpecker,  Zebka  Woodpecker,  Carolina  Wooi»peckek, 
Checkered  Woodpecker. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  crown  and  nape,  scarlet;  back  and  wings,  ex- 
cept larger  quills,  regularly  barred  with  black  and  white;  primaries 
and  secondaries,  chiefly  black,  the  former  mostly  white  at  base,  the 
latter  spotted  with  white;  rump,  chiefly  white;  sides  of  head  and 
under  parts,  grayish- white,  sometimes  with  yellowish  tinge;  belly, 
washed  with  reddish;    outer  tail  feathers,  black  and  white  barred: 


Birds  of  Indiana.  843 

inner  web  of  central  feathers,  white  with  black  spots;  their  outer  webs 
black  with  more  or  less  white  next  the  shaft.  Adult  Female  and 
Immature. — Crown,  grayish;  nape  and  nostrils  only,  scarlet. 

Length,  9.00-10.00;  wing,  4.85-5.50;  tail,  3.50-3.95. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States,  from  Florida  and  Texas  north  to 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  southern  Ontario,  southern 
Michigan,  southern  Wisconsin,  South  Dakota.  Breeds  north  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  thence  westward  throughout  its  range.  Winters  almost 
throughout  its  range. 

Nest,  an  excavation  in  a  tree,    ^ggs,  3-5;  white;  .99  by  .73. 

Resident,  rare  northward,  more  numerous  southward,  common  in 
southern  third  of  the  State.  While  they  do  not  migrate  as  a  body, 
they  are  less  common  north  and  more  common  south  in  winter.  It 
prefers  the  heavy  timber.  Along  the  Whitewater  and  Ohio  rivers  it 
is  seldom  seen  in  the  lowlands,  but  upon  the  top  of  the  bluffs  and 
farther  back  upon  the  uplands  wherever  white  oak  trees  are  found  it 
is  common.  Its  call  is  something  like  Kurr-urr-urr,  more  or  less 
lengthened,  while  a  note  when  disturbed  or  when  hammering  is  Chow- 
chow.  They  are  shy  and  suspicious,  and  as  one  tract. of  woods  after 
another  is  cleared  away,  the  birds  that  peopled  each  disappear.  It  has 
been  reported  as  resident  in  the  following  counties  in  Indiana:  Lake, 
rare  (Meyer);  Porter,  not  uncommon  at  Kouts  (Parker);  Laporte  (Bar- 
ber, Byrkit);  Dekalb,  rather  common  (Mrs.  Hine);  Michigan,  Kent 
County,  not  very  common  (Moseley);  Wayne,  a  few  winter  (Trombley). 
They  begin  mating  in  March;  one  was  seen  excavating  for  a  nest 
March  24,  1892  (Mrs.  Hine).  Eggs  may  be  taken  any  time  from  April 
15  to  June  1.  Nests  are  usually  made  in  dead  tops  of  living  trees 
from  15  to  60  feet  high.  Eggs  are  laid  daily.  Incubation  lasts  about 
fourteen  days.  Both  sexes  share  in  nest-making,  sitting  and  caring  for 
the  young.  Generally  only  one  brood  is  raised  (Bendire,  L.  H.  N.  A. 
Birds,  pp.  123-124).  The  Red-bellied  Woodpecker  is  the  vegetarian 
of  its  family.  Of  22  stomachs  examined,  26  per  cent,  of  the  contents 
was  animal  and  74  per  cent,  vegetable  food;  14  had  eaten  ants  amount- 
ing to  11  per  cent.;  10  per  cent,  of  the  total  food  was  beetles.  The 
vegetable  food  was  entirely  wild  fruits  and  seeds.  Only  2  had  eaten 
corn.  August  10,  1897,  I  found  one  eating  Benoni  apples,  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  it  could  be  driven  away.  I  was  told  they  had  eaten 
most  of  the  apples,  which  were  small  and  knotty.  In  winter  they  live 
upon  wild  fruits  and  seeds,  but  years  when  mast  is  plenty  they  doubt- 
less live  principally  upon  acorns  and  beechnuts.  Their  evil  deeds  are 
few  and  the  good  they  do  very  much.  Dr.  Haymond  notes  this  bird 
has,  like  the  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  the  habit  of  hoarding  nuts. 


844 


Report  of  State  Geologist 


97.    (Ienus  COLAPTES  Swainson. 

*166.     (412).    Colaptes  auratus  (Linn.). 

Flicker. 
Synonyms,  Golden-winged  Woodpecker,  High  Hole,  High  Holder,  Wickitp. 


^Jt?l 


Flicker. 


<Beal.— Bulletin  No.  7,  Division  of  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  United  States  Department 

of  Agriculture,  p.  17.") 

Adult  Male. — Back,  wing-coverts  and  inner  quills,  brownish,  barred 
with  black;  rump  and  upper  tail-coverts,  white;  outer  edge  of  quills 
and  tail  feathers  above,  black;  shafts  of  feathers  and  under  surface  of 
same,  golden-yellow,  the  tail  feathers  tipped  with  black;  head  and 
nape,  grayish,  the  latter  with  scarlet  band;  a  black  stripe  on  each  side 
of  throat;  below,  chin,  throat  and  breast  vinaceous,  the  last  bordered 
by  a  large  black  crescent;  rest  of  under  parts  paler  vinaceous,  with 
])lack  spots.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  without  the  black  streak  on 
each  side  of  throat. 

Length,  12.00-12.75;  Avings,  5.50-6.60;  tail,  4.00-4.95. 

Range. — North  and  eastern  North  America,  from  eastern  Texas 
and  Florida  north  to  Labrador,  Hudson  Bay,  Alaska  and  the  Arctic 
Coast.     West  to  Nebraska.  North  Dakota,  Assiniboia.     Acr-idental  in 


Birds  of  Indiana.  845 

Greenland.  Breeds  throughout  its  range.  Winters  from  Pennsylvania 
and  Indiana,  irregularly  from  New  Brunswick,  Maine  and  Michigan, 
southward. 

Nest,  a  hole  in  a  tree.    J^ggs,  usually* 5-9;  glossy  white;  1.10  by  .85. 

Resident,  very  common  southward.  Rare  in  the  north  part  of  the 
State;  common  everywhere  throughout  the  warmer  parts  of  the  year. 
Breeds. 

The  nearer  the  Ohio  River  in  winter,  the  more  numerous  this  bird 
becomes.  It  is,  however,  tolerably  common  from  the  Wabash  River 
south.  In  both  Tippecanoe  and  Carroll  counties  it  is  a  common  resi- 
dent. In  the  following  northern  counties  it  is  found,  at  least  some 
years,  throughout  the  winters:  Porter,  rare  (Parker);  Dekalb,  rare 
(H.  W.  McBride,  Snyder);  a  few  also  winter  in  Wayne  County,  Mich. 
(Trombley).  The  migratory  birds  return  to  their  homes  in  February 
and  March,  and  during  the  latter  month  and  October  and  late  No- 
vember, they  are  very  abundant,  frequenting  pastures,  meadows  and 
stubble. 

This  species  is  decidedly  terrestrial,  spending  much  time  upon  the 
ground.  During  the  colder  months,  they  are  semi-gregarious.  With 
us,  they  sometimes  begin  mating  by  March  7  (1882),  other  years,  not 
until  March  30  (1893).  Eggs  may  be  found,  perhaps,  late  in  April, 
but  the  earliest  date  full  sets  are  recorded  is  May  4.  Through  May 
and  June  they  may  be  found.  Like  other  woodpeckers,  it  nests  in  the 
woods,  but  it  also  loves  to  make  its  home  in  an  old  apple  limb,  or 
dead  snag  in  the  lawn.  It  uses  either  a  natural  or  artificial  cavity. 
Although  found  so  much  upon  the  ground,  its  high  nesting  has  given 
it  the  name  of  "High-hole."  Usually,  but  one  brood  is  raised  in  a  season, 
but  if  the  eggs  are  removed  as  laid,  the  fecundity  of  this  bird  is  re- 
markable. Between  May  4  and  June  32,  1885,  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann, 
in  Carroll  County,  took  37  eggs  from  a  single  nest.  Between  those 
dates  they  rested  14  days.  There  is  one  instance  recorded  where  by 
leaving  a  nest-egg,  a  Flicker  laid  71  eggs  in  73  days.  An  egg  is  laid 
each  day.  Usually  incubation  does  not  begin  until  the  full  set  is  laid, 
but  sometimes  it  does.  It  has  the  greatest  number  of  calls  of  any 
member  of  its  family.  Its  Wake-up,  tvaJce-up,  have,  in  some  localities, 
given  it  a  local  name.  Its  Quit-tu,  quit-tu,  recalls  the  stroke  of  a 
master  hand  with  a  scythe-stone  upon  a  scythe.  Chuck-up,  chuck-up, 
is  another  well-known  sound.  These,  with  a  dozen  more  vocal  expres- 
sions to  represent  every  phase  of  courtship  or  variation  of  bird-feeling, 
are  known  to  all  who  live  where  the  Flicker  does. 

The  Flicker,  with  its  curved  bill,  can  not  chisel  its  way  into  trees 
as  the  other  species  do.    It,  therefore,  does  not  destroy  so  many  insects 


846  Beport  of  State  Geologist. 

injurious  to  trees.  In  fact,  except  ants,  of  which  it  eats  great  num- 
bers, it  is  not  so  destructive  to  insects  as  the  other  Woodpeckers  are. 
The  stomachs  of  230  Flickers  examined  showed  animal  food  56  per 
cent.;  vegetable  food,  39  per  cent.;  mineral  food,  5  per  cent.  Of  the 
animal  matter,  which  was  insects,  the  percentage  was  divided  as  fol- 
lows: Ants,  43  per  cent.;  beetles,  and  their  larvae,  10;  caterpillars,  1; 
grasshoppers,  1;  spiders  and  myriapods,  1  (Beal,  Bulletin  No.  7,  Div. 
0.  and  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  11).  Several  stomachs  contained  noth- 
ing but  ants.  In  two,  the  actual  number  of  ants  in  each  stomach  ex- 
ceeded 3,000  (Ibid,  p.  17).  The  vegetable  material  it  eats  is  principal- 
ly that  which  grows  wild. 


N.     Order  MACROCHIRES.     Goatsuckers, 
Swifts,  Etc. 

Suborder  CAPRIMULGI.     Goatsuckers,  Etc. 
XXXIII.     Family  CAPRIMULGID^,  Goatsuckers,  Etc. 

a^.  Gape  with  long  bristles;  tail  even  or  rounded;  plumage  fluffy. 

Antrostomus.     9S 
a^.  Gape  without  long  bristles;  tail  forked;  plumage  more  compact. 

Chordeilks.     99 

98.    Gknus  antrostomus  Gould. 

«^.  Wing  over  8.00  ;  rictal  bristles  with  lateral  branches. 

A.  carolinensis  (Gmel.).     167 
a^.  Wing  under  7.00;  rictal  bristles  not  branched.      A.  vociferus  (Wils.).     168 

*167.     (416).    Antrostomus  carolinensis  (Gmel.). 

Chuck- Will' s- Widow. 

Adult  Male. — Bristles  at  the  base  of  bill,  branched.  Above,  mottled 
with  gray  ochraceous,  tawny  and  black,  and  more  or  less  streaked  with 
black;  primaries,  dusky  spotted,  with  ochraceous.  Below,  tawny  or 
buffy  and  grayish,  mottled  with  dusky;  throat  and  crissum,  more 
ochraceous;  inner  web  of  three  outer  tail-feathers,  white  or  ochrace- 
ous. Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  inner  web  of  three  outer  tail-feath- 
ers without  white. 

Length,  11.00-12.00;  wing,  8.70-8.90;  tail,  6.26-6.30. 

Kange. — America,  from  Colombia  and  West  Indies  north  to  south- 
ern Virginia,  West  Virginia,  southern  Indiana,  Southern  Illinois  and 


Birds  of  Indiana.  847 

south  Missouri;  west  to  Texas  and  Indian  Territory,  casually  to 
southern  Kansas;  accidental  in  Massachusetts.  Breeds  throughout 
most  of  its  United  States  range.  Winters  from  Florida  and  Louisiana 
southward. 

Eggs,  2;  laid  on  ground;  white,  cream,  or  pinkish,  blotched  or  veined 
with  different  shades  of  brown,  purplish  and  gray;  1.41  by  1.01. 

Summer  resident  in  lower  Wabash  Valley,  at  least  as  far  north  as 
Knox  County.  Breeds.  In  that  region  it  is  not  uncommon.  In  1865, 
Mr.  Eidgway  heard  it  as  far  north  as  Eichland  County,  Illinois, 
three  miles  south  of  Olney.  He  says  its  habits  are  essentially  the  same 
as  those  of  the  Whip-poor-will,  and  its  notes  are  somewhat  similar, 
but  louder  and  easily  distinguished  after  once  being  heard  (Ridg., 
Birds  of  111.,  L,  p.  367).  Mr.  Ridgway  wrote  me  of  its  occurrence 
in  this  State,  as  follows:  "I  have  both  seen  the  Chuck- wilFs-widow,  and 
frequently  heard  its  unmistakable  note  in  Knox  County,  Ind.,  imme- 
diately opposite  Mt.  CarmeF^  (111.)  Mr.  William  Brewster  and  Mr. 
Ridgway  identified  this  species  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the  Wabash, 
April  20,  1878. 


"^168.     (417).    Antrostomus  vociferus  (Wils.). 

Whip-poor  will. 

Adult  Male. — Bristles  at  the  base  of  bill,  not  branched.  Above, 
mottled,  gray,  brown  and  tawny,  more  or  less  streaked  with  black, 
which  is  not  conspicuous  on  the  grayish  crown  and  wing  coverts; 
primaries,  blackish,  spotted  and  barred  with  ochraceous  rufous;  the 
three  outer  pairs  of  tail  feathers  with  the  terminal  half  white.  Below, 
mottled  as  above;  darker  forward,  lighter  behind;  a  white  band  across 
the  neck.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  the  three  outer  pairs  of  tail- 
feathers  tipped  with  reddish  or  buffy  white;  band  across  the  neck 
more  brownish. 

Length,  9.10-10.00;  wing,  5.80-6.70;  tail,  4.80-6.50. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Guatemala  and  West  Indies  north 
io  N'ova  Scotia,  southwest  Keewatin  and  Manitoba;  west  to  Forth  Da- 
kota., western  Kansas  and  Texas.  Breeds  from  Florida  and  Louisiana 
northward.  Winters  from  Florida,  Louisiana  and,  rarely,  southern 
South  Carolina. 

Eggs,  2;  deposited  on  ground;  white,  or  creamy-white,  spotted  and 
i^treaked  with  different  shades  of  brown,  lilac  or  pearl-gray;  1.15  by  .84. 

Common  summer  resident;  breeds.  Prefers  more  open  woods  over- 
grown with  underbrush,  or  bushy  pastures. 


848  Report  of  State  Geui.ugis^t. 

The  members  of  this  family  afford  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
migration  notes.  They  are  generally  known,  and  any  careful  person 
can  make  the  observations.  Their  movements  are  greatly  regulated 
by  weather. 

There  is  a  favorite  region  two  miles  south  of  my  home  where  Whip- 
poor-wills  and  Brown  Thrashers  may  be  found  from  two  days  to  two 
weeks  earlier  than  they  reach  me.  For  several  years  dates  have  been 
kept  that  establish  this.  Mr.  0.  M.  Meyncke  reports  hearing  the  un- 
mistakable voice  of  the  Whip-poor-will  in  Highland  Township  March 
2,  1897.  The  unprecedented  warm  weather  of  the  previous  few  days, 
resulting  in  unusual  storms,  may  have  induced  its  exceedingly  early 
appearance  (The  Osprey,  Vol.  I.,  May,  1897,  p.  123). 


Whip-poor-will. 

Excepting  that  the  earliest  record  is  from  Xew  Albany,  where  it 
was  taken  April  2,  1893,  common  April  5;  at  the  following  points  it 
was  first  noted  the  same  year;  when  a  second  date  is  given  it  indicates 
the  date  it  became  common:  Moore's  Hill,  May  7;  Bloomington,  April 
29;  Kilmore,  April  27,  May  1;  Lafayette,  April  29;  Camden,  May  2; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,. April  15,  April  20. 

In  1892,  New  Albany,  April  6,  April  12;  Brookville.  April  6: 
Bloomington,  May  7;  Rochester,  April  23.  April  30;  Medora,  April  23, 
^lay  1;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  28,  May  1.  In  1885,  it  was  first 
noted  at  Brookville  April  18;  Chicago,  111.,  April  21."  In  1886,  Brook- 
ville, April  14;  Bloomington,  April  21;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  14; 
Chicago,  ni..  May  6. 

In  sixteen  years,  the  earliest  date  of  first  arrival  at  Brookville  was 
in  1893,  as  given,  and  the  latest,  April  26,  1881.  In  the  southern 
lialf  of  the  State  it  is  generally  common  between  April  5  and  20;  in 
the  northern  half,  between  April  17  and  May  5.  They  mate  soon  after 
arriving.  I  noted  them  mating  April  25.  1887.  Eggs  are  usually 
found  from  May  1-10,  at  Brookville.  The  two  eggs  are  usually  laid  on 
a  leaf  or  a  few  leaves  in  a  slight  depression.  Upon  our  wooded  hill- 
sides they  may  be  found  upon  the  natural  terraces,  and  frequently 


Birds  of  Indiana,  849 

when  the  bird  suddenly  leaves  the  nest  it  will  scatter  them;  sometimes 
they  roll  down  hill.  The  color  of  the  Whip-poor-will  so  harmonizes 
with  the  leaves  that  even  when  one  knows  where  to  look  he  can  with 
difficulty  make  out  the  form  of  the  bird. 

On  sunny  days  it  sits  with  eyes  apparently  shut.  Then  it  will  per- 
mit a  hand  within  about  a  foot  of  itself  and  quickly  and  quietly  leaves 
its  nest.  I  have  never  known  a  sound  to  escape  one  when  leaving  the 
nest.  At  other  times,  when  one  is  flushed,  it  utters  a  cut,  similar  to 
that  of  a  turkey,  which  is  often  repeated  two  or  three  times.  The 
female  attends  to  incubation,  which  begins  when  the  first  Qgg  is 
laid.  If  the  nest  is  disturbed,  the  old  bird  will  frequently  remove 
the  eggs  and  the  young,  it  is  said,  in  its  mouth,  to  a  more  retired 
spot. 

At  dark  they  come  from  the  woods  and  thickets  and  engage  in  a 
warfare  with  insects.  They  even  come  into  town.  I  have  often  known 
one  to  alight  upon  my  doorstep,  pavement  or  gravel  walk  near  my 
house,  and  repeat  its  call,  sometimes  five  or  six  times  in  succession, 
every  little  while,  until  disturbed.  Undoubtedly,  they  were  there 
after  insects,  attracted  by  the  light. 

The  food  of  two  examined  by  Prof.  F.  H.  King  was,  10  moths, 
14  beetles,  some  of  which. were  click-beetles  and  smaller  lamellicorns, 
and  162  insect  eggs  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  564). 

Prof.  A.  L.  Herrera  notes  the  assistance  they  render  in  destroying 
many  of  the  gnats  (Culex)  that  sometimes  infest  the  Valley  of  Mexico 
(La  Naturaliza,  2d  series.  Vol.  I.,  1888,  No.  4,  p.  170). 

The  song  of  the  Whip-poor-will  continues  well  into  June,  perhaps 
sometimes  into  July.  It  rarely  sings  in  the  fall.  I  heard  it  September 
14,  1887,  and  a  friend  reported  two  singing  before  daylight  on  the 
morning  of  September  4,  1897.  That  is  also  the  latest  I  have  ever 
noted  it.  They  are  certainly  fewer  in  July,  and  still  more  so  in 
August.  Generally  all  are  gone  by  August  27  to  September  7,  but  Mr. 
L.  F.  Meyer  reports  it  remaining  in  Lake  County  until  October.  In 
1897  they  were  last  seen  in  Warren  County,  September  13  (V.  H. 
Barnett). 

1K».    Genus.  CHOHDEILES.    Swaihson. 

*169.     (420).    Chordeiles  virginianus  (Gmel.). 

Night  Hawk. 
Synonym,  Bull  Bat. 
Adult  Male. — Above,  black,  more  or  less  mottled,  with  grayish- 
brown  and  tawny;  primaries,  brown,  the  five  outer  ones  marked  about 
midway  with  a  white  spot.     Below,  a  white  V-shaped  mark  on  the 

54 — Geol. 


850  JRbport  of  State  Geologist. 

throat;  other  under  parts  with  transverse  bars  of  white,  blackish  and 
pale-tawny;  tail,  blackish,  with  marbled  cross  bars  and  a  white  band 
across  the  end.  Adult  Female. — Tail  without  the  white  band  across 
the  end;  the  white  of  the  throat  replaced  by  tawny. 

Length,  10.00;  wing,  7.30-8.25;  tail,  4.30-4.75. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil  north  to  Nova  Scotia,  Hudson  Bay, 
Keewatin  and  Mackenzie  River  (Ft.  Good  Hope);  west  to  Great  Plains 
and  casually  to  Pacific  Coast  from  California  to  British  Columbia. 
Breeds  from  coast  of  Gulf  States  northward.  Winters  south  of  the 
United  States. 


Night  Hawk. 

JEggs,  2;  laid  on  the  ground  or  on  flat  roof  of  building;  white, 
cream,  olive-buff  or  olive-gray,  marked  with  black,  gray  and  lavender; 
1.18  by  .86. 

Abundant  migrant,  most  numerous  in  fall;  in  northwestern  Indiana 
a  common  summer  resident,  locally  elsewhere  in  some  numbers. 
Breeds  in  suitable  localities.  In  Knox  and  Hamilton  counties  a  few 
remain  during  the  breeding  season.  In  Lake  County  it  breeds  com- 
monly. In  the  following  other  counties  it  has  been  reported  to  breed: 
Clinton,  Pulaski. 

They  arrive  later  in  spring  than  the  "Whip-poor-will,"  and  by  most 
persons  are  unobserved.  The  earliest  spring  arrival  for  the  State  is  at 
Bicknell,  April  24,  1897,  next  seen  April  30. 

The  following  records  will  show  its  progress,  that  spring.  The 
second  date  indicates  when  it  became  common,  if  reported:  Carmel, 
May  22;  Edwards.  May  2,  May  15;  Richmond,  May  20;  North  Man- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  851 

Chester,  May  22,  May  37;  Waterloo,  May  19,  May  24;  Sandusky,  0., 
May  15;  Chicago,  111.,  May  22,  May  28.  In  1896,  the  first  reached 
Laporte  April  28,  common  May  10.  The  earliest  and  latest  date  of 
first  arrival  in  16  years  at  Brookville  is,  respectively,  April  26,  1886, 
and  May  17,  1885.  The  corresponding  records  at  Petersburg,  Mich., 
for  9  years  are  May  1,  1886,  and  May  21,  1891.  Sometimes  I  have 
seen  them  gracefully  winging  their  way  north  during  the  brightest 
May  days,  high  in  the  air  and  uttering  their  call,  which  reminds  me 
of  the  "scape''  call  of  Wilson's  snipe.  It  may  be  interpreted  "STceep.'' 
In  fact,  it  is  not  a  night  bird,  but  rather  one  that  is  active  cloudy 
afternoons  and  in  the  twilight,  and  rests  when  night  falls.  It  is  not 
a  bird  of  the  woods,  but  prefers  to  nest  in  open  ground.  Its  graceful 
flight,  interesting  evolutions  and  strange  noise  at  mating  time  interest 
all  bird  lovers.  Ascending  high  in  air,  the  male,  with  stiffened 
wings  and  tail,  descends  almost  as  rapidly  as  a  flash  of  light;  the  noise 
produced  by  the  air  against  the  wings  is  a  peculiar  booming  sound 
which  has  been  compared  to  that  made  by  blowing  into  the  bunghole 
of  an  empty  barrel.  It  would  seem  the  bird  would  dash  itself  to 
pieces  on  the  ground,  but  suddenly  the  wings  change  position  and 
gracefully  it  curves  outward  and  upward,  then  circles  again  into  the 
higher  air.  They  nest  in  fields,  upon  the  ground.  Two  eggs  are  laid 
on  alternate  days.  Incubation  begins  when  the  first  one  is  laid.  In 
Cincinnati,  Detroit  and  Chicago  it  has  been  found  to  breed  upon  the 
flat  roofs  of  buildings.  It  does  not  breed  in  the  Whitewater  Valley  so 
far  as  reported.  Its  eggs  are  to  be  found  in  northern  Indiana  from 
May  27  to  last  of  June,  and  sometimes  into  July. 

Prof.  F.  H.  King,  from  dissection,  found  that  five  had  eaten  19 
beetles,  23  heteroptera,  9  grasshoppers  and  4  neuroptera.  The  ma- 
terial taken  from  the  stomach  of  one  specimen  weighed  9  grammes 
(Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  564).    They  are  very  destructive  to  flying  insects. 

In  August  and  September  they  pass  south  in  great  numbers.  About 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  begin  to  appear  along  our  streams, 
and  by  sundown  a  continuous  stream  may  be  seen  passing  down  the 
river.  In  1896  they  were  first  noted  August  21.  That  is  the  e.arliest 
record  I  have  from  Brookville,  though  Mr.  Y.  H.  Bamett  saw  them  in 
Brown  County  August  12,  1895.  The  last  fall  record  I  have  from 
Chicago  is  September  28,  1895;  from  northern  Indiana,  La- 
fayette, September  25,  1895;  southern  Indiana,  Bicknell,  October  4, 
1895;  usually  all  have  left  before  October  1.  Marksmen  use  these 
birds  as  targets  for  practice.    Undoubtedly  many  are  thus  killed. 


852  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Suborder  CYPSELI.     Swifts. 
XXXIV.     Family  MICROPODIDiE.     Swifts. 

Subfamily  CH^TURIN^E.     Spine-tailed  Swifts, 
a^.  Tail  rounded  or  even ;  feathers  with  spiny  points  at  end.  Ch.etura  100 

100.    Gknus  CH^TURA  Stkphens. 

^170.     (423).    Chsetura  pelagica  (Linn.). 

Chimney  Swift. 
Synonym,  Chimney  Swallow, 


Head  and  tail  feather  of  Chimney  Swift.    Natural  size. 

Above,  sooty-brown,  with  faint  greenish  gloss;  wings,  black.  Below, 
paler;  chin  and  throat,  grayish. 

Length,  5.25-5.40;   wing,  5.00-5.25;   tail,  1.90-2.15. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  southern  Mexico  north  to 
Labrador  and  Manitoba;  west  to  Texas  and  Nebraska.  Breeds  from 
Florida  and  Texas  northward.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  half-saucer  shape,  of  twigs  glued  together  and  attached  to  side 
of  chimney  or  hollow  tree.    Eggs,  4-6;  white;   .79  by  .52, 

Abundant  summer  resident.  Breeds.  In  the  early  history  of  this 
State  these  birds  nested  in  hollow  trees,  and  there  are  localities  where 
a  few  do  so  yet.  Only  a  few  years  ago  a  large  hollow  sycamore  near 
Brookville,  that  for  years  was  occupied  by  them,  was  cut  down.  The 
large,  old-fashioned  chimneys  were  used  by  them  in  great  numbers, 
and  they  became  such  a  nuisance  that  wire  cloth  was  fastened  over 
them  to  exclude  them.  They  do  not  use  the  smaller  chimneys  so 
commonly.  I  have  known  them  to  nest  in  stables  and  other  deserted 
buildings.  Through  the  latter  part  of  April  they  are  seen  mating, 
but  it  is  well  into  May  before  they  begin  breeding.  The  nests  are 
composed  of  dead  twigs  fastened  to  each  other  and  to  the  wall  with  a 


Birds  of  Imdiana.  853 

gummy  secretion  from  the  moutli.  The  twigs  are  broken  as  the  hirds 
fly,  being  grasped  by  the  feet  and  wrenched  olf .  In  my  yard,  I  have 
noticed  they  usually  take  dead  apple  twigs.  Mr.  Widmann  says  it 
takes  two    months  to  rear  a  family  of  Swifts. 

When  the  young  are  able  to  leave  the  nests^  they  remain- in  the 
chimney,  clinging  to  the  sides  for  some  time.  For  several  weeks  a 
chimney,  connecting  with  a  bed-chamber,  containing  a  few  nests  of 
these  birds,  is  a  source  of  the  most  uncanny  sounds  and  annoying 
hissings,  which  render  rest  by  day  impossible,  and  occasionally  unac- 
countable noises  at  night  awaken  the  soundest  sleeper.  Often  the 
entire  younger  portion  of  the  family  will  tumble  down  the  flue;  if 
there  is  an  open  fireplace  they  enter  the  room,  where  they  produce 
much  dirt  and  disorder,  if  left  a  few  hours.  One  of  my  earliest  recol- 
lections, going  back  to  the  time  of  pinafores,  is  of  15  or  16  of  these 
young  birds,  almost  able  to  fly,  hanging  to  my  apron  front,  their 
cries  and  mine  joining  in  vociferous  rivalry. 

The  earliest  record  for  Brookville  is  April  5,  in  each  of  the  two  years 
1888  and  1897.  The  latest  first  arrival  there  is  April  22,  1895.  The 
earliest  record  for  the  State  is  April  4,  1889,  New  Harmony,  where 
it  became  common  April  13.  It  spread  all  over  the  State. early  that 
year,  reaching  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  20,  becoming  common  May  1. 
In  1888  it  arrived  unusually  early.  It  was  first  observed  all  over  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  as  far  north  as  Terre  Haute  and  Brookville 
by  April  7,  and  became  common  at  once,  but  its  course  was  stayed, 
and  it  did  not  reach  Petersburg,  Mich.,  until  May  2,  and  became  com- 
mon May  10.  The  following  dates  for  1897  show  it  was  very  early 
in  southeastern  Indiana,  while  the  Wabash  Valley,  excepting  Lafay- 
ette, was  behind:  Brookville,  April  5;  Eichmond,  April  12,  April  15; 
Anderson,  April  16,  April  30;  Muncie,  April  17;  Bicknell,  April  17, 
April  21;  Spearsville,  April  19;  Lafayette,  North  Manchester,  April  22, 
May  5.  The  first  bird  was  seen  at  Chicago,  111.,  and  Sandusky,  0., 
the  same  day,  April  24.  Common  at  Chicago,  May  1;  at  Sandusky, 
April  25.  It  did  not  reach  Petersburg,  Mich.,  till  May  4,  and  was  com- 
mon May  10.  At  Chicago  it  has  been  noted  as  first  arrival  April  24 
to  May  5;  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  from  April  20  (1889)  to  May  4  (1897). 

In  fall,  usually  they  disappear  in  September.  Most  of  them  leave 
the  northern  part  of  the  State  early  in  that  month.  Some,  however, 
sometimes  remain  well  into  October.  Their  last  fall  dates  at  Lafayette 
are:  1894,  October  12;  1895,  September  30;  1896,  September  29.  At 
Sandusky,  0.,  it  has  been  reported  to  Prof.  Moseley,  October  15,  1896. 
In  1886  it  remained  in  Brookville  until  October  7,  and  in  1897  they 


854  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

were  common  October  13,  which  is  the  latest  1  have  seen  it.  They 
stay  until  a  sudden  cold  snap  comes,  and  then  leave.  October  5,  1894, 
they  were  common — one  of  our  chimneys  was  alive  with  them.  Next 
day  it  grew  colder  all  day,  and  at  night  it  was  necessary  to  build  a  fire 
in  that  fire-place,  but  the  swifts  were  all  gone. 

Their  food  is  entirely  insects,  largely  flies  and  other  small  forms, 
which  they  take  in  the  air. 


Suborder  T-ROCHILI.     Humming  Birds. 

XXXV.     Family  TROCHILID^.     Humming  Birds. 

a^.  Back  golden  green;  bill  straight;  first  primary  not  excessively  lengthened. 

Trochilus.     101 

101.    Gbnus  trochilus  Linn^us. 

Subgenus  Trochilus. 

^^171.     (428).    Trochilus  colubris  Linn. 

Ruby-throated  Humming  Bird. 

Adult  Male. — Tail,  deeply  forked;  above,  metallic  green;  wings  and 
tail,  dusky  purple;  below,  white,  a  ruby-red  gorget;  sides,  greenish. 
Adult  Female. — Tail,  not  deeply  forked,  the  feathers  barred  with 
black,  outer  ones  tipped  with  white;  lacking  the  metallic  gorget. 
Young. — Similar  to  feinale,  but  with  tail  more  like  the  male. 

Length,  3.07-3.25;  wing,  1.60;  tail,  1.25. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Central  America  and  West 
Indies  to  Labrador  and  Northwest  Territory;  west  to  Great  Plains. 
Breeds  throughout  its  range.    Winters  from  Florida  southward. 

Nest,  of  lichens  and  vegetable  fibre,  covered  with  lichens  and  sad- 
dled to  a  horizontal  limb.    Eggs,  2;  white;   .51  by  .33. 

Common  summer  resident.  Breeds.  There  are  many  beautiful  and 
interesting  birds  found  throughout  our  State,  but  beside  this  little 
flying  gem  all  others  are  as  common  pebbles  beside  the  ruby.  We  all 
continue  to  share  the  feeling  of  childhood,  and  gaze  in  inquiring  won- 
der as  we  see  it  come  from  somewhere  and  gather  food,  as  its  humming 
wings  carry  it  from  flower  to  flower  among  the  nasturtiums,  and  dis- 
appear over  the  fence  as  suddenly  as  it  came.  This  is  the  only  kind  of 
humming  bird  found  in  the  eastern  United  States.  Its  average  time  of 
arrival  in  southern  Indiana  is  May  1;  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  May  10.  I  have  taken  it  at  Brookville  as  early  as  April  20, 
1896;  and  it  delayed  arriving  until  May  9  in  both  1888  and  1889. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


855 


Although  they  come  tolerably  late,  they  are  sometimes  destroyed 
by  late  cold  weather.  May  20,  1883,  many  must  have  perished  from 
cold.  Several  dead  were  brought  to  me,  and  others  reported.  May 
19,  1895,  Messrs.  Ulrey  and  Wallace  reported  dead  found  in  Wabash 
County  after  cold  weather  (Proc.  I.  A.  S.,  1895,  p.  152).  At  Sedan 
the  earliest  and  latest  record  of  first  arrival  is  April  29,  1891,  May  19, 
1889;  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  28,  1896,  May  22,  1890.     The  fol- 


Kuby-throated  Humming  Bird— Male,  female  and  nest,  slightly  reduced. 

lowing  record  of  first  arrival,  and  date  it  became  common,  when  given 
in  1897,  ar-e  presented:  Bicknell,  April  29,  May  12;  Edwards,  May  4, 
May  15;  Hanover,  May  6,  May  10;  Brookville,  May  8,  May  9;  Eich- 
mond.  May  4,  May  17;  Anderson,  May  12;  North  Manchester,  May  15, 
May  25;  Lafayette,  May  16;  Waterloo,  April  29,  May  20.  Only  one 
Avas  seen  on  first  date  at  Waterloo,  and  no  other  until  May  16. 

Humming  Birds  frequent  certain  localities.  Some  places  they  may 
always  be  found;  others,  rarely.  In  late  summer  they  gather  in  great 
numbers  about  certain  flowers.  One  sand  bar  I  know,  near  Brookville, 
covered  with  Bouncing  Betty,  is  a  favorite  place.  They  gather  there 
l)y  hundreds  in  August  and  early  September.  At  a  certain  locality 
near  Lafayette,  where  wild  Touch-me-nots  flower  profusely,  forty  or 
fifty  Humming  Birds  may  be  found  most  any  evening,  or  morning,  at 
the  same  season.-  Petunias,  Gladioli,  and  Cannas,  are  visited,  too, 
while  earlier  in  the  season  the  favorite  flower  is  the  Trumpet  Creeper 
(Tecoma  radicans).     The  food  of  this  little  bird  is  minute  insects, 


850  KEi'OKT  OY  State  Geologist. 

nectar  from  flowers,  and  tlie  sap  of  trees.  Their  nests  are  usually  built 
of  fine  fibre  and  lichens,  on  a  horizontal  limb,  in  some  retired  spot 
along  the  borders  of  the  wood.  T  know  of  one  over  the  bars  into  a 
wooded  pasture,  where  many  people  and  cattle  pass  each  day.  They 
look  like  lichened-covered  knots.  They  pair  at  once  upon  arrival. 
May  12,  1882,  I  found  a  complete  nest,  and  the  next  day  found  one 
with  eggs.  Mrs.  Hine  reports  one  just  beginning  its  nest,  May  27, 
1887,  at  Sedan.  Allowing  tiine  for  its  completion,  for  laying  the  two 
eggs,  which  is  done  on  alternate  days,  and  for  incubation,  about  four- 
teen days,  the  young  would  not  be  hatched  in  that  nest  until  well  to- 
wards July.  The  female  does  the  nest-building,  incubating,  and 
cares  for  the  young.  They  are  fed  by  regurgitation.  Major  Bendire 
thinks  two,  and  occasionally  three,  broods  may  be  reared  in  a  year,  as 
fresh  eggs  have  been  found  as  late  as  August  7. 

Some  years  they  leave  early  in  September.  Last  seen  in  Brookville, 
1886,  September  7;  Warren  County,  September  16,  1897;  Lafayette, 
1896,  September  6;  September  13,  1887,  at  Sedan;  others,  they  remain 
until  near  October.  In  1894  they  were  late  leaving.  That  year  they 
were  last  seen  at  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  27;  Hillsdale,  Mich., 
September  23;  Sedan,  September  15;  Laporte,  September  28.  In 
1889  they  remained  at  Brookville  until  September  .28,  and  in  1897, 
until  September  29.  An  instance  is  recorded  where  one  was  entangled 
in  the  spines  of  a  tliistle. 


0.     Order  PASSERES.     Perching  Birds. 
Suborder  CLAMATORES.     Songless  Perching  Birds. 
XXXVI.     Family  TYRANNID^.     Tyrant  Flycatchers. 

uK  Tail  much  longer  than  wing;  very  deeply  forked.  Milvulus. 

a-'.  Tail  not  longer  than  wing;  not  deeply  forked. 

6^.  Tarsus  not  longer  than  middle  toe  with  claw;  adults  with  a  bright  colored 

(yellow,  orange  or  red)  concealed  patch  on  crown.  Tyrannts.     102 

ft^.  Tarsus  longer  than  middle  toe  with  claw  (^or  else  with  a  conspicuous  cottony 

patch  on  each  side  of  rump)  ;  adults  without  bright  colored  patch  on  crown. 

c^.  Wings  and  tail  with  chestnut;  length  generally  8.00  or  more. 

Myiakchus.     108 

C-.  Wings  and  tail  without  chestnut;  general  color  olivaceous;  length  8.00 

or  less. 

d^.  Wing  at  least  six  times  as  long  as  tarsus.  _        Contopus.     105 

d2.  Wing  about  four  times  as  long  as  tarsus  or  less;  little  longer  than  tail. 

e^.  Wing  more  than  3.25.  Sayobnis.     104 

e-.  Wing  less  than  3.25.  Empidonax.     106 


Bjrds  of  Indiana 


857 


102.    Uknds  TYKANNUS  Cuviek. 

*172.     (444).    Tyrannus  tyrannus  (Linn.). 

Kingbird. 
Synonyms,  Bee  Bird,  Bee  Martin. 


Kingbird. 
I  Beal.— Farmer's  Bulletin,  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  p.  11.) 

Adult. — Above,  blackish;  top  of  head,  black,  crown  with  a  con- 
cealed patch  of  orange-red;  wings,  dusky,  the  greater  coverts  and 
quills  edged  with  white;  rump  and  tail,  black,  all  the  tail  feathers 
tipped  and  the  outer  ones  sometimes  edged  with  white;  below,  white, 
breast  shaded  with  bluish-ash.  Immature. — Lacking  the  orange-red 
crown  patch,  sometimes  with  wings  and  tail  edged  with  rufous. 

Length,  8.00-9.00;  wing,  4.45-4.75;  tail,  3.40-3.75. 

Range. — America,  from  Bolivia  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Atha- 
basca; west  to  Texas  and  Eocky  Mountains,  which  it  crosses  northward 
and  extends  to  Pacific  coast  from  California  to  British  Columbia. 
Breeds  from  Florida  and  Texas  coast  north.  Winters  from  Florida 
and  Gulf  coast  southward. 

Nest,  in  exposed  tree,  usually  15  to  40  feet  up,  of  sticks  and  weeds, 
vegetable  fibre,  wood,  string,  hair  and  rootlets;  lined  with  finer  mate- 
rial. Eggs,  3-4;  white,  creamy,  or  pinkish- white,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  various  shades  of  brown  and  purple;  .95  by  .72. 


858  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

A  well  known  summer  resident.  Abundant.  Breeds.  The  King- 
bird has  also  been  called  "Bee-Bird,"  "Bee-Martin,"  and  Mr.  L.  T. 
Meyer  says,  in  Lake  County,  it  is  called,  by  farmers,  "Dumb-Bird." 
Popularly,  it  is  known  as  a  destroyer  of  bees.  It,  with  all  the  other 
members  of  the  "Flycatcher"  family,  are  insect  catchers.  That  is 
their  business,  and  they  attend  well  to  it.  The  Kingbird,  and  also 
other  members  of  the  family,  are  to  be  seen  about  the  hives.  There 
are  many  bees,  both  workers  and  drones,  fl3dng  about.  There,  too,  are 
flies,  gnats,  moths,  and  other  insects;  for  there  are  more  insects 
about  apiaries  than  bees.  All  of  these  form  a  part  of  its  food — of 
which  bees  other  than  drones  form  a  small  part.  « 

The  result  of  Prof.  BeaFs  investigations  of  281  stomachs  of  the 
Kingbird  shows  that  only  14  contained  the  remains  of  honey  bees. 
In  these  were  50  honey  bees,  40  of  which  were  drones;  4  were  certainly 
workers;  of  6  he  was  not  certain.  The  stomachs  examined  contained 
19  robber-flies,  an  insect  injurious  to  bees,  and  more  than  an  equiva- 
lent for  the  worker  bees  eaten.  They  do  eat  many  wasps  and  native 
bees.  Indeed,  they  are  provided  with  a  concealed  patch  of  orange 
feathers  on  the  crown,  which,  when  exposed,  seems  to  attract  these 
insects  to  it,  to  bring  its  prey  within  easy  reach.  From  the  specimens 
examined,  in  addition  to  deciding  its  relations  to  the  bee  raiser,  which 
certainly  are  not  injurious,  it  was  shown  that  about  90  per  cent,  of  its 
food  is  insects,  mostly  injurious  species;  10  per  cent,  is  wild  fruits, 
such  as  elderberries  and  wild  grapes  (Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  54,  U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  p.  12). 

Prof.  King  found  one  bee  in  the  stomachs  of  12  Kingbirds.  The 
principal  food  was  beetles  and  flies  (Geol.  Wis.,  I,  p.  559).  Prof. 
Forbes  found  that  43  per  cent,  of  the  food  of  some  examined  was 
canker-worms  (Rept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc,  1881,  p.  204).  A  pair  of  these 
birds  about  a  house  serves  a  good  purpose  in  driving  away  or  giving 
warning  of  the  approach  of  hawks  and  crows. 

The  Kingbird  comes  into  Indiana  near  the  middle  of  April,  or 
later,  and  is  generally  seen  all  over  the  State  by  May  1.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrivals  from  the  places 
named  for  a  series  of  years:  Brookville,  April  15,  1884,  latest,  1882 
and  1887,  both  May  1;  Bicknell,  April  15,  both  1895  and  1896,  April 
24,  1894;  Laporte,  April  18,  1896,  May  4,  1893;  Sedan,  April  22,  1896, 
May  1,  1888.  I  have  observed  them  mating  April  30  (1884).  Their 
nests  are  usually  built  in  a  tree — an  orchard  tree,  or  one  in  a  pasture 
or  beside  a  field  being  preferred.  Twigs,  weed  stems,  grasses  and 
hair  are  generally  used  for  the  nest,  which  is  lined  with  horse-hair 


Birds  of  Indiana.  859 

oj-  other  finer  material.  They  also  adapt  themselves  to  circum- 
stances, and  use  string,  binder  twine,  cotton,  wool,  and  other  easily  ac- 
cessible material.    I  once  found  a  nest  largely  composed  of  wool. 

An  egg  is  laid  daily,  and  incubation  lasts  12  or  13  days.  Both,  sexes 
share  in  this  and  in  nest-building.  Two  broods  are  sometimes  reared. 
I  have  found  young  in  nest  June  19,  1896;  another  set  of  young,  able 
to  fly,  July  8,  1896;  old  teaching  young  to  fly,  August  8,  1897.  The 
Kingbird^s  song  becomes  less  frequent,  his  noise  noticeably  dimin- 
ishes, as  household  cares  become  burdensome.  Only  occasionally  is  it 
heard  through  August.  They  are  seldom  seen  late  in  August,  and 
early  in  September  most  have  left.  At  Sedan,  Mrs.  Hine  says  they 
are  usually  gone  by  September  14.  None  were  seen  after  that  in  1894, 
except  a  single  one,  October  19. 

In  1895  it  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  until  September  25. 
Usually  they  are  gone  from  southern  Indiana  by  September  12.  They 
disappear  so  gradually  that  we  do  not  realize  when  all  have  left,  and 
usually  can  not  tell  when  we  saw  the  last. 


103.    Genus  MYIARCHUS  Cabanis. 

*173.     (452).    Myiarchus  crinitus  (Linn.). 

Crested  Flycatcher. 
Synonym,  Great  Crested  FiiYCATOHER. 

Head,  crested;  above,  decidedly  olive,  browner  on  head;  wings, 
dusky,  edged  with  rufous;  tail  feathers,  dusky,  with  inner  webs  of  all 
but  the  two.  central  feathers,  rufous;  below,  throat  and  chest,  deep 
ash-gray;  rest  of  under  parts,  sulphur-yellow. 

Length,  8.50-9.00;  wing,  3.90-4.40;  tail,  3.50-4.20. 

Range. — America,  from  Colombia  north  over  N.  A.  east  of  the 
Great  Plains  to  New  Brunswick  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  throughout 
its  range,  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Winters  from  south  Florida 
southward. 

Nest,  usually  a  cavity  in  a  tree  or  stump;  a  miscellaneous  collection 
of  odds  and  ends,  including  rootlets,  twigs,  bark,  moss,  leaves,  hair, 
egg  shells,  feathers  and  snakeskins.  Eggs,  4-8;  creamy  or  vinaceous 
buff,  with  blotches,  longitudinal  streaks  and  fine  lines  of  different 
shades  of  brown  and  purple;  .89  by  .69. 

As  common  a  summer  resident  as  the  Kingbird,  but  its  home  is  in 
the  woods,  where  few  hear  it  and  fewer  see  it.  Late  in  April  or  early 
in  May,  some  morning,  the  bird  lover  will  hear  a  penetrating  "e-wheet- 


8(i()  Ivioj'OH'i'  OF  State  GEOLoiiis'i". 

wilt"  coming  fi'om  the  higlier  limbs  of  a  tree  in  tlie  woods.  It  is  a 
last  year's  friend.  A  step  into  the  clearing  will  vshow  him  on  the  dead 
limb  of  a  dying  sugar  tree.  A  second  time  he  greets  one^,  and  another 
name  is  added  to  the  list  of  arrivals.  It  is  the  Crested  Flycatcher. 
There  is  a  hole,  whether  made  by  Woodpeckers  I  can  not  tell,  in  the 
top  of  the  old  forest  guardian,  where  it  sits.  There  it  had  a  nest  last 
year,  and  purposes  to  use  it  again  this.  Such  is  the  site  it  prefers,  but 
it  is  not  extremely  particular  in  that  regard.  Dr.  Raymond  once 
showed  me  a  hollow  apple  tree  limb  Avhere  one  nested  in  a  Imsy  part 
of  town. 


Crested  Flycatcher.    (Reduced 


Ah-.  T.  H.  Barton  found  a  nest  containing  3  eggs  in  a  half-gallon 
tin  can  along  a  garden  fence,  in  town,  one  spring.  Almost  every  nest 
found  contains  more  or  less  of  the  cast-off  skin  of  a  snake.  Both  sexes 
assist  in  nest-building,  in  which  they  use  leaves,  grass,  weeds,  bark, 
rootlets  and  feathers.  The  female  does  most  of  the  sitting,  which  re- 
quires about  fifteen  days.  One  egg  is  laid  daily.  But  one  brood  is 
reared  yearly.  They  are  very  noisy  at  mating  time.  Afterwards  the 
noise  grows  less  through  June,  and  in  July  fails.  Occasionally  it  is 
heard  before  leaving.  September  1,  1897,  I  found  one  uttering  it^ 
usual  call,  but  not  so  emphatically  as  when  a  gay  and  careless  bird,  in 
May.  They  leave  through  August  and  September.  The  following 
are  dates  when  they  were  last  seen:  Sedan,  Ind.,  August  21,  1892; 
August  30,  1887;  September  9,  1895;  Bicknell,  Ind.,  September  7, 
1890,  September  18,  1895,  September  21,  1894;  Warren  County,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1897;  Brookville,  August  29,  1887,  September  3,  1886, 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  861 

Septeinber  1,  1897.  In  spring,  tliey  return  closely  after  the  Kingbird. 
The  first  spring  record  for  the  State  is  from  Brookville,  where  it  was 
observed  April  18,  in  1888,  and  1896.  It  was  not  seen  there  until 
May  11,  1894.  The  following  records  give  date  of  earliest  and  latest 
first  arrival  at  places  noted:  Bicknell,  April  19,  1896,  April  24,  1895; 
Sedan,  April  21,  1896,  May  10,  1891;  Laporte,  April  27,  1892,  May  2, 
1894,  and  1896;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  27,  1888,  May  5,  1897. 
Its  food  is  largely  insects,  with  which  its  woodland  home  abounds, 
though,  after  the  wild  fruits  begin  to  ripen,  it  eats  some  of  them. 


104.    Gknus  SAYORNIS  Bonapartk. 

'174.     (456).    Sayornis  phcebe  (Lath.). 

Phoebe. 
Synonym,  Pewke,  Bridge  Peavee. 

Adult. — Above,  olive-gray,  top  of  head,  dark  olive-brown;  wings 
and  tail,  dusky,  the  outer  tail  feathers,  inner  secondaries,  and  some- 
times wing  coverts,  edged  with  whitish;  below,  whitish,  rather  soiled 
on  throat;  sides  of  breast,  olive-gray;  posterior  parts,  tinged  with  yel- 
lowish; bill,  black.    Immature. — More  olive  above,  more  yellow  below. 

Length,  6.25-7.00;  wing,  3.25-3.55;  tail,  3.00-3.40. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Mexico  and  Cul)a  north  to 
New  Brunswick  and  Mackenzie  River  (Ft.  Simpson);  west  to  Great 
Plains.  Breeds  from  South  Carolina,  Louisiana  and  western  Texas, 
north.  Winters  from  southern  Texas,  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina, 
southward. 

Nest,  of  mud,  moss,  grass,  and  feathers,  under  cliff,  bridge,  culvert 
or  shed.  Eggs,  3-8;  white,  rarely  spotted  with  reddish-brown;  .75 
by  .57. 

One  of  the  earliest  of  the  summer  residents  to  arrive  is  the  Phoebe. 
Sometimes  it  is  at  Brookville  by  March  1,  and  arrives  farther  south 
late  in  February.  It  is  rarely  common  before  mid- April.  The  earliest 
arrivals  seek  the  banks  of  rivers,  creeks  and  the  hillsides  even  in  the 
woods.  Cold  days  they  seek  the  eastern  exposures,  where  the  winds 
do  not  blow  and  where  the  first  rays  of  the  sun  may  be  felt.  They 
are  known  as  "Pewee,"  or  "Bridge  Bird,"  because  of  their  note,  which 
is  variously  given  as  Feebe,  Feebec,  or  Pewee,  and  the  place  of  nesting, 
which  is  often  under  a  bridge  or  culvert,  and  also  in  barns,  sheds,  old 
buildings,  sometimes  on  the  post  of  a  porch,  or  in  the  eaves  of  an 
occupied  dwelling. 


Hi^'Z 


Report  of  State  (tEologist 


Their  nests  ai-e  still  placed  under  the  projecting  rocks  of  a  steep 
1)ank,  of  a  railway  cut,  and  of  quanies.  Thus  they  cling  to  habit,  for 
such  were  their  original  homes.  In  the  Falls  region  of  southern  Indi- 
ana they  build  beneath  the  Falls,  protected  by  the  shelving  rocks.  The 
summer  of  1897,  while  on  a  trip  through  Vermillion  and  Warren 
counties,  Mr.  V.  H.  Bamett  found  a  nest  in  a  coal  mine  20  feet  from 
the  entrance.    Some  years  they  begin  mating  by  March  17,  and  nest 


^ •' 


Phoebe. 
(Beal.— Farmer's  Bulletin  54,  llnited  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  p.  13.') 

building  by  March  26.  I  have  found  their  complement  of  eggs  April 
18.  Sometimes  a  second  brood  is  reared.  The  birds  appear  to  return 
to  the  same  site  year  after  year.  Incubation  requires  about  12  days, 
most  of  which  is  done  by  the  female.  The  following  give  the  date  at 
which  it  was  first  seen,  earliest  and  latest  record,  for  the  places  men- 
tioned: Brookville,  March  1,  1881,  March  29,  1892;  Bicknell,  March 
9,  1896,  March  24,  1895;  Bloomington,  March  2,  1893;  Lafayette, 
March  18,  1893,  April  10,  1895;  Kouts,  March  20,  1896;  Sedan,  March 
16,  1889,  March  30,  1896.  \n  fall  they  are  silent  through  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer,  but  just  before  leaving,  their  call  may  sometimes 
be  heard.  The  following  dates  give  earliest  and  latest  departure  noted 
for  places  named:  Sandusky,  0.,  Oct.  10,  1896;  Sedan,  Oct.  11,  1893; 
Grreensburg,  September  22,  1894,  October  17,  1896;  Brookville,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1885-6,  October  14,  1890,  and  Ricknell,  September  30, 


BrnDS  OP  Indiana.  863 

1895,  October  13,  1896,  and  October  19,  1894;  which  is  the  latest  for 
ihe  State.  The  well  known  severe  weather  in  the  south  in  the  spring 
of  1895  must  have  destroyed  many  Phoebes.  Their  decrease  was  noted; 
in  some  localities,  it  was  decided,  that  summer.  By  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  Phoebe's  food  is  insects.  Few,  if  any,  birds  are  of  more 
benefit.  Its  work  is  often  about  the  house  and  garden,  where  every 
effort  counts  in  favor  of  man.  In  80  stomachs  examined,  over  93  per 
cent,  of  the  food  was  insects  and  spiders.  The  remainder  was  wild 
fruit.  The  insects  were  mainly  injurious  kinds,  including  click  bee- 
tles, weevils.  May  beetles,  grasshoppers  and  flies.  Major  Bendire  says 
cut-worm  moths  is  one  of  their  favorite  foods. 


105.    Genus  CONTOPUS  Cabanis. 

a^.  Wing  3.90  or  over;  sides  of  rump  with  a  conspicuous  tuft  of  white  cottony 
feathers.     Subgenus  Nuttallornis  Ridgway.     C.  borealis  (Swains.).     175 

a^.  Wing  3.60  or  less;  no  tuft  of  white  feathers  on   sides  of  rump. 

Subgenus  Contoptts.  C.  virens  (Linn.).     176 

Subgenus  Nuttallornis  Ridgw. 

175.     (459).    Contopus  borealis  (Swains.). 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher. 

Adult. — Upper  parts,  between  fuscous  and  dark  olive;  wings  and 
tail,  fuscous;  throat,  middle  of  the  bell)^,  and  generally  a  narrow  line 
on  the  center  of  the  breast,  white  or  yellowish-white;  rest  of  the  under 
parts  of  nearly  the  same  color  as  the  back;  under  tail  coverts,  marked 
with  dusky;  a  tuft  of  fluffy,  yellowish-white  feathers,  on  either  flank; 
upper  mandible,  black;  lower  mandible,  yellowish  or  pale  grayish- 
brown,  the  tip  darker.  Immature. — Similar,  but  with  rather  more 
olive  above,  more  yellow  below,  and  with  the  wing  coverts  edged  with 
ochraceous-buff. 

Remarks. — This  species  may  always  be  known  from  other  Fly- 
catchers by  the  comparatively  little  white  on  the  under  parts,  and  by 
■the  tuft  of  yellowish-white  feathers  on  the  flanks.  Like  the  Wood 
Pewee,  it  has  the  wing  .50  or  more  longer  than  the  tail  (Chapman, 
Birds  E.  N.  A.,  pp.  246,  247). 

Length,  7.10-7.90;  wing,  3.90-4.50;  tail,  2.80-3.50. 

Eange. — America,  from  Peru  to  mouth  of  St.  Lawrence  River, 
Great  Slave  Lake  and  Alaska.  Breeds  from  Massachusetts,  New  York 
and  Minnesota,  north  and  south  along  Rocky  Mountains  to  New 
^Texieo  and  Arizona.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 


864  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  on  a  liml),  40  to  60  feet  up,  of  rootlets,  small  twigs  and  moss. 
Eggs,  3-4;  creamy-white,  spotted  with  diiferent  shades  of  brown  and 
purplish;  .85  by  .63. 

Migrant;  generally  rare,  but  found  in  some  numbers  about  the  lower 
end  of  Lake  Michigan.  It  has  not  been  reported  from  the  southeast- 
em  half  of  the  State.  It  may  breed  in.  the  northern  part  of  the  State, 
as  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelfeon  took  it  as  late  as  June  2,  near  Chicago.  In  that 
vicinity  he  notes  it  in  spring,  from  May  15  to  25,  and  in  fall,  the  last 
of  September  and  first  of  October  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  December,  1876, 
p.  113). 

It  appears  to  be  a  late  migrant,  frequenting  woodland,  where  it  is 
to  be  found  upon  a  dead  limb  at  the  top  of  a  tall  tree.  Mr.  Robert 
Ridgway  took  it  at  Wheatland,  Knox  County,  May  12,  1885.  That  is 
the  only  record  from  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  Ruthven 
Deane  took  it  at  English  Lake,  May  26,  1889,  and  Mrs.  Hine  has  noted 
it  at  Sedan,  Dekalb  County.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  took  a  female. 
May  25,  1896,  at  Colehour,  111.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  says  it  was  not  rare 
iji  Lake  County  in  1871,  when  he  obtained  a  number  of  specimens. 
They  nest  late.  Major  Bendire  says  nidification  rarely  begins  any- 
where throughout  their  range  before  June  1,  usually  not  before  June 
10,  and  in  some  seasons  not  before  July  (L.  H.  ^.  A.  B.,  p.  284). 

"^176.    (461).    Contopus  virens  (Ltnn). 

Wood  Pewee. 

Adult. — Above,  dark  olive-gray  or  olive-brown,  darker  on  head; 
wings  and  tail,  brownish-black,  with  an  olive  gloss,  the  former  with 
the  wing  coverts  edged  with  whitish;  the  latter,  unmarked;  white  ring 
around  eye;  below,  light  olive  gray  on  breast,  whitening  on  throat; 
belly  and  under  tail  coverts,  pale  yellowish;  bill,  above  black,  below 
yellow.  Immature. — Similar,  but  more  olive  above;  nape,  tinged  with 
ashy;  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts,  with  rusty;  wing  coverts,  edged 
with  light  buff;  below,  lighter;  forepart  of  lower  mandible,  dusky. 

Length,  5.90-6.50;  wing,  3.00-3.45;  tail,  2.50-2.90. 

Range. — America,  from  Ecuador  north  over  eastern  United  States 
to  New  Brunswick  and  Manitoba;  west  to  the  Plains.  Breeds  from 
southern  limits  of  United  States  northward.  Winters  south  of  United 
States. 

Nest,  on  horizontal  limb,  8  to  20  feet  high,  of  bark,  shreds,  rootlets, 
vegetable  fibre,  covered  with  lichens.  Eggs,  2-4;  white  or  creamy- 
white,  speckled  and  blotched  with  different  shades  of  brown  and  pur- 
ple about  the  larger  end;  .72  by  .54. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  865 

A  common  summer  resident  in  woods,  pastures,  orchards,  and  even 
about  farms  and  other  large  lawns.  Its  note  is  not  so  sharp  as  the 
Phoebe's,  and  has  a  smooth,  soothing  sound  that  speaks  of  rest  and 
contentment.  The  most  abundant  Flycatcher  we  have.  Owing  to 
the  lateness  of  its  arrival  in  spring,  it  is  not  retarded  by  inclement 
weather,  but  may  be  depended  upon  to  come  very  close  to  the  day 
each  year.  Sometimes,  however,  their  late  coining  does  not  avail  them. 
They  are  very  sensitive  to  low  temperature.  The  unusual  cold  of  May 
20,  1883,  killed  many  of  them.  During  cold  weather  they  may  some- 
times be  found  in  the  thickly  settled  parts  of  our  towns,  probably 
hunting  protection.  At  such  a  time.  May  14,  1897,  I  observed  one 
busily  catching  the  insects  about  my  strawberry  blossoms,  to  many  of 
which  they  were  doubtless  instrumental  to  fertilization. 

It  has  never  been  reported  from  within  our  limits  earlier  than 
April  26.  The  fact  that  the  Phoebe  frequents  woods  to  a  considerable 
extent  upon  arrival,  leads  many  to  think  that  it  is  the  Wood  Pewee. 

The  following  early  and  late  dates  of  first  arrival  are  of  interest: 
Bicknell,  April  26,  1896,  May  1,  1894;  Terre  Haute,  April  30,  1888, 
May  3,  1890;  Brookville,  May  5,  1885,  May  8,  1897.  They  usually 
become  common  at  once.  Mating  is  observed  in  the  latter  half  of 
May  and  early  June.  I  have  found  the  bird  sitting  on  her  nest  in 
my  yard  July  9.  They  nest  late,  seldom  before  sometime  in  June. 
Probably  occasionally  a  second  brood  is  laid.  Found  young  following 
old  ones  September  1,  1897.  The  shallow  nest,  covered  with  lichens, 
is  saddled  onto  the  horizontal  lichen-covered  limb  of  some  tree;  a  dead 
limb  is  preferred.  The  nest  cannot  be  readily  told  from  a  knot  or 
a  bunch  of  the  covering  material.  This  is  its  protection.  The  bird  is 
very  watchful,  and  never  lets  any  one  see  her  on  the  nest.  By  stay- 
ing thereon  she  would  make  it  more  conspicuous.  It  may  be  seen 
sitting  upright,  preferably,  on  a  dead  limb,  from  which  it  utters  its 
characteristic  note,  and  alternately  therewith  it  flies  into  the  air  to 
catch  a  passing  insect.  An  egg  is  laid  daily.  Incubation  lasts  about 
twelve  days,  and  appears  to  be  performed  by  the  female;  both  parents, 
however,  care  for  the  young.  Prof.  King  examined  41  specimens,  and 
found  18  had  eaten  66  small  beetles;  14,  41  dipterous  insects;  2,  a 
butterfly  each;  9,  13  small  dragonflies;  11,  29  hymenopterous  insects; 
1,  a  moth;  1,  a  grasshopper,  and  1  a  larvae  of  a  sawfly  (Geol.  of  Wis., 
I.,  p.  562).  He  also  adds  that  he  saw  a  Wood  Pewee  capture  and  feed 
to  its  young,  which  had  recently  left  the  nest,  41  insects  in  45  minutes. 
Some  years  they  leave  early  in  September;  others,  they  remain  to  late 
October.  They  continue  to  sing  to  some  extent  until  their  departure. 
The  following  represent  some  of  the  extreme  dates  when  the  last  were 
55— Geoi.. 


866  Kbport  of  State  Gteologist. 

seen:  Jjafayette,  September  6,  1896,  September  21,  1893;  G-reensburg, 
September  10,  1896,  September  15,  1894;  Bicknell,  September  23, 
1895,  October  10,  1896;  Brookville,  September  3,  1883,  October  20, 
1880;  Sedan,  September  16,  1894,  October  1,  1889;  Warren  County, 
September  25,  1897. 


106.    Gkhus  EMPIDONAX  Cabakis. 

a^.  Below  distinctly  yellow.  E.  flaviventris  Baird.     177 

a^.  Below  not  distinctly  yellow. 
6^  Wing  under  2.60;  tail  emarginated.  E.  minimus  Baird,     181 

b^.  Wing  2.75  or  over;  tail  even  or  slightly  rounded. 

c^.  Upper  parts  olive  green,  crown  about  the  same  shade;  bill  pale  yellow 

below.  E.  virescens  (Vieill.).     178 

c^.  Upper   parts   dark   olive   green,  shaded   with    brownish,  center  of  crown 

feathers  brown  ;  bill  dull  brownish  below. 

d^.  Bill  larger;  wing  bars  less  conspicuous.  E.  traillii  (Aud.).     179 

d^.  Bill  smaller ;  wing  bars  more  conspicuous. 

E.  traillii  alnorum.  Brewster.     180 

*177.    (463).    Empidonax  flaviventris  Baird. 

Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher. 

Above,  olive-green,  somewhat  darker  on  the  crown.  Wings,  dark 
brown,  crossed  with  two  bands,  and  secondaries  edged  with  yellow- 
ish-white; tail,  brown,  edged  with  olive-green;  yellow  ring  around  eye. 
Below,  yellow,  the  fore  parts  tinged  with  pale  olive-green;  the  back 
parts,  dull  sulphur-yellow;  bill,  above,  blackish;  below,  yellow  or 
whitish. 

Length,  5.10-5.80;  wing,  2.40-2.75;  tail,  2.00-2.30. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  to  Labrador  and 
Northwest  Territory;  casually  to  Greenland.  West  to  Manitoba  and 
Minnesota.  Breeds  from  Massachusetts  and  Pennsylvania  northward. 
Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  on  ground,  of  moss  and  rootlets.  Eggs,  4-5;  dull  white,  with 
fine  markings  of  brown;  .67  by  .51. 

Dr.  Coues  gives  the  following  synopsis  for  the  identification  of  the 
eggs  of  the  small  flycatchers: 

"J^.  acadicus — Nest,  on  the  trees,  in  horizontal  forks,  thin,  saucer- 
shaped,  open-work;  eggs,  creamy-white,  boldly  spotted. 

"E.  traillii — Nest,  in  trees,  in  upright  crotch,  deeply  cupped,  com- 
pact walled;  eggs,  creamy-white,  boldly  spotted. 

"J57.  minimus — Nest,  in  trees,  in  upright  crotch,  deeply  cupped, 
compact  walled;  eggs,  immaculate  white. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  867 

''E.  flaviventris — Nest,  on  ground  or  near  it,  deeply  cupped,  thick 
and  bulky;   eggs,  white,  spotted/' 

Eare  migrant,  and  occasional  summer  resident.  Breeds.  This  spe- 
cies is  retiring  and  quiet,  and  with  us  is  rather  silent.  Occasionally, 
it  utters  a  queer,  wheezing  note,  which  Mr.  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  says  (in 
Chapman's  Birds  of  E.  IST.  A.)  is  suggestive  of  a  sneeze,  and  which  he 
writes  pse-eJc,  uttered  almost  in  one  explosive  syllable.  Its  call,  he  says, 
is  a  soft,  mournful  whistle,  consisting  of  two  notes,  the  second  higher 
pitched  and  prolonged,  with  rising  inflection,  resembling  a  measure 
^^chu-e-e-p." 

It  has  been  first  observed  at  Bloomington,  April  17,  1886,  May  7, 
1892;  Bicknell,  May  1,  1894;  Eichmond,  May  8,  1897;  Greensburg, 
May  14,  1894;  Davis  Station,  May  18,  1884,  May  31,  1885;  Sedan, 
May  21,  1888;  Lake  County,  May  16,  1877;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  8, 
1897.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker  took  a  male  June  3,  1889,  on  one  of  the 
knobs  near  New  Albany.  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  notes  a  specimen  taken 
at  Madisonville,  0.,  May  28,  1879  (J.  C.  S.  N.  H.,  Dec,  1881,  p.  340). 

Mr.  E.  A.  Colby  shot  several  July  23,  1887,  at  Berry  Lake,  Lake 
County,  Ind.  (Coale).  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  thinks  it  bred  in  Dekalb 
County.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says:  "The  first  of  July,  1873,  I  found 
them  quite  common  in  a  dense,  swampy  thicket  in  northern  Indiana, 
where  they  had  probably  nested''  (Bull.  Essex. Inst.,  Dec,  1876,  p. 
114).  Its  time  of  mating  and  nesting  is  late.  The  second  or  third 
week  in  June,  or  even  later,  is  the  time  they  lay.  Their  southward 
migration  is  in  August,  and  rarely  extends  into  early  September.  Mr. 
E.  M.  Kindle  took  one  at  Weed  Patch  Hill,  Brown  County,  August  11, 
1891  (Proc  L  A.  S.,  1894,  p.  70);  Cook  County,  111.,  August  25,  1886; 
Hillsdale,  Mich.,  August  24,  1894,  two.  The  nest  is  composed  prin- 
cipally of  moss,  and  is  placed  on  or  near  the  ground. 


*178.    (465).    Empidonax  virescens  (Vieill.). 

Green-crested  Flycatcher. 

Synonyms,  Acadian  FiiYCATCHEB,  Small  Gbeen-ckested  Fl\'CAtcher. 

Adult. — Above,  olive-green,  sometimes  greenish-gray;  wings,  dusky; 
two  wing  bars,  and  edges  of  secondaries,  buffy  or  buffy-white;  tail, 
olive-brown,  feathers  edged  with  olive-green;  ring  around  eye,  yellow- 
ish-white. Below,  whitish,  tinged  with  sulphur-yellow,  shaded  on 
breast  with  grayish  or  olive;  throat,  whitish.     Lower  parts,  not  dis- 


868  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

tinctly  yellow,  as  in  E.  flaviventris ;  bill  above,  brown,  below  whitish. 
Immature. — Above,  with  indistinct  cross  bars,  wing  bars  and  edging 
more  ochraceous. 

Length,  5.50-5.90;  wing,  2.55-3.10;  tail,  2.25-2.70. 

Range. — America,  from  Ecuador  north  over  eastern  United  States 
to  southern  New  England,  southern  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  south- 
em  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Manitoba.  West  to  Great  Plains.  Breeds 
from  Florida  and  eastern  Texas  northward.  Winters  south  of  United 
States. 

Nesty  in  woods,  shallow,  pensile,  fastened  by  rim  in  fork  of  drooping 
limb;  4  to  20  feet  up;  of  rootlets,  grass,  weeds,  stems  and  plant  fibres. 
Eggs,  2-4;  pale  cream  to  buff,  spotted  and  speckled  with  light  and  dark 
brown;  .79  by  .58. 

The  Acadian  Flycatcher  is  a  resident  throughout  the  State;  in 
many  localities  it  is  very  common,  and  is  always  more  numerous  dur- 
ing migrations.  It  frequents  woods,  but  is  also  found  in  orchards, 
and  lawns.  It,  too,  arrives  late,  usually  after  May  1,  and  becomes 
common  at  once. 

The  early  and  late  dates  of  first  appearance  at  the  following  places, 
is  Brookville^  May  4,  1882,  May  18,  1883;  Greensburg,  May  2,  1894, 
May  4,  1893;  Sedan,  May  1,  1896,  May  17,  1892;  Chicago,  May  9, 
1885.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Chicago  it  is  rare,  but  in  the 
Kankakee  Valley  it  is  common.  It  has  been  reported  as  breeding  in 
the  following  counties:  Carroll,  Dekalb,  tolerably  common;  Lake,  Tip- 
pecanoe, Brown,  Decatur,  Vigo,  Starke  and  Monroe. 

Mating  begins  in  May;  the  n6st  is  often  ready  for  the  eggs  the  mid- 
dle of  May,  near  the  Ohio  River,  and  early  in  June  towards  Lake 
Michigan.  The  nest  is  woven  in  the  fork  of  a  drooping  branch  of  a 
tree,  seldom  over  15  feet  from  the  ground.  An  egg  is  laid  daily. 
Dr.  F.  M.  Langdon  found  several  nests,  with  full  complement  of  eggs, 
near  Madisonville,  0.,  May  29,  1879  (J.  C.  S.  N.  H.,  Dec,  1881,  p. 
340).  June  8,  1878,  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  took  a  nest  and  two  eggs,  at 
Whiting,  Lake  County.  June  8,  1884,  he  took  a  nest  and  three  eggs 
in  Starke  County.  June  15,  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  took  full  sets  in 
Carroll  County.  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  a  nest,  with 
young,  near  Lafayette,  June  29,  1892.  The  same  young  gentlemen 
found  a  nest,  containing  three  eggs,  on  the  bank  of  the  Wabash  River, 
July  9,  1892.  Mr.  Coale  found  a  nest  of  this  species  at  Berry  Lake, 
June  16,  1878,  which  was  attached  to  a  slender  twig  by  one  side  only. 
It  was  made  entirely  of  fine,  curling  trailers  growing  on  the  tree, 
woven  neatly  into  a  shallow  nest.  Externally,  it  was  one  inch  deep, 
two  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.     Two  eggs  could  he  seen  through 


Birds  of  Indiana.  869 

the  nest  from  below.  It  usually  begins  its  return  in  August,  but 
sometimes  is  seen  after  the  middle  of  September.  The  following  give 
last  records  of  its  occurrence:  Plymouth,  Mich.,  August  29,  1894; 
Chicago,  September  22,  1895;  Lafayette,  September  12,  1895,  Septem- 
ber 16,  1894;  Sedan,  August  28,  1892,  September  3,  1889.  Mr.  V.  H. 
Barnett  shot  young  that  could  not  fly  well  in  Warren  County,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1897.  Maj.  Bendire  gives  its  call  as  wich-up,  or  hide-up^  in- 
terspersed now  and  then  with  a  sharp  queep-queep  or  chier-queep,  the 
first  S3^11able  quickly  uttered.  *  This  is  one  of  our  very  beneficial  birds. 
Its  food  is  chiefly  insects.  Dr.  B.  H.  Warren  examined  the  stomachs 
of  7;  2  contained  beetles;  1,  beetles  and  flies;  1,  large  flies  and  larvse; 
2,  various  insects;  1,  berries  (Birds  of  Penn.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  196). 

*179.    (466).    Empidonax  traillii  (Aud.). 

Traill's  Flycatcher. 

Synonym,  Little  Flycatcher. 

Adult. — Above,  brownish-olive,  or  olive-gray,  darker  on  the  head; 
wings  and  tail,  dark  brown,  the  former  with  two  bands,  varying  from 
whitish  to  dark  huffy;  secondaries,  edged  with  same;  white  or  yellow- 
ish-white ring  around  the  eye.  Beneath,  white,  the  sides  of  breast, 
and  sometimes  across  the  breast,  shaded  with  the  color  of  the  back, 
or  grayish;  sides,  throat  and  crissum,  pale,  tinged  with  sulphur-yellow; 
bill,  above,  brownish-black;  below,  white  or  yellowish.  Immature. — 
Wing  bands,  ochraceous. 

Length,  5.60-6.50;  wing,  2.55-2.85;  tail,  2.20-2.60;  bill,  .64-.73  tar- 
sus, .65-.72. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Mexico  to  Manitoba;  Mackenzie 
River  Valley,  and  Alaska.  East  to  Arkansas,  Illinois,  Ohio,  Michigan 
and  Indiana.  Breeds  from  Texas  and  California  northward.  Win- 
ters south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  in  open  woods,  and  second-growth  thickets,  preferably  near 
water  courses;  in  upright  fork  of  bush,  18  inches  to  8  feet  up;  of  grass, 
vegetable  fibres,  cobwebs  and  leaves;  lined  with  fine  grass,  horsehair 
and  plant  down.  Eggs,  3-4;  creamy-white,  variously  marked  with 
minute  dots,  spots,  or  large  blotches,  with  varying  shades  of  red,  red- 
dish-brown; and  sometimes  lavender,  principally  at  large  end;  .77  by 
.56,  .70  by  .52;  average,  .74  by  .54. 

Summer  resident,  generally  distributed,  and  locally  common. 
Breeds.  In  the  "V\Tiitewater  Valley  it  has  never  been  found  common.  It 
has  been  found  breeding  in  Laporte  (Barber)  and  Tippecanoe  coun- 
ties (Test  Bros.),  and  is  thought  to  nest  in  Lake  and  Dekalb  counties. 


870  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

In  Monroe  County,  Prof.  Evermann  found  it  an  uncommon  summer 
resident,  and  in  Carroll  County  he  took  it  June  10,  1885.  They 
are  usually  later  than  the  last  species  in  aniving. 

The  following  dates  show  time  of  its  first  arrival:  Brookville,  May 
9,  1887,  May  19,  1882;  Davis  Station,  May  31;  Laporte,  May  30,  1896; 
Lafayette,  April  28,  1897;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  May  11,  1882,  May  20, 
1895.  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  a  nest,  containing  three 
eggs,  just  north  of  Purdue  University  grounds,  Lafayette,  Ind.,  July 
4,  1892.  The  nest  was  about  12  feet  from  the  ground  and  about 
6  feet  above  it  was  another  deserted  nest. 

Traill's  Flycatcher  is  the  opposite  of  the  Acadian  in  several  respects. 
It  does  not  prefer  the  woods,  but  rather  thickets,  especially  of  alders, 
in  low,  damp  ground,  the  borders  of  streams  and  lakes.  It  also  is 
found  in  orchards.  Its  nests  are  usually  placed  in  the  crotch  of  a 
bush  25  feet  or  less  above  the  ground,  and,  instead  of  being  loosely- 
woven  affairs  like  the  nests  of  the  last  species,  are  thicker  and  better 
made,  reminding  one  of  the  nest  of  the  Yellow  "Warbler,  but  not  so 
compact.  In  Wayne  County,  Mich.,  where  it  nests  commonly,  Mr.  Je- 
rome Trombley,  who  has  found  twenty-five  or  thirty  nests  for  several 
consecutive  years,  says  they  nest  in  communities  in  willow^s  by  marshes; 
nest  in  fork  of  a  bush  from  three  to  six  feet  high  (Cook,  Birds  of 
Mich.,  p.  97).  Mr.  Otto  Widmann  says  its  notes  sound  like,  wit-tit-che, 
wit-ti-go,  and  are  uttered  when  the  bird  is  perched  on  the  top  of  a 
sprout  or  low  tree,  a  telegraph  post,  or  a  fence  stake. 

Full  sets  of  eggs  are  found  after  the  middle  of  June.  An 
G^g  is  deposited  each  day;  one  brood  is  raised  in  a  year.  Incubation 
lasts  about  twelve  days.  They  return  to  their  winter  home  in  August 
and  early  September.  The  follo\\dng  dates  indicate  the  range  of 
this  migration:  Brookville,  August  13,  1881;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  Au- 
gust 8,  1892,  September  3,  1895.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  at  this  time 
to  what  extent  the  eastern  and  western  forms  of  this  Flycatcher  are 
found  in  Indiana. 


180.     (466a).    Empidonax  traillii  alnorum  (Brewst.). 

Alder  Flycatcher. 

Differing  from  E.  traillii  (i.  e.,  E.  pusillus  of  Baird  and  subsequent 
authors)  in  having  the  coloring  of  the  upper  parts  richer  and  more 
olivaceous,  the  wing  bands  yellower,  and  hence  more  conspicuous,  the 
bill  decidedly  smaller  and  the  legs  rather  shorter  (The  Auk,  April, 
1895,  p.  161,  Brewster).     Bill,  .60-.64;  tarsus,  .64-.67. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  S'J'l 

Kange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  the  Maritime  Provinces  and 
New  England  westward,  at  least,  to  northern  Michigan,  etc.,  breeding 
from  the  southern  edge  of  the  Canadian  fauna  northward;  in  winter 
south  to  Central  America  (A.  0.  U.). 

Nest,  preferably  in  alder  swamps  and  thickets,  usually  in  crotch  in 
bush,  1  to  6  feet  up;  of  grasses,  vegetable  fibre  and  bark  shreds,  lined 
with  fine  grass,  fibre  or  hair.  Eggs,  2-4;  from  creamy-white  to  pinkish- 
buff,  with  spots  and  blotches  of  reddish-brown,  usually  thickest  about 
the  larger  ends;  .73  by  .53. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  it  is  proper  to  attempt  to  separate  this  from 
the  western  form,  E.  traillii,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  is  practically 
impossible  to  distinguish  the  birds  by  the  aid  of  a  description.  To 
conform  to  existing  conditions,  however,  I  have  included  this  form. 

Summer  resident.  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster  considers  that  specimens 
from  the  Mississippi  Valley,  south  of  latitude  42°,  belong  to  the 
western  form  of  TrailFs  Flycatcher.  This  extends  its  range  farther 
east  than  was  heretofore  supposed,  and  undoubtedly  includes  a  part, 
if  not  all,  of  Indiana.  The  eastern  form  has  been  given  the  name, 
Empidonax  traillii  alnorum,  and  the  fact  that  it  ranges  west  to  north- 
ern Michigan,  and  has  been  taken  in  Ohio  (Lynds  Jones  in  The  Auk), 
makes  it  probable  it  is  also  found  within  this  State.  He  has  shown 
it  necessary  to  drop  the  name  pusillus  for  that  form  because  it  can 
not  be  identified. 

Audubon^s  Muscicopa  traillii  was  described  from  an  Arkansas  speci- 
men, which  Mr.  Brewster  thinks  is  of  the  western  form.  The  name 
E.  traillii  will  be  used  for  that  bird. 

'''ISl.     (467).    Empidonax  minimus  Baird. 

Least  Flycatcher. 

Adult. — Above,  olive-brown  or  olive-gray,  slightly  darker  on  head, 
lighter  on  rump;  wings  and  tail,  brownish,  the  former  with  two 
whitish  cross-bars,  and  secondaries  edged  with  same;  ring  around  the 
eye,  white.  Below,  throat  whito,  sides  of  throat  sometimes  extending 
across  breast,  gray  or  olive-gray;  other  under  parts,  white,  tinged 
(sometimes  very  faintly)  with  sulphur-yellow.  Immature. — Wing  bars, 
ochraceous. 

Length,  4.90-5.50;  wing,  2.20-2.60;  tail,  2.10-2.40. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  to  Nova  Scotia, 
Cape  Breton,  Great  Slave  Lake,  and  Mackenzie  Eiver  Valley  (Ft. 
Simpson),  west  to  Eocky  Mountains,  casually  to  Utah.  Breeds  from 
North  Carolina,  northern  Indiana  and  Nebraska  northward.  Winters 
south  of  United  States. 


872  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  in  orchards,  thickets  and  woods,  in  upright  fork  or  on  hori- 
zontal limb;  of  shreds  of  bark,  grass,  plant  fibres,  vegetable  down, 
feathers,  string,  etc.;  lined  with  fine  down  and  hair.  Eggs,  3-6;  pale 
creamy- white;  .64  by  .50. 

Eather  common  migrant  southward.  Summer  resident  in  some 
numbers  northward.  It  arrives  earlier  than  the  species  just  men- 
tioned, sometimes  by  April  20.  It  is  the  smallest  of  the  Flycatchers, 
and  may  readily  be  distinguished  by  its  size.  It  is  called,  in  many  places, 
Che-bec,  from  its  note,  which  is  very  distinctly  "che-iec."  It  is  to 
be  found  most  often  in  straggling  woods,  along  the  edges,  and  about 
roads  through  woodland,  and  in  strips  of  woods  along  hill-tops.  With 
us,  I  have  generally  found  it  upon  the  higher  land,  where  it  is  very 
quiet,  seldom  saying  anything,  and  then  only  uttering  a  sharp  "whit.'^ 
It  industriously  pursues  flying  insects,  and  even  when  one  does  not 
see  it  he  is  reminded  of  its  presence  by  hearing  the  snap  of  jaws  as  it 
seizes  its  prey. 

The  earliest  and  latest  date  of  its  first  appearance  is,  at  Brook- 
ville,  April  24,  1886,  May  8,  1882;  Bloomington,  May  3,  1892;  Rich- 
mond, May  22,  1897;  Sedan,  April  20,  1889,  May  3,  1885;  Lake 
County,  May  16,  1877  and  1880;  Chicago,  May  5,  1879,  May  23,  1896. 
It  has  been  reported  breeding  in  Lake  County  and  in  Dekalb  County. 
Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder  found  a  nest,  with  fresh  eggs,  near  Waterloo,  June 
3,  1885.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  says  it  is  a  summer  resident,  not 
common  in  Carroll  County.  Its  disappearance  in  fall  occurs  in  late 
August  and  September.  It  was  last  reported  at  the  following  places: 
Brookville,  August  31,  1883;  Cincinnati,  0.,  August  27,  1879;  Sedan, 
September  7,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  September  30,  1895;  Bicknell,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1895.  Its  small  size  does  not  prevent  it  from  doing  great 
good.  Its  food  is  principally  the  smaller  insects  and  occasionally  a 
little  fruit. 

Prof.  F.  H.  King  says  the  examination  of  23  showed  they  had  eaten 
30  beetles,  18  diptera  (flies  and  gnats),  2  heteroptera,  37  winged  ants, 
2  small  ichneumon  flies,  3  caterpillars,  1  moth,  4  small  dragonflies 
and  1  spider  (Geol.  of  Wiis.,  p.  562). 

This  is  the  only  one  of  the  little  Flycatchers  that  tries  to  sing;  at 
least,  that  attempts  what  to  my  ears  bears  some  resemblance  to  music. 
It  has  a  little  song,  that  one  may  occasionally  hear  it  try  to  sing,  that 
is  quite  a  credit  to  a  Flycatcher. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  873 

Suborder  OSCINES.     Song  Birds. 

XXXVII.     Family  ALAUDID^.     Larks. 

o^.  Small  tuft  of   lengthened  black  feathers  over  each  ear  (sometimes  obscure  in 
female.)  Otocobis.     107 

107.    Gknus  OTOCORIS  Bonaparte. 

a^ .  Larger;  wing  generally  over  4.30;  forehead  and  line  through  eye  yellow. 

O.  alpestris  (Linn.).     182 

a^.  Smaller;  wing  generally,  under  4.30;  paler  colored ;  forehead  and  line  over  the 

eye  white.  O.  alpuestris  praticola  Hensh.     183 

182.    (474).    Otocoris  alpestris  (Linn). 

Horned  Lark. 
Synonym,  Shore  Lark. 


Head  of  Horned  Lark. 

Adult,  Summer  Plumage. — Above,  grajdsh-brown;  nape,  lesser  wing- 
coverts  and  rump  and  upper  tail-coverts,  deep  vinaceous;  forehead,  line 
over  the  eye  and  throat,  sulphur-yellow;  band  across  breast,  stripe 
from  bill  below  the  eye  and  band  across  the  top  of  head,  above  the 
eye  extending  backward  along  the  side  of  crown,  ending  in  tufts  or 
horns,  black;  other  lower  parts,  white;  dusky  along  the  sides;  tail, 
black,  the  outer  feathers  edged  with  white,  the  middle  one  with  brown; 
wings,  brown.  Winter  Plumage. — Paler,  the  black  markings  somewhat 
obscured  by  lighter.    Female. — Smaller;  black  on  head  less  distinct. 

Male.— Length,  7.50-8.00;  wing,  4.20-4.60;  tail,  2.70-3.10;  bill  (aver- 
age), .50.    Female,  wing,  3.95-4.55;  tail,  2.50-3.10. 

Eange. — Northeastern  North  America,  from  North  Carolina,  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois  (formerly  farther  south);  north  to  Hudson  Bay 


874  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

and  Greenland;  west  to  Keewatin  and  western  side  of  Hudson  Bay. 
Also,  north  Europe.  Breeds  from  New  Foundland,  Labrador  and 
Keewatin  northward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  of  grass,  lined  with  vegetable  fibre  and  feathers. 
EggSy  3-5;  similar  to  those  of  next  form;  .94  by  M. 

This  species  is  occasionally  found  within  the  State  in  winter,  but 
owing  to  the  fact  that  but  few  persons  are  interested  sufficiently  to 
have  a  critical  investigation  made,  we  can  not  tell  how  extensive  its 
range  or  how  numerous  it  is.  We  know,  however,  that  it  is  an  oc- 
casional winter  visitor  to  Indiana.  Mr.  G.  Frean  Morcom  took  a  speci- 
men at  Davis  Station,  Starke  County,  which  Mr.  Ridgway  identified  as 
this  bird. 

Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  obtained  six  specimens  of  this  lark  at  Tracy  Sta- 
tion, Ind.,  Feb.  10,  1887.  Dr.  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  has  given  an  exhaustive 
analysis  of  the  Horned  Larks  of  America  in  "TheAuV  for  A])nl,  1890, 
pp.  138-158,  to  which  one  who  is  interested  in  the  subject  may  profit- 
ably turn.  Li  that  article  he  mentions  a  specimen  of  this  sj>ecies  from 
Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  indicating  that  it  may 
be  found  in  winter  over  the  greater  part  of  this  State.  Its  habits 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  more  common  Lark  at  that  season. 


*183.     (474b).    Otocoris  alpestris  praticola  Hensu. 

Prairie  Homed  Lark. 
Synonym,  Shore  Laek. 

Adult. — Similar  to  0.  alpestris;  smaller;  paler,  back,  gray;  nape, 
lesser  wing-coverts,  rump  and  tail-coverts,  pale  vinaceous;  forehead 
and  stripe  over  eye,  white  or  whitish.  Immature. — Darker;  much 
streaked  and  spotted. 

Length,  6.75-7.50. 

Male.—^mg,  4.00-4.30;  tail,  2.90-3.10;  bill,  .45.  Female.— Wm^, 
3.70-4.00;  tail,  2.60-2.90;  bill,  .45. 

Range. — Eastern  Xorth  America,  from  central  Texas  and  South 
Carolina  north  to  Maine,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  eastern 
Kansas,  Missouri,  southern  Indiana,  Ohio  and  southern  l^ew  York  to 
Massachusetts  north. 

Nest,  in  depression  on  ground,  of  grass,  lined  with  thistle-down  and 
feathers.  Eggs,  3-5;  drab-gray  to  grayish-white;  sometimes  tinted 
with  greenish;  blotched  aud  sprjnkled  with  different  shades  of  pale- 
brown;  .85  by  .62. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  875 

llesideiit,  common  noiihward,  except  in  the  extreme  northern  part; 
most  numerous  in  winter,  when  it  is  found  in  flocks.  There  the 
greater  part  are  usually  absent  from  December  1  to  January  25,  but 
occasionally,  late  seasons,  they  do  not  appear  until  early  in  March. 
First  observed  at  Sedan,  January  25,  1894;  Cook  County,  111.,  March 
14,  1885,  and  March  6,  1886;  February  22,  1888;  Petersburg,  Mich., 
January  22,  1889.  They  utter  a  lisping  note  of  varying  inflection, 
sometimes,  when  on  the  ground,  always  when  flying.  They  frequent 
pastures,  meadows,  stubbles  and  fields  of  winter  grain.  When  snow  is 
on  they  are  often  seen  where  stock  has  been  fed  outdoors,  and  about 
barnyards.  From  southern  Indiana  the  greater  number  go  north  in 
late  January  and  early  May.  Some,  however,  remain  through  the 
year.  They  are  evidently  gradually  extending  their  range  as  the 
country  is  more  and  more  brought  under  cultivation. 

Mrs.  Hine  says  they  are  increasing  in  Dekalb  County.  Prof.  B.  W. 
Evermann  says  up  to  1879  it  was  very  rare  in  Carroll  County,  but  in 
1886  it  was  a  common  resident.  I  never  saw  one  after  late  February 
in  Franklin  County  until  1886,  when  they  remained  until  after  breed- 
ing time.  In  1891  they  bred;  young  were  found  June  21,  and  since 
then  they  have  been  present  yearly. 

It  is  the  earliest  of  our  small  birds  to  breed.  Prof.  Cook  notes  that 
its  eggs  have  been  taken  at  Plymouth,  Mich.,  in  February,  and  Mr. 
L.  W.  Watkins  took  them  March  20,  1889,  presumably  at  Manchester, 
when  the  nest  was  surrounded  by  snow.  Usually,  however,  with  us  it 
nests  in  March  and  early  April.  The  nest  is  placed  in  a 
depression  in  the  ground,  either  natural  or  made  by  the 
bird  itself.  Sometimes  it  is  composed  of  but  a  few  sticks  or  straws, 
and  lined  with  thistle-down  or  feathers.  At  this  time  they  sing  a  beau- 
tiful song,  but  so  fine  and  weak  that  it  can  scarcely  be  heard  200  feet 
away,  and  of  such  ventriloquil  effect  one  can  not  tell  whether  the 
singer  is  on  the  ground  or  in  the  air.  Generally  he  will  be  found  on  a 
fence  or  a  clod,  but  sometimes  in  midair,  with  feathers  erected  and  full 
of  emotion,  which  he  expresses  in  his  song.  This  song  I  have  heard 
at  Brookville,  March  31,  1896. 

They  breed  abundantly  in  Lake  County,  and  they  have  been  found 
breeding  as  far  south  as  Bloomington,  Spearsville,  Grreensburg, 
Eichmond,  Brookville  and  Bicknell.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  young 
able  to  fly  at  Lafayette,  April  25,  1893.  I  found  them  at  Brookville, 
June  21,  1891.  Dr.  A.  W.  Bray  ton  says  the  young  are  fully-fledged 
in  May;  the  male  takes  care  of  these  and  the  female  resumes 
her  work  on  a  second  set  of  eggs  (Trans.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc,  1879,  p.  102). 
Sometimes  a  third  hrood  is  reared,  according  to  Prof.  Walter  B.  Bar- 


876  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

rows.  Both  birds  assist  in  incubation,  which  takes  about  fourteen 
days.  They  must  lay  sometimes  in  February  and  March.  April  24, 
1878,  Dr.  Brayton  shot,  near  Indianapolis,  a  number  of  Shore  Larks, 
among  them  two  young  birds  about  grown  (Bulletin  Nutt.  Orn.  Club, 
1878,  p.  189). 

Its  food  consists  principally  of  seeds  of  different  grasses,  like  those 
of  pigeon,  foxtail  and  Hungarian  (Setaria);  also  of  those  of  different 
species  of  Polygonum  (bindweed,  knotweed  and  smartweed),  those  of 
the  ragweeds  (Ambrosia),  pigweed  (Chenopodium),  etc. 

Broken  kernels  of  oats  and  other  grains  have  also  been  found  in 
their  stomachs,  evidently  picked  up  in  the  roads  and  streets  among 
the  droppings  of  horses.  During  spring  and  summer,  when  small  in- 
sects abound,  a  portion  of  their  food  consists  of  young  locusts  and 
grasshoppers,  small  beetles  and  their  larvae,  and  hairless  caterpillars, 
and  the  young  nestlings,  at  least,  are  fed  on  insect  food.  From  an 
economic  point  of  view,  all  our  Homed  Larks  must  be  considered  as 
useful  birds,  doing  far  more  good  than  harm  (Bendire,  L.  H.  N.,  A.  B., 
IL,  p.  335). 

The  little  harm  they  do  is  more  than  balanced  by  the  destruction 
of  weed  seeds  and  of  injurious  insects. 


XXXVIIL     Family  CORVID^.     Crows,  Jays,  Magpies. 

a^.  Tail  not  shorter  tHan  the  short  rounded  wings.     (Subfamily  GARRUiiiNiE.) 
b^.  Tail  much  longer  than  wing;    graduated  for   half   its   length;    head   not 

crested.  Pica. 

b'^    Tail  much  longer  than  wing,  not  graduated  for  half  its  length. 

c^.  Plumage  chiefly  blue;  head  with  a  conspicuous  crest.     Cyanocitta.     108 
c^.  Plumage  not  blue;  head  not  crested.  Perisoreus. 

a^.  Tail  much  shorter  than  the  long  pointed  wings.     Subfamily  Corvine. 

^^  Plumage  glossy  black.  Corvus.     109 

Subfamily  GARRULIN^.     Magpies  and  .Tays. 

108.    Grnus  cyanocitta  Strickland. 

'184.    (477).    Cyanocitta  cristata  (I^inn). 

Blue  Jay. 

Adult. — Conspicuously  crested;  above,  purplish-blue;  forehead  and 
irregular  band  around  neck,  black;  wings  and  tail,  blue,  barred  with 
black;  the  greater  coverts,  secondaries  and  tail  feathers,  except  middle 
one,  tipped  with  white;  tail,  much  rounded.  Below,  pale  gray;  throat, 
belly  and  crissum,  whiter. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


877 


Length,  11.00-12.50;  wing,  5.00-5.70;  tail,  5.05-5.70. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Florida  and  Texas  coast 
north  to  New  Foundland  and  Hudson  Bay,  latitude,  56°,  west  to 
Great  Plains.  Breeds  throughout  its  range,  except  Florida,  Gulf  coast 
and  central  Texas. 

Nest,  bulky;  in  trees,  of  twigs,  bark,  moss,  paper,  strings,  grass,  and 
sometimes  mud,  and  lined  with  rootlets  and  other  fine  material. 
Eggs,  3-6;  cream,  buff,  or  greenish,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched 
with  different  shades  of  brown  and  lavender,  generally  heaviest  about 
larger  end;  1.10  by  .81. 


Blue  Jay. 
(Beal.— Year  Book  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1896,  p.  197.) 

A  common  and  well-known  resident.  In  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  some  of  them  migrate  over  winter.  Through  the  "winter,  aside 
from  the  well-known  call,  /ay,  ]ay,  or  caw,  caw,  is  heard,  but  as  spring 
approaches  they  become  very  vocal,  uttering  many  calls,  some  very 
pretty  notes,  varying  from  loud  to  very  low.  Evidently  some  of  the 
latter  are  intended  solely  for  one  female  to  hear,  and  when  the  pair  is 
surprised  they  slip  away  and,  with  apparent  indifference,  repeat  some 
rollicking  role  from  a  near-by  tree.  Keo-e-yeo  is  the  familiar  call, 
while  one  of  the  best-known  low  ones  is,  we-hue.  They  are  quite  good 
imitators  of  some  birds. 

With  us,  this  season  of  song  begins  early  in  March.  In  1893  as 
early  as  March  8,  and  in  1897,  March  9.  With  it  comes  pairing  time, 
which  I  have  known  to  continue  until  April  25.  I  have  known  them 
to  begin  building  as  early  as  March  16,  1897,  and  have  found  them 
just  beginning  a  nest  May  11,  1881.  I  have  found  eggs  from  April 
4  to  May  21,  and  the  young  left  the  one  containing  eggs  April  4,  on 
May  20. 


878  Kepobt  oe  State  Geologist. 

Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  has  I'ound  eggs  beginning  to  imtch  (April  27). 
According  to  data,  which  he  kept  in  1896,  a  nest  was  begun  April  1, 
the  first  egg  laid  April  17;  an  egg  was  laid  each  day,  the  fourth  and 
last  April  20;  sitting  began  April  21,  and  the  young  were  hatched 
May  2.  That  would  make  the  period  of  incubation  12  days.  Major 
Bendire  says  it  is  fifteen  or  sixteen  days.  Both  sexes  assist,  and 
usually  but  one  brood  is  reared.  They  use  whatever  is  handy  for  nest- 
making.  If  in  the  woods,  twigs,  grass,  leaves,  bark,  and  sometimes 
mud  is  employed.  About  houses,  strings,  rags,  paper,  and  almost  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  odds  and  ends  is  used.  It  is  usually  placed  from 
10  to  20  feet  high  in  a  tree. 

The  Jay  is  pretty;  his  song  and  his  queer  ways  are  interesting,  but 
every  one  has  something  against  him.  He  is  quarrelsome,  teasing, 
persecuting  and  murderous,  at  times.  Yet  again  he  will  live  at  peace 
with  a  mixed  company  of  good  birds  in  a  town  yard,  as  he  has  done 
for  years  in  mine,  becoming,  instead  of  the  shy,  hiding  bird  of  the 
woods,  a  companion  of  the  chickens  when  feeding-time  comes.  The 
Jay  does  so  many  unexpected  things  that  I,  long  ago,  concluded  not  to 
be  surprised  at  anything  he  does.  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  Jays 
are  bad.  Individuals  or  pairs  are  depraved,  and  in  spring  rob  other 
birds  of  their  eggs  or  young.  In  fact,  I  knew  of  a  case  in  town  in 
which  they  robbed  the  nest  of  a  robin  of  its  eggs.  But  we  hear  of  such 
outrages  and  the  good  it  does  goes  by  unknown. 

Investigations  made  show  that  the  charges  against  the  Jay  are  true, 
but  that  they  are  not  so  extensive  as  one  would  suppose,  and  that  there 
is  another  column  in  the  account  in  which  should  be  given  the  credit 
due.  The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  reports  the  in- 
vestigation of  292  stomachs.  Shells  of  birds'  eggs  were  found  in 
three,  and  the  remains  of  young  birds  in  two.  They  eat  mice,  fish, 
salamanders,  snails  and  crustaceans;  altogether,  a  little  over  1  per  cent, 
of  their  food.  Of  harmful  insects,  they  eat  a  little  over  19  per  cent. 
In  August,  nearly  one-fifth  of  its  food  is  grasshoppers;  19  per  cent,  of 
their  food  was  cereals;  70  stomachs  contained  com,  most  of  which  was 
eaten  in  the  first  five  months  of  the  year;  8,  wheat;  2,  oats.  Mast 
formed  the  principal  food.  This  (acorns,  chestnuts,  chinquapins,  etc.), 
was  found  in  158  stomachs,  over  42  per  cent,  of  the  whole  food.  Wild 
fruits  were  also  eaten.  The  Jay  eats  many  harmful  insects.  It  does 
not  destroy  as  many  birds'  eggs  and  young  as  was  supposed.  It  does 
little  harm  to  agriculture  (Beal,  Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  54,  pp.  14,  15). 

Prof.  F.  H.  King  found,  out  of  31  specimens  examined,  one  had 
killed  three  young  robins;  15  had  eaten  30  beetles;  2,  2  caterpillars;  2, 
2  grubs;  1,  other  larvae;  2,  grasshoppers;  5,  com;  1,  wheat;  1,  berries, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  879 

and  19,  acorns.  This  and  other  inYestigations  that  have  been  made 
bear  out  the  testimony  of  Prof.  Beal.  In  my  own  yard  I  find  young 
poison  vines  (Rhus  toxicodendron),  springing  up  in  number  every- 
where. These  I  ascribe  to  seeds  dropped  by  birds,  and  I  am  inclined 
to  lay  the  charge  to  the  Blue  Jay. 

The  Jay  is  one  of  those  birds  which  by  reason  of  its  great  range  of 
food  it  is  desirable  to  preserve,  if  it  does  not  become  more  destructive, 
for  it  is  liable  to  be  of  great  service  some  day  against  any  unusual 
insect  outbreak. 


Subfamily  CORVINE.    Crows. 

109.    Gbnus  CORVUS  Linnaeus. 

a'.  Wing  over  16.  C.  corax  sinuatus  (Wagl.).     185 

a2.  Wing  under  14.  C.  americanus  And.     186 

*185.    (486).    Corvus  corax  sinuatus  (Wa^il.). 

American  Raven. 

Adult. — Plumage,  entirely  lustrous  black,  with  purplish  reflections; 
feathers  of  neck,  disconnected,  long,  narrow  and  pointed;  bill  and 
feet,  black;  iris,  brown;  tail,  conspicuously  rounded. 

Length,  25.00-27.00;  wing,  16.10-18.00;  tail,  9.00-11.00;  bill,  2.40- 
3.05. 

Eaistge. — North  America,  from  Guatemala  to  British  Columbia,  On- 
tario and  Maine.  In  the  eastern  United  States,  now  rare  and  prin- 
cipally confined  to  the  mountainous  districts,  along  which  it  ranges 
to  South  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Alabama.  Usually  resident  where 
found. 

Nest,  on  cliffs  or  in  trees,  of  sticks  and  bark;  lined  with  hair,  wool  or 
moss.  Eggs,  5-7;  pale-green,  drab  or  olive-green;  much  blotched  or 
spotted  with  different  shades  of  brown,  lavender  and  drab;  1.95  by 
1.29. 

Bare  resident.  Breeds.  I  had  supposed  the  Raven  was  extinct  in 
southern  Indiana,  and  but  few  were  found  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State.  In  April,  1897,  Mr.  Chansler  informed  me  that  two  persons 
had  spoken  to  him  of  its  nesting  in  Martin  County,  in  cliffs,  and  that 
one  of  them  said  he  had  taken  a  nest  and  two  eggs  in  1894.  Mr.  Cass. 
Stroud,  of  Wheatland,  says  Ravens  are  moderately  common  in  a  local- 
ity known  as  "Ravens^  Hollow,"  five  miles  south  of  Shoals,  Martin 
County.  Mr.  Chansler  also  said  that  one  person  told  him  of  their  nest- 
ing at  "Ravens'  Rock,''  in  Dubois  County.  Mr.  Geo.  R.  Wilson,  Coun- 


880  Repoet  of  State  Geologist. 

ty  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Jasper,  Tnd.,  has  very  kindly  made  in- 
quiries on  this  subject  in  Dubois  County.  He  knows  of  his  own 
knowledge  that  Eavens  were  found  in  that  county  up  to  five  years  ago. 
"Ravens'  Rock"  is  a  sandstone  cliff  75  or  80  feet  high,  the  top 
of  which  projects  about  33  feet.  It  is  situated  between  Dubois  and 
Ellsworth.  Two  school  teachers  from  that  neighborhood  have,  by  Mr. 
Wilson's  request,  investigated  the  question  of  its  breeding  there,  and 
the  following  is  the  substance  of  their  report.  In  the  cliff  are  shelves, 
very  difficult  to  reach,  and  on  those,  or,  rather,  in  the  crevices,  the 
Ravens  build  their  nests,  or  did  so  until  very  recently.  These  nests 
were  rough,  made  of  large  weeds,  or  even  sticks,  with  hair  or  wool. 
The  Ravens  have  not  been  noticed  there  this  year,  but  were  a  year 
or  two  ago,  and  regularly  previous  to  that.  They  look  very  much  like  a 
crow,  but  are  very  much  larger,  even  two  feet  from  bill  to  tip  of  tail, 
which  is  round  in  shape.  They  have  been  seen  to  eat  rabbits,  and  some 
say  to  "suck  eggs."  Neighbors  do  not  like  them,  and  look  upon  them 
as  a  sign  of  '^ad  luck."  They  were  often  seen  five  miles  from  the 
rock,  and  were  known  by  their  harsh  croak.  They  fly  very  high.  They 
may  still  be  found  in  other  southern  counties  of  the  State.  From 
northern  Indiana,  however,  I  have  no  recent  record.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stock- 
bridge  reported  them  as  not  uncommon  in  the  eastern  part  of  Allen 
County  the  winter  of  1890-91.  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  said,  in  1894,  it  was 
a  rare  winter  visitor  in  Boone  County.  He  informs  me  none  have  been 
seen  there  since.  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton,  in  1879,  said:  "It  frequents  the 
sandhills  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  from  October  until  spring, 
eating  the  dead  fish  thrown  up  by  the  lake."  (Trans.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc, 
1879,  p.  129).  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me  he  saw  it  in  Lake  County 
in  1871.  The  opinion  in  southern  Michigan  is  that  this  bird  has  been 
replaced  by  the  crow,  that  the  Raven  was  common  there  up  to  35  or 
40  years  ago,  and  steadily  faded  out  before  the  smaller  species  (Cook, 
Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  100). 

So  far  as  I  can  learn,  the  last  Ravens  were  seen  in  Franklin  County 
in  1868.  I  know  of  no  records  later  for  any  part  of  southeastern  In- 
diana. Throughout  portions  of  the  western  United  States  they  are  still 
common.  Major  Bendire  says  of  it:  "Although  a  good  deal  has  been 
written  reflecting  on  the  Raven,  my  personal  observations  compel  me 
to  consider  it  a  rather  orderly  member  of  a  somewhat  disreputable 
family  group."  He  further  says:  "Their  ordinary  call-note  is  a  loud 
^craak-craak,'  varied  sometimes  by  a  deep  grunting,  'koerr-koerr,' 
and,  again,  by  a  clucking,  a  sort  of  self-satisfied  sound,  difficult  to 
reproduce  on  paper;  in  fact,  they  utter  a  variety  of  notes  when  at  ease 
and  undisturbed"  (L.  H.  N.  A.  B.,  IL,  p.  397). 


tf-' 


l*:];;ji|!Ji 


Bjrus  of  India>ja.  881 

*186.    (488).    Corvus  americanus  Aud. 

Conunon  Crow. 
Synonyms,  Crow,  American  Cbow. 

Adult. — Plumage,  uniform  black,  with  violet  gloss;  feathers  on  neck, 
short,  rounded,  not  disconnected  from  others;  bill  and  feet,  black; 
iris,  brown;  tail  but  slightly  rounded. 

Length,  18.50-19.50;  wing,  13.00-13.50;  tail,  6.90-8.00;  bill,  1.80- 
2.05. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Mexico  north  to  Labrador,  Hudson 
Bay  to  Anderson  River  (lat.  68°)  and  Alaska.  Breeds  throughout  its 
range,  except  Florida. 

Nest,  in  trees;  of  sticks,  weeds,  grass,  leaves,  lined  with  grass,  wool, 
hair  and  other  finer  material.  Eggs,  4-8;  bluish-green,  olive-green  or 
olive-buff;  irregularly  blotched  and  spotted  with  different  shades  of 
brown  and  gray;  1.63  by  1.15. 

Very  common  throughout  the  State;  resident,  but  not  so  common 
in  winter  northward.  They  are  partially  gregarious,  collecting  in  col- 
onies, called  "roosts,"  in  October  and  November  and  breaking  up  in 
March.  During  the  day  they  range  widely  from  these  roosts,  and  at 
night  return  to  them.  Sometimes  these  "roosts"  are  maintained  for 
years  at  the  same  place;  again,  they  change  their  location  often.  The 
roosts  vary  much  in  size;  some  of  the  larger  ones  being  estimated 
to  contain  100,000  to  300,000  crows.  The  following  roosts  have  been 
reported  from  Indiana:  (1)  One  in  Wayne  County,  changed  several 
times,  locations  given  as  IJ  to  10  miles  from  Richmond;  a  roost  near 
Boston,  that  county,  may  be  one  of  the  sites  of  the  same  birds  (W.  S. 
Ratliff).  (2)  In  Rush  County,  in  a  soft  maple  swamp  near  Milroy, 
has  been  there  "always."  Most  numerous  in  late  summer,  at  "roast- 
ing-ear"  time,  when  farmers  have  to  fight  them  to  save  their  corn; 
sometimes  found  there  by  the  thousands  (Lon  Innis).  (3) 
In  Turner^s  Grove,  near  Bloomington,  quite  extensive  (W.  S. 
Blatchley).  (4)  One  near  Terre  Haute  (W.  S.  Blatchley,  J.  T.  Scovell). 

(5)  One  in  Shelby  County,  between  London  and  Brookfield,  has  been 
there  for  the  past  four  winters  (J.  G.  Perry).  There  was  one  for 
6  or  7  years  near  Fairland,  in  a  grove  of  about  15  acres'  extent. 
Five  or  six  years  ago  the  boys  disturbed  them,  and  they  left  and  lo- 
cated 4  or  5  miles  southwest  of  the  old  site  (Willard  Fields).  As  I 
understand  it,  this  new  site  is  the  same  one  mentioned  by  Mr.  Perry. 

(6)  One  near  Irvington,  several  years  ending  with  1893  or  1894  (G.  S. 

56— Geol. 


882  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Cottman),  (7)  One  near  Brown's  Valley,  Montgomery  County,  not 
large  (J.  S.  Wright).  (8)  One  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  of 
Camargo,  111.  Tens  of  thousands  roost  in  a  scrub  oak  grove.  It  is  said 
Crows  from  there  range  nearly  or  quite  across  the  first  two  tiers  of 
counties  of  Indiana  east  of  that  point.  Twenty  or  thirty  years  ago, 
it  is  said,  they  flew  from  the  roost  to  Terre  Haute,  Vigo  County;  Ar- 
miesburg  and  Montezuma  (Parke  County),  and  Clinton,  Vermillion 
County,  for  their  morning  feed  upon  the  refuse  of  slaughter-houses, 
which  then  existed  at  each  place.  (9)  Probably  500  birds  roost  at  night 
in  the  two  cemeteries  at  Vincennes  through  the  winter  (J.  A.  Balmer, 
1889).  (10)  Mr.  E.  E.  Moffitt  reports  a  Crow  Eoost  at  Slim  Timber, 
White  County,  about  12  miles  west  of  Brookston  and  21  northwest  of 
Lafayette.  He  estimates  100,000  Crows  winter  there.  In  the  southern 
part  of  Franklin  County  crows  are  noted  flying  in  a  southeastern  direc- 
tion, as  though  a  roost  existed  in  that  direction  in  Ohio  (H.  F.  Bain). 
The  following  account  of  the  roost  near  Irvington  was  written  by  Mr. 
W.  P.  Hay,  February  24,  1890,  and  is  published  in  Bulletin  TTo.  6, 
Div.  of  0.  and  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  pp.  18,  19. 

"For  several  years  the  Common  Crow  has  been  very  abundant  about 
here,  especially  in  winter.  Every  morning  at  about  half  past  5  a  great 
string  of  Crows,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  can  be  seen 
flying  toward  the  south.  At  about  4  o'clock  in  the  evening  they  re- 
turn. On  the  15th  of  February  I  visited  a  roost  which  is  situated 
about  2  miles  north  of  here.  It  is  in  a  thick  beech  wood  of  perhaps 
50  acres.  I  reached  the  place  at  about  half-past  4,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments the  Crows  began  to  arrive.  They  came  in  five  'streams' — from 
the  north,  northeast,  northwest,  south  and  southeast.  Soon  the  trees 
were  black  with  them,  and  the  noise  they  made  was  almost  deafening. 
After  being  shot  at  several  times,  they  all  congregated  in  one  comer 
of  the  wood,  and  when  shot  at  again  left  the  trees  and  settled  on  the 
ground  in  the  neighboring  fields.  They  were  now  so  badly  scared 
that  it  was  impossible  to  get  within  gunshot;  so,  throwing  myself 
upon  the  ground,  to  be  as  near  as  possible  out  of  sight,  I  began  to  imi- 
tate, as  well  as  I  could,  the  cawing  of  the  Crow.  Almost  immediately 
they  answered,  and  every  crow  in  the  field  came  circling  over  me.  At 
first  they  were  perhaps  200  feet  in  the  air.  They  all  would  caw  as 
loudly  as  possible  for  perhaps  a  half-minute,  then  they  would  be  still. 
If  answered,  they  would  come  lower  and  caw  again.  It  was  so  near 
dark  I  suppose  they  could  not  see  me,  and  at  last  they  were  within  20 
or  30  feet  of  the  ground.  T  shot  and  they  flew  away,  but  returned  as 
soon  as  I  began  to  imitate  them  again.  At  last  they  all  departed  for 
another  woods." 


Birds  of  Indiana.  883 

The  following  additional  notes  on  the  same  roost  by  Mr.  Geo.  S. 
Cottman  appeared  in  the  Indianapolis  News  (date  not  known): 

CROW  ROOST. 

^'About  four  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Indianapolis,  and  a  mile  and  a 
half  north  of  Irvington,  a  stretch  of  heavy  woods  was  used  by  the 
crows  for  two  winters  (about  ^93  and  ^94). 

"By  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  crows  begin  to  come  in  from 
every  point  of  the  compass;  straggling  at  first,  then  in  flocks  that  in- 
crease in  number  and  size  till  continuous  streams  seem  to  be  converg- 
ing at  this  point,  and  the  air  overhead  is  fairly  filled  with  a  chaos  of 
black  flakes  soaring  and  circling  about.  Evidently  they  come  together 
for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  a  grand  social  carnival.  They  congregate 
in  the  adjoining  meadows  in  vast  crowds,  where  they  walk  about,  inter- 
mingling and  hob-nobbing;  the  rail  fences  present  long,  unbroken 
lines  of  black,  and  the  isolated  trees  in  the  fields  seem  suddenly  to 
have  taken  on  some  strange,  large-leaved  foliage.  When  this  multi- 
tude take  alarm  and  all  rise  at  once,  they  are  like  the  famous  *cloud 
of  locusts,  and  it  looks  as  if  a  rifle-ball  fired  at  random  would  bring 
down  a  score.  As  one  stands  in  the  woods  the  spectacle  of  these  thou- 
sands of  birds  swirling  and  edd3ring  among  the  tree-tops  has  a  be- 
wildering effect,  which  is  heightened  by  the  incessant  clamor.  Free 
speech  seems  to  be  the  order  of  the  occasion.  Every  crow  has  some- 
thing to  say,  and  he  says  it,  and  as  no  individual  can  be  heard  for  the 
others,  the  result  is  a  conglomeration  of  noises  that  can  be  heard  a 
mile,  and  which  sounds  precisely  like  a  tremendous  escape  of  steam. 
The  jollification  is  continued  till  long  after  dark,  and  all  through  the 
evening  they  keep  up  a  boisterous,  many-voiced  conversation.  These 
mighty  gatherings  take  place  only  through  the  winter,  and  during  the 
summer  lodgings  in  that  locality  are  to  let." 

Mr.  W.  W.  Pfrimmer  informs  me  that  there  is  a  "rookery'^  near 
Newton  and  Demotte,  in  Porter  County,  where  he  thinks  as  many  as 
500  nests  could  be  found  on  two  or  three  acres.  Mr.  Nehrling 
describes  their  nesting  in  a  colony  in  Texas. 

In  spring  when  mating-time  comes  the  Crows  scatter.  They  begin 
pairing  in  March.  I  have  noted  them  most  commonly  between  March 
28  (1896),  and  April  9  (1881).  Nests  with  full  sets  may  usually  be 
found  between  April  15  and  May  1.  In  Lake  County,  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer 
has  taken  fresh  eggs  from  April  8"  to  15.  Prof.  Evermann  found  fresh 
eggs  April  16  in  Carroll  County.  They  nest  in  all  kinds  of  woodland, 
dense  and  open,  river  valleys  and  hill-land.  Incubation  lasts  about 
eighteen  days,  and  both  parents  engage  in  it. 


884  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  Crow  is  shy  and  cautious.  They  know  that  every  man's  hand 
is  against  them,  and  keep  well  out  of  reach  of  the  man  with  a  gun. 
A  friend  of  mine  says  a  Crow  can  count  two,  but  his  knowledge  of 
mathematics  ends  there.  Three  persons  may  hide  and  after  two  have 
left  the  crow  will  return,  but  never  till  two  have  left. 

The  crow  is  charged  with  many  crimes  and  is  not  given  credit  with 
many,  if  any,  virtues.  The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
has  investigated  the  habits  and  foods  of  the  Crow  in  the  United  States, 
and  has  issued  a  very  valuable  report  thereon  (Bulletin  No.  6,  Div.  0. 
and  M.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  by  Walter  B.  Barrows  and  E.  A.  Schwarz). 
The  Crow  is  found  guilty  of  pulling  up  sprouting  corn,  eating  corn, 
destroying  chickens  and  their  eggs,  robbing  the  nests  of  small  birds, 
destroying  such  harmless  and  beneficial  animals  as  salamanders,  toads, 
frogs  and  snakes  and  spreading  the  seeds  of  noxious  plants.  But  it  is 
found  the  facts  are  somewhat  different  from  what  they  are  popularly 
supposed  to  be. 

The  Crow  only  eats  hard,  dry  corn  when  other  food  is  not  easily 
obtainable.  It  eats  it  readily  when  it  is  softened.  Therefore,  the 
softened,  sprouting  grains  are  desirable  food.  They  also  are  fond  of 
it  when  in  the  "roasting-ear,''  or  milk  stage.  Mr.  Lon  Innis  says  they 
are  very  destructive  to  corn  in  this  condition  near  Milroy,  Rush 
County.  The  destruction  of  chickens  and  their  eggs  is  much  less  than 
is  commonly  supposed;  of  the  entire  number  of  stomachs  examined  in 
the  year  (909),  but  57  contained  evidence  of  such  food,  which  was  a 
little  over  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  of  their  total  food.  The  same  testi- 
mony is  given  as  to  the  destruction  of  wild  birds.  Less,  by  far,  are 
eaten  than  is  commonly  supposed.  Only  50  stomachs,  or  about  one 
per  cent,  of  the  whole  number  examined  for  the  year,  contained  such 
food.  Through  the  fall  and  winter  season,  especially,  the  seeds  of 
many  vines  and  trees  are  eaten.  They  are  especially  fond  of  poison 
ivy  {Rhus  toxicodendron),  poison  sumach  (Rhus  venenata),  other  su- 
mac (Rhus),  and  also  eat  those  of  juniper  or  red  cedar  (Juniperus  vir- 
ginianus),  flowering  dogwood  (Cornus  florida),  and  sour  gum  (Nyssa 
aquatica).  The  seeds  of  such  plants,  together  with  sand,  gravel,  and 
other  material  eaten  to  assist  in  grinding  the  food,  is  ejected  from  the 
mouth  usually  in  the  form  of  pellets.  They  are  thus  spread  over  the 
country  along  fence  rows,  under  shade  trees,  in  orchards  and  other 
places  to  propagate  undesirable  plants.  In  September  and  October  I 
have  found  the  Crows  feeding  upon  wild  cherries  (Prunus  serotina), 
and  beechnuts.  Seeds  of  the  former  are  doubtless  distributed  in  the 
way  just  noted..  Thus,  as  a  whole,  the  injuries  the  Crow  does  are 
shown  not  to  be  so  great  as  is  generally  supposed. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  885 

Most  persons  are  disposed  to  note  losses  oftener  and  remember  them 
longer  than  benefits.  It  is  found  to  eat  many  insects.  May  beetles, 
June-bugs  and  noxious  beetles,  and  quantities  of  them,  are  fed  to  their 
young.  Grasshoppers  are  eaten  all  summer,  but  form  the  bulk  of 
their  food  in  August. 

Besides  these,  many  bugs,  caterpillars,  cutworms,  and  spiders,  etc., 
are  eaten.  Of  the  insect  food,  Mr.  E.  A.  Schwarz  says:  "The  facts,  on 
the  whole,  speak  overwhelmingly  in  favor  of  the  Crow."  I  have  else- 
where (Bulletin  12,  Div.  of  Ent.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  1886,  p.  30) 
noted  their  eating  17-year  cicadas  (Cicada  septendecim),  and  their 
eating  all  the  tomato  worms  in  a  badly-infested  tomato  field,  near 
Indianapolis  (Trans.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc,  1890,  appendix  c,  p.  65).  I  am 
also  informed  of  their  coming  in  numbers  into  a  timothy  meadow 
which  was  practically  destroyed  by  the  larvae  of  some  insects  and  going 
over  it  thoroughly,  tearing  up  the  grass,  roots  and  all,  and  destroying 
the  insects.  When  they  had  finished  the  field  was  described  as  look- 
ing like  a  great  flock  of  poultry  had  scratched  it  all  over,  but  no  insects 
could  be  found.  In  addition  to  the  insects  eaten,  it  was  found  that 
mice  rank  fourth  in  quantity  in  the  items  of  animal  food.  For  this, 
they  must  be  given  credit.  It  is  thought  in  the  more  thickly-settled 
portions  of  the  country  that  the  crow  does  more  good  than  harm,  and 
if  precautions  are  taken  to  protect  the  nests  and  young  poultry  and 
corn,  its  damage  would  not  be  of  any  considerable  consequence. 


XXXIX.    Family  ICTERID^.    Blackbirds,  Orioles,  Etc. 

a^.  Outlines  of  bill  nearly  or  (juite  straight;   the  tip  not  evidently  curved  down- 
ward ;  the  cutting  edges  not  turned  inward.     Subfamily  Icterinje. 
b^.  Bill  stout,  conical,  its  depth  at  base  equal  to  at  least  one-third  its  length  ; 
sexes  unlike;  female  smaller, 
c^.  Tail  feathers  sharp  pointed ;  middle  toe  with  claw  longer  than  tarsus ;  bill 
shorter  than  head ;  finch  like.  Dolichonyx.     110 

c^.  Tail  feathers  not  pointed  at  tips;  middle  toe  with  claw  not  longer  than 
tarsus. 
d^.  Bill  much  shorter  than  head;  finch  like.  Molothrus.     Ill 

d^.  Bill  about  as  long  as  head. 

e\  Claws  of  side  toes  about  half  as  long  as  middle  claw,  reaching  little  if 
any  beyond  base  of  middle  claw.  Agelaius.     113 

e^.  Claws  of  side  toes  much  more  than  half  as  long  as  middle  claw,  reach- 
ing much  beyond  base  of  middle  claw.  Xanthocephalus.     112 
b^.  Bill  slender,  its  depth  at  base  scarcely  one-third  its  length. 

/^  Tail  less  than  two-thirds  length  of  wing,  its  feathers  pointed;  bill 

longer  than  head;  sexes  similar.  Sturnella.     114 

/2.  Tail  nearly  as  long  as  wing,  its  feathers  not  pointed;  bill  shorter 

than  head;  sexes  not  similar.  Icterus.     115 


886  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

a'-*.  Outlines  of  bill  distinctly  curved,  the  tip  distinctly  curved  downward;  cutting 
edges  turned  inward.     Subfamily  Quiscaltn.i:. 

(f/^.  Tail  much  shorter  than  wing,  nearly  even;  bill  slender,  shorter 

than  head.  Scolecophagus.     116 

<;2.  Tail  longer  than  wing,  middle  feathers  much  the  longer;  bill  as 

long  a«  or  longer  than  head.  Quiscalus.     117 

110.    Genus  DOLICHONYX  Swainson. 

*187.     (494).    Dolichonyx  oryzivorus  (Linn.). 

Bobolink. 
Synonyms,  White-winged  Blackbird,  Reedbird,  Ricebird. 

Adult  Male  in  Spring. — Mostly  black;  nape,  deep  buff;  back, 
streaked  with  buff;  patch,  on  side  of  breast,  rump  and  scapulars,  whit- 
ish; upper  tail-coverts,  light  ash;  outer  primaries  and  tertials,  mar- 
gined with  yellowish-white;  bill,  blackish  horn;  feet,  brown;  tail  feath- 
ers pointed.  Female  and  Male  in  Fall  and  Winter. — Above,  yellowish, 
or  yellowish-olive;  crown  and  back,  conspicuously  streaked  with 
black,  nape  and  rump  with  smaller  markings;  crown,  with  a  central 
stripe,  and  stripe  over  each  eye  olive-buff,  or  olive-gray;  wings  and 
tail,  brownish,  edged  with  lighter;  tail  feathers,  sharp-pointed.  Be- 
low, yellowish  or  whitish,  shaded  with  buffy  or  olive;  sides  and  lower 
tail-coverts,  more  or  less  distinctly  streaked  with  black;  bill,  brown. 

Length,  6.30-7.60;  wing,  3.70-4.00;  tail,  2.60-2.90. 

Range. — America,  from  Paraguay  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Mani- 
toba, west  to  Nevada,  Utah  and  British  Columbia.  Breeds  on  coast 
of  Louisiana  and  from  southern  New  Jersey,  southern  Indiana  and 
Kansas  northward.     Winters  from  West  Indies  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  frequently  in  natural  depression,  in  bunch  of  grass 
in  meadow,  prairie,  or  dry  marsh;  of  fine,  dry  grass,  straw  or  weeds. 
Fggs,  4-5,  and  occasionally  6-7;  gray,  bluish-gray,  bluish-white, 
spotted  and  veined  with  various  shades  of  brown  and  gray,  heaviest  at 
large  end;  .81  by  .61. 

The  Bobolink  is  a  regular  migrant  in  southern  Indiana,  but  is  rare. 
It  is  a  common  summer  resident  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State, 
and  in  some  localities  breeds  abundantly.  At  the  time  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  country  by  white  men  it  was  probably  found  in  summer 
about  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  extending  westward  some  dis- 
tance into  Illinois  and  south  into  the  prairies  of  the  Kankakee  basin 
and  as  far  east  as  Rochester  in  Indiana,  thence  northward  to,  and, 
possibly,  into  southwestern  Michigan.    It  is  probable  some  were  to  be 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  887 

mot  with  about  the  western  end  of  Lake  Erie,  extending  a  short  dis- 
tance into  that  State.  From  the  first,  or  both  of  these  centers,  they 
have  extended  their  summer  range  until  it  has  spread  oyer  the  State 
from  east  to  west  in  its  northern  part,  and  reached  points  as  far  south 
as  northern  Union  County  and  the  counties  of  Wayne,  Delaware, 


Bobolink. 
(Beal,— Farmers'  Bulletin  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  p.  18.) 

Madison,  Marion,  Clinton,  Tippecanoe  and  Vigo,  in  all  of  which  it 
breeds.  However,  it  is  not  generally  distributed  and  usually  occurs 
locally.  It  is  a  rare  summer  resident  and  probably  breeds  in  Decatur 
County,  where  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  found  a  pair  July  2,  1896.  In 
Carroll  County,  Elkhart  County,  and  perhaps  other  counties,  it  is 
found  rarely,  if  at  all,  and  in  others  in  but  few  localities.  However, 
there  are  places  where  it  is  found  abundantly.  It  has  been  observed 
in  a  number  of  these  counties,  as  well  as  several  others  for  the  first 
time  within  the  last  few  years.  Doubtless  it  will  continue  to  extend 
its  range,  and  we  watch  its  movements  with  much  interest.  They 
evidently  reach  their  breeding  grounds  by  migrating,  farther  eastward, 
doubtless  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  then  turning  west  towards  the 
lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan.     They  often  are  found  in  the  area  they 


888  liEroRT  OF  State  Geologist. 

originally  occupied  as  early  or  earlier  than  they  are  further  southward, 
where  they  are  only  rare  migrants.  And  the  small  numbers  that  pass 
in  the  spring  cannot  be  compared  to  the  multitudes  found  breeding 
northward.  In  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  the  following  will 
give  the  earliest  and  latest  dates  in  a  series  of  years  when  the  first 
Bobolink  was  seen  in  spring:  Bicknell,  April  28,  1896;  May  3,  1894 
and  1897;  Bloomington,  April  17, 1885,  May  6, 1882  and  1888;  Brook- 
ville,  April  6,  1890  (the  earliest  record  for  the  State),  ana  May  5, 
1881;  Moore's  Hill,  April  23,  1893,  April  27,  1888;  Greensburg,  April 
26,  1896,  May  8,  1895;  Terre  Haute,  May  3,  1890,  May  13,  1889.  In 
the  southern  part  of  northern  Indiana  they  appear  a  little  later,  from 
May  2  to  11. 

At  Muncie  they  were  first  seen  May  6,  1893,  and  May  11,  1890; 
Lafayette,  May  5,  1890;  May  7,  1892;  Red  Key,  May  2,  1895;  North 
Manchester,  May  3,  1896.  Farther  north,  where  they  breed  com- 
monly, they  are  usually  first  seen  between  April  26  and  May  5,  most 
always  by  May  9;  Lake  County,  April  27,  1887;  May  8,  1889;  Dekalb 
County,  April  27,  1896;  May  9,  1889;  Laporte,  April  27,  1894;  Wayne 
County,  Mich.,  April  26,  1896;  April  27,  1892,  and  1893;  Petersburg, 
Mich.,  April  28,  1891,  May  2,  1886,  1889,  1892  and  1893. 

The  males  usually  precede  the  females  by  from  two  days  to  two 
weeks.  The  crowning  glory  of  prairie  life  in  the  spring  is  the  lively 
antics,  the  ardent  courtships  and,  above  all,  the  beautiful  music  of  the 
Bobolink,  whether  on  the  ground,  in  a  treetop  or  in  midair,  his  sweet 
song  comes  to  us  with  the  perfume  of  early  clover  blossoms. 
These  remain  twin  impressions,  indelibly  impressed  upon  one's  mind. 
The  wife  builds  her  nest  of  straws,  grasses  and  weeds,  on  the  ground, 
usually  in  a  depression,  but  sometimes  in  a  tuft  of  grass,  and  there 
assumes  the  duties  of  incubation  and  the  care  of  a  family.  The  hus- 
band is  the  stylish  and  attractive  member  of  the  family.  "She  broods 
in  the  grass  while  her  husband  sings."  The  female  Bobolink  in  spring, 
and  both  sexes  and  young  in  fall,  are  a  puzzle  to  young  students  of 
birds.  The  male  he  can  readily  determine,  but  the  sparrow-like  dress 
of  the  female  in  the  spring,  and  of  both  adults  and  young  in  the  fall, 
cause  him  much  perplexity.  Fresh  eggs  are  usually  to  be  found  from 
May  20  to  June  5.  Between  June  15  and  July  5,  the  nests  usually 
contain  young.  The  males  keep  up  their  singing  until  the  beginning 
of  July,  and  then  suddenly  stop,  change  their  dress  to  that  of  the  fe- 
male and  become  songless.  Only  a  metallic  click  is  then  uttered.  I 
have  found  them  in  full  song  at  Eagle  Lake  as  late  as  July  4.  It  is 
generally  thought  they  leave  about  July  20.  While  a  few  may  start 
upon  their  return  journey  then,  the  greater  number  seek  good  feed- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  889 

ing  grounds  and  remain  until  the  middle  of  August.  Some,  com- 
paratively few,  remain  later  than  this.  In  1894  the  last  was  reported 
from  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  12;  Cook  County,  111.,  September 
21.  In  1890  I  received  one  from  Mr.  H.  N.  McCoy,  which  he  killed 
at  Marion,  Ind.,  September  29.  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  reports  about 
150  at  Sandusky,  0.,  September  4,  1897.  However,  they  flock  to 
the  Atlantic  Coast  in  great  numbers  towards  the  middle  of  August 
and  descend  in  immense  swarms  upon  the  rice  fields  of  the  South 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States.  Apparently  they  journey  southward,  follow- 
ing the  coast  line,  and  some  distance  out.  There  they  appear  to  arrive 
from  seaward,  "punctually  on  the  night  of  the  21st  of  August"  (U.  S.. 
Agr.  Eept.,  1886,  p.  249).  They  at  once  proceed  to  destroy  all  the 
rice  on  which  the  grain  is  in  the  milk,  as  well  as  untold  quantities  of 
ripening  grain.  The  annual  loss  to  rice  growers  in  this  country  on  ac- 
count of  Bobolinks  is  estimated  at  $2,000,000.  For,  not  only  do  they 
consume  so  much  in  the  fall,  but  in  April  and  May,  as  they  come 
north,  they  stop  to  lay  in  waste  the  fields  of  young  grain.  The  Bobo- 
link, with  us,  is  an  entirely  different  bird,  given  to  sweet  songs,  odd 
actions  and  good  deeds.  With  us,  it  lives  upon  insects  and  seeds  that 
are  of  no  especial  value.  During  the  time  the  young  have  to  be  pro- 
vided for  they  are  fed  mostly  insects.  The  meadows,  marshes,  pastures 
and  prairies  are  its  home,  and  multitudes  of  insects  which  infest  such 
places  are  eaten  each  year.  (See  The  Bobolink  in  Indiana  Proc,  I. 
A.  S.,  1896.) 

111.    Genus  MOLOTHRUS  Swainson. 

*188.    (495).    Molothrus  ater  (Bodd.). 

Cowbird. 
Synonyms,  Cow  Bunting,  Blackbibd. 

Adult  Male. — Plumage,  mostly  lustrous  black,  with  purple  and 
green  reflections;  head  and  neck,  brown.  Female. — Smaller;  brown- 
ish-gray, darker  above;  chin  and  throat  paler,  apparently  streaked, 
owing  to  the  darker  lines  along  the  shafts  of  most  of  the  feathers. 
Immature. — Similar  to  female,  but  more  buffy;  bill  and  feet,  black. 

Male,  length,  7.75-8.25;  wing,  4.00-4.60;  tail,' 2.90-3.35.  Female, 
length,  7.00-7.50;  wing,  about  3.75;  tail,  2.75. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  southern  Mexico  north  to  N"ew 
Brunswick  and  Athabasca  (Little  Slave  Lake).  Breeds  from  Georgia, 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  northward.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois  and 
southern  Indiana,  southward. 


890  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

No  nest.  Lays  in  the  nests  of  other  birds;  number  of  Qgg^  unknown. 
Eggs,  white,  speckled  and  blotched  with  dark  and  light  Ijrown;  .84 
by  .65. 

Abundant  summer  resident.  Favorable  winters,  some  remain  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  found  it  remained  in 
some  numbers  at  Bicknell,  the  winter  of  1896-7.  I  found  it  as  far 
north  as  Brookville,  November  24,  1887.  They  begin  to  return  some 
years  very  early.    In  1882  I  noted  it  at  Brookville,  February  28,  while 


Cowbird,  reduced. 

in  1883  I  did  not  see  one  until  April  4.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  noted  it 
at  Spearsville,  February  28,  1895,  and  March  6,  1894.  The  following 
are  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrival  for  places  named:  Greens- 
burg,  March  23,  1895,  March  28,  1896;  Sedan,  March  6,  1889,  April 
17,  1894;  Laporte,  March  30,  1886,  April  10,  1894;  Lake  County, 
March  13,  1886;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  17,  1889,  March  18,  1897. 
The  females  arrive  later  in  the  spring  than  the  males.  They  begin 
mating  some  years  late  in  March,  and  continue  well  through  April. 
At  Brookville,  I  have  seen  this  beginning  March  25,  1884.  When 
they  arrive  late  in  March,  or  after,  they  are  mated. 

The  Cowbird  is  polygamous.  The  dark  male  may  be  seen  with  sev- 
eral lighter  females.  The  attentions  to  them  are  very  persistent.  With 
many  motions,  he  puffs  himself  up,  erects  his  feathers,  droops  his 
wings  and  spreads  his  tail,  conscious  of  his  own  importance.  All  this 
ends  in  a  farcical  attempt  to  sing.  Its  ordinary  call,  Mr.  Nehrling  well 
says,  is  a  shrill  "cluck-see^^;  while  it  has,  also,  a  shrill  one-syllable 
screech. 

The  Cowbird  builds  no  nest.  It  is  a  parasite.  As  the  European 
Cuckoo,  and  to  a  limited  extent  our  American  species,  lays  eggs  in  the 
nests  of  other  birds  for  them  to  hatch  and  rear,  so  does  this  bird. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  891 

Most  persons  have  seen  it  aceompanying  the  cattle  in  pasture.  Mr. 
AVidmann  thinks,  thus,  it  used  to  accompany  the  American  Bison.  In 
its  migrations,  and  because  of  its  wanderings,  it  could  neither  build 
a  nest  or  take  time  to  rear  a  family.  Thus,  to  his  mind,  was  the  habit 
fomied.  No  one  kind  of  bird  is  selected  to  be  the  foster  parent.  Major 
Bendire  mentions  ninety  species  of  birds  in  whose  nests  Cowbirds'  eggs 
liave  been  found.  These  range  from  the  size  of  the  Mourning  Dove, 
and  Meadow  Lark,  to  the  little  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher  and  House 
Wren.  Such  well  known  birds  as  the  Phoebe,  Song  Sparrow,  Tewhee, 
Indigo  Bunting,  Oven-birds,  and  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  are  most  often 
imposed  upon.  The  Yellow  Warbler,  however,  is  often  a  match  for  the 
Cowbird;  frequently  she  buries  the  latter^s  egg  or  eggs  and  her  own 
beneath  a  second  story  built  on  top  of  her  nest,  and  deposits  another 
set  of  eggs.  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick,  of  Brookville,  has  a  nest  of  this  Warbler 
to  which  a  third  story  has  been  added,  burying  two  efforts  of  the  Cow- 
bird  to  perpetuate  its  kind.  There  have  been  other  such  nests  found. 
The  Acadian  Flycatcher  and,  perhaps,  Traill's  Flycatcher,  disposes 
of  the  Cowbird's  eggs  in  the  same  way,  sometimes. 

"It  is  very  interesting  to  observe  the  female  Cowbird  ready  to  lay. 
She  becomes  disquieted.  At  length  she  separates  from  the  flock  and 
sallies  forth  to  reconnoitre,  anxiously,  indeed,  for  her  case  is  urgent 
and  she  has  no  home.  How  obtrusive  is  the  sad  analogy!  She  flies  to 
some  thicket,  or  hedgerow,  or  other  common  resort  of  birds,  where, 
something  teaches  her,  perhaps  experience,  nests  will  be  found. 
Stealthily  and  in  perfect  silence  she  flits  along,  peering  into  the  depths 
of  the  foliage.  She  espies  a  nest,  but  the  owner's  head  peeps  over  the 
brim,  and  she  must  pass  on.  Now,  however,  comes  her  chance;  there 
is  the  very  nest  she  wishes,  and  no  one  at  home.  She  disappears  for 
a  few  minutes,  and  it  is  almost  another  bird  that  comes  out  of  the 
bush.  Her  business  done,  and  troubles  over,  she  chuckles  her  self- 
gratulation,  rustles  hfer  plumage  to  adjust  it  trimly  and  fly  back  to  her 
associates.  They  know  what  has  happened,  but  are  discreet  enough  to 
say  nothing;  charity  is  often  no  less  wise  than  kind"  (Dr.  Coues,  Birds 
of  the  N.  W.,  p.  185).  The  Cowbird's  egg  is  said  to  hatch  in  about  ten 
or  eleven  days.  It  hatches  earlier,  the  young  is  larger,  more  persistent, 
or  has  some  quality  that  is  usually  not  found  in  the  nest-mates.  So  it 
thrives  and  the  others  perish.  Every  Cowbird's  egg  is  usually  the 
cause  of  the  destruction  of  a  whole  brood  of  more  useful  birds.  They 
disappear  as  the  dryer  summer  months  come  on,  seeking  the  swamps 
and  marshy  pastures.  In  September  they  migrate,  a  few,  however, 
remaining  through  the  succeeding  months  and  well  into  November. 
Most  years  they  are  gone  before  October  1,     In  Lake  County  they 


892  Kkport  of  State  Geologist. 

sometimes  remain  until  October.  The  following  are  some  other  rec- 
ords: Sedan,  October  29,  1889;  Sandusky,  0.,  October  17,  1896;  Cook 
Connt}^,  111.,  October  5,  1895;  Greensbnrg,  October  31,  1896,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1894;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  October  24,  1894;  Hillsdale,  Mich., 
November  1,  1894. 


112.    Genus  XANTHOOEPHALUS  Swainson. 

*189.    (497).    Xanthocephalus  xanthocephalus  (Bona?.). 

Yellow-headed  Blackbird. 

Adult  Male. — Head  (except  lores),  neck  and  chest,  yellow;  primary 
coverts  and  some  of  greater  coverts,  white;  rest  of  plumage,  black. 
Female  and  Immature. — Brownish-black;  little  or  no  white  on  wing; 
yellow,  restricted  or  obscured.    Female  smaller  than  the  male. 

Male,  length,  10.60-11.10;  wing,  5.65-5.80;  tail,  4.50-4.85.  Female, 
length,  9.00-10.00;  wing,  4.40-4.65;  tail,  3.50-3.70. 

Eange. — "Western  North  America,  from  Mexico  (Valley  of  Mexico), 
north  to  British  Columbia,  and  Keewatin;  east  to  Manitoba,  Wiscon- 
sin, Indiana,  Missouri  and  Texas.  Breeds  throughout  its  range.  Win- 
ters from  Louisiana  and  Texas,  southward. 

Nests,  in  colonies;  nests  fastened  in  rushes  or  other  aquatic  plants, 
of  grass,  reeds  and  rushes,  lined  with  finer  grass.  Eggs,  2-5;  grayish 
or  greenish-white,  rather  evenly  blotched  or  spotted  with  different 
shades  of  brown,  drab  and  pearl-gray;  1.02  by  .71. 

This  Western  species  is  a  summer  resident  in  some  localities,  in 
northwestern  Indiana.  It  frequents  swamps  and  has  a  preference  for 
certain  localities,  where  it  breeds  in  colonies.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs 
me  that  he  found  it  breeding  abundantly  along  the  Calumet  River,  in 
Lake  County,  in  1871.  He  took  over  a  hundred  eggs.  Mr.  Geo.  L. 
Toppan  has  also  found  it  breeding  in  Lake  County,  and  also  abun- 
dantly about  Mud  Lake,  over  the  line,  in  Illinois.  There  is  a  pair  in 
the  State  Museum  that  are  marked  from  Porter  County.  Mr.  Ruth- 
ven  Deane  informs  me  one  was  taken  from  a  flock  of  Red-winged 
Blackbirds  at  English  Lake,  August  7,  1897,  and  Mr.  Chas.  Dury 
says  he  obtained  specimens  from  there  years  ago.  None,  however, 
have  been  reported  from  there  for  fifteen  years  or  more.  The  hab- 
its of  the  Yellow-headed  Blackbird  are,  in  many  respects,  similar 
to  those  of  the  Red-winged  Blackbird.  They  are  swamp  birds.  The 
nest  is  built  in  reeds  or  tufts  of  grass;  they  have  the  somewhat  similar 
harsh  clacking  notes. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  893 

They  feed  upon  seeds  of  swamp  plants;  sometimes  do  damage  to 
green  com  before  the  ears  glaze,  but  eat  large  numbers  of  insects. 
An  egg  is  laid  daily,  and  but  one  brood  reared  a  year.  Incubation 
lasts  about  14  days.  They  arrive  in  May  and  depart  in  August  or 
September. 

113.    Gknus  AGELAIUS  Vieillot. 

'190.     (498).    Agelaius  phoeniceus  (Linn.). 

Red-winged  Blackbird. 
Synonym,  Swamp  Blackbird. 

Adult  Male. — Plumage,  deep  black;  lesser  wing  coverts,  bright  red, 
bordered  behind  with  broad  band  of  brownish-yellow,  buffy  or  white. 
In  fall  or  winter,  black,  more  or  less  edged  with  brown.  Adult  Fe- 
male.— Smaller;  above,  blackish,  with  brown  and  white  streaks;  light 
stripe  over  eye,  and  inconspicuous  light  stripe  along  center  of  head; 
lesser  wing  coverts,  with  more  or  less  red;  wings,  barred  and  edged 
with  white  or  brownish;  below,  streaked  with  black  and  white;  throat, 
tinged  with  pink  or  yellow.  Immatwe. — Like  female,  but  browner 
above  and  more  buffy  below. 

Male.—hQTigth,  9.00-10.00;  wing,  4.60-5.05;  tail,  3.55-3.95.  Fe- 
male.—Length,  7.50-8.50;  wing,  3.80-4.35;  tail,  3.10-3.40. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Costa  Rica  north  to  New  Brunswick 
and  Mackenzie  River  Valley  (Ft.  Simpson).  Breeds  from  coast  of 
Grulf  States,  north.  Winters  from  Virginia  and  southern  Indiana, 
southward. 

Nest,  and  site,  similar  to  that  of  last  mentioned  species.  Eggs,  2-6; 
pale  bluish-green,  spotted  and  irregularly  streaked  with  black  and 
various  shades  of  brown,  drab  and  purple;  .98  by  .69. 

An  abundant  summer  resident  about  swamps  and  the  reedy  borders 
of  lakes,  and  streams;  elsewhere,  rare,  or  only  seen  during  the  migra- 
tions. Some  winters,  remain  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  The 
winter  of  1884-5  one  was  taken  in  January  at  Paris,  111.,  and  a  few 
were  seen,  at  odd  times  during  February,  at  Odin,  111.  (Cooke,  Rept. 
B.  Mig.  in  Miss.  Valley,  p.  164).  January  14,  1895,  Mr.  V.  H.  Bar- 
nett  found  four  at  Spearsville,  and  the  following  winter  it  remained  at 
Bicknell  as  late  as  December  1.  The  winter  of  1896-7  they  also  re- 
mained there  in  some  numbers  (Chansler). 

To  note  the  movements  of  the  Red-winged  Blackbird  one  should  be 
near  its  summer  home.  They  proceed  directly  to  such  places,  and, 
though  a  few  often  precede  the  main  body,  they  are  often  found  there 


894 


Kepokt  of  State  Geologist. 


in  force  before  any  of  the  chance  migrants  aie  seen  farther  south.  At 
Brookville  it  is  only  seen  occasionally,  as  it  passes  over  or  stops  beside 
the  river,  perhaps,  some  days,  after  it  has  appeared  about  the  northern 
swamps.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  and,  in  fact,  throughout  southern 
Indiana,  generally,  there  are  few  localities  favorable  to  it;  so  that  a 


(Beal. 


Red-winged  Blackbird. 
-Farmer's  Bulletin  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  p.  20.") 


lisli  pond  containing  a  few  cat-tails,  a  sedgy  shallow  in  the  old  canal 
Ijed,  or  a  bit  of  wet  land,  the  remnants  of  an  old  marsh  or  beaver  pond, 
afford  about  the  only  nesting  sites.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State, 
where  the  marshes  and  marshy  lakes  are  found,  they  are  found  in 
flocks  numbering  thousands. 

They  may  be  observed,  on  first  arrival,  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State,  some  time  from  January  to  March;  and  among  the  northern 
marshes,  from  February  17  to  March  28.  The  following  dates  are 
the  earliest  and  latest  it  was  first  seen  at  the  points  named:  Brook- 
ville, February  21,  1888  and  1892,  March  25,  1897;  Frankfort,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1896,  April  6,  1893;  Dekalb  County,  February  17,  1897, 
February  22,  1886  and  1888;  Lake  County,  March  11,  1893;  Cook 
County,  111.,  March  20,  1886,  March  28,  1885;  Carroll  County,  Feb- 
ruary 12  (Evermann).  Its  call  is  one  of  the  characteristic  sounds 
of  the  marshes.     Emerson  says  it  calls  ^'o-ha-lee^     ISTehrling  gives 


Birds  of  Indiana.  895 

tliis  call:  "con-cur-ee/'  and  says  its  whistling  noise  is  Ui-lii.  Gen- 
erally they  nest  in  colonies.  The  males  are  polygamous.  Each  one 
has  usually  two  females.  But  this  is  not  always  so.  For,  often 
in  these  latter  days,  when  draining  and  ditching  are  driving  many 
birds  to  other  haunts,  and  habits,  solitary  pairs  are  found  about 
many  little  cattle  ponds,  fish  ponds,  or  springy  drains.  They  are 
even  becoming  noticeable  in  the  more  level  country.  In  many  mead- 
ows, where  is  a  wet  place,  no  water,  a  nest  or  two  will  be  found. 
Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  calls  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  they  are 
frequenting  such  places  in  Decatur  County,  and  thus  becoming 
more  generally  distributed  and  better  known  than  they  formerly  were. 
The  spring  of  1897  he  found  two  nests  about  such  a  place,  one  in  a 
bunch  of  sour-dock,  the  other  in  a  tuft  of  white  top.  Nests  are  found 
the  middle  of  April,  and  full  sets  of  fresh  eggs  are  found  until,  at 
least,  near  the  middle  of  May — Waterloo,  May  12,  1885  (Snyder). 
Their  nests  and  those  of  the  last  mentioned  species  are  similar  in  con- 
struction and  location,  as  a  rule.  The  Red-winged  Blackbird  some- 
times builds  in  bushes  or  trees,  as  much  as  fifteen  .feet  from  the 
ground.  Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder  told  me  of  one  nest  he  found  that  was  18 
inches  in  diameter.  They  usually  rear  but  one  brood  in  a  season. 
One  egg  is  laid  daily,  and  it  requires  about  two  weeks  for  them  to 
hatch.  In  August  and  September  they  collect  in  flocks  in  the  upper 
Mississippi  Valley,  where  they  breed  much  more  abundantly  than  they 
do  with  us.  At  this  season  they  do  much  damage  to  the  maturing 
corn.  In  the  South,  among  the  rice  fields  of  the  Gulf  coast,  they  do 
great  damage.  Prof.  Beal's  investigations  show  that,  of  725  birds  ex- 
amined, 74  per  cent,  of  their  food  was  vegetable  matter  and  26  per 
cent,  animal.  Insects  were  the  greater  part  of  the  latter,  and  consisted 
chiefly  of  beetles,  weevils  and  grasshoppers.  The  quantity  of  grain 
eaten  was  less  than  we  would  have  supposed.  It  constituted  but  a 
little  over  13  per  cent,  of  the  total  food,  and  consisted  of  corn,  wheat 
and  oats;  oats  form  nearly  half  of  that  amount. 

The  principal  food,  in  fact,  almost  the  entire  food,  in  winter,  was 
weed  seed.  That  formed  54  per  cent,  of  the  year's  food.  Thus  nox- 
ious and  injurious  insects  form  its  principal  food,  and,  save  in  cer- 
tain localities,  it  is  decidedly  a  beneficial  bird. 

They  wander  about  through  the  fall,  sometimes  starting  southward 
in  September.  Other  years  they  are  passing  through  October  and  even 
remain  northward  some  winters  until  early  November  (J.  G.  Parker, 
Jr.).  The  following  are  a  few  dates  showing  range  at  which  last  speci- 
'mens  were  seen:  Lafayette,  Ind.,  October  5,  1895;  Bicknell,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1894,  December  1,  1896;  Brookville,  November  11,  1886. 


896  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

114.    Grnus  STURNELLA   Vikillot. 

191.    (501).    Stumella  magna  (Linn.). 

Meadow  Lark. 

Adult. — Above,  prevailing  color  black,  crown  with  buff  middle 
stripe;  yellow  and  buff  stripe  over  eye,  black  stripe  from  eye  back; 
cheeks,  ashy;  back,  streaked  with  brown,  and  buffy;  outer  tail  feathers, 
white,  middle  ones  pointed;  they  with  the  inner  quills  and  wing  cov- 
erts, barred  or  scalloped  with  black  and  brown,  or  gray;  edge  of  wing 
and  spot  in  front  of  eye,  bright  yellow;  below,  yellow,  a  black  crescent 
on  breast;  sides  and  crissum,  whitish,  with  black  spots. 
'  Male.— Length,  9.50-11.00;  wing,  4.40-5.00.  Female.— Length, 
8.00-10.00;  wing,  3.95-4.30. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Gulf  of  Mexico  north  to 
Nova  Scotia  and  Manitoba;  west  to  Great  Plains.  Winters  from  Kan- 
sas, Indiana  and  Massachusetts,  southward.  Breeds  throughout  its 
range. 

Nest,  in  meadow,  in  depression  in  ground,  of  grass  and  weeds, 
arched  over  and  protected  by  growing  grass.  Eggs,  3-7;  white,  spotted 
and  blotched  with  brown  or  purple;  1.09  by  .89. 

Abundant  summer  resident.  Resident  in  the  southern  portion  of 
the  State.  Some  severe  winters  it  mostly  or  entirely  leaves.  Other 
winters  it  is  found  throughout  the  State.  It  has  been  reported  in 
winter  from  Brookville,  where  it  remains  during  mild  winters;  Wa- 
bash County,  often  (Ulrey  and  Wallace);  Carroll  County,  occasionally 
a  few  (Evermann);  Brown,  often  (Barnett);  Zanesville,  Wells  County, 
remained,  1896-7  (Hamilton);  Petersburg,  Mich.,  a  few  remained, 
1896-7  (Trombley).  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  the  migration 
begins:  In  Dekalb  County,  as  early  as  February  12,  1891,  and  as  late 
as  March  17,  1886;  in  Cook  County,  111.,  March  20,  1888,  March  28, 
1885.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  most  years,  the  migrations 
begin  in  February,  and  frequently  they  are  common  by  February  20. 
I  have  known  them  in  full  song  March  8  (1893). 

But  mating  does  not  usually  begin  until  early  April;  sometimes, 
however,  it  is  observed  in  March.  Sometimes  the  bird  scoops  out  a 
hole  in  the  side  of  a  tussock  of  grass  and  builds  its  nest,  arching  it 
over  with  the  grass  above.  Usually  it  is  placed  in  a  little  depression 
in  the  ground.  It  is  made  of  such  materials  as  are  at  hand — grasses  of 
varying  coarseness — and  a  lining  of  finer  growth.  The  male  sings 
while  the  female  works.  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  found  a  nest,  with 
three  eggs,  near  Greensburg,  April  25,  1896,  while  I  have  taken  the 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


897 


first  laying,  at  Brookville,  May  28,  1892.  Mr.  E.  K.  Quick  took  a  set 
of  fresh  eggs  near  the  same  place,  July  15,  1879.  This  was  a  second 
laying  in  a  nest  in  which  young  had  been  hatched  a  few  weeks  before. 
The  nest  was  relined  before  the  second  laying.  Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder  took 
a  set  of  eggs,  possibly  also  a  second  set,  at  Waterloo,  July  17,  1885. 
An  egg  is  deposited  daily,  and  incubation  takes  about  fifteen  days. 
Both  sexes  assist  in  the  latter. 


-^- 


Meadow  Lark. 
(Beal.— Year  Book,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895,  p.  421.) 


The  song  is  variously  interpreted.  Mr.  Kidgway  says  country  people 
sometimes  interpret  it  as  "Laziness  will  kill  you,"  or  "Peek-you-can't- 
see'-me;"  the  accent  on  the  next  to  the  last  syllable.  Mr.  Nehrling 
says  it  sounds  like  "He-ah-he-here,"  or  "et-see-dee-ah."  After  the 
harvest  is  over  and  the  young  are  able  to  care  for  themselves,  most 
of  the  Meadow  Larks  seek  choice  spots,  and  but  seldom  are  their  songs 
heard.  However,  when  the  fall  rains  come,  and  start  the  grass,  they 
regain  their  voices.  I  found  them  in  restless  flocks  during  the  dry 
weather,  September  30,  1897,  and  in  full  song.  At  times  they 
sing  quite  late.  November  11,  1886,  a  sunny,  pleasant  day,  I  found 
them  abundant  and  in  full  song  at  Lawrenceburg  Junction. 

The  Meadow  Lark  is  one  of  our  most  beneficial  birds;  and,  as  it 
should  be,  has  a  good  reputation.  Every  one  speaks  well  of  it.  In 
238  stomachs  examined  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  animal 
food,  practically  all  insects,  constituted  73  per  cent,  of  the  contents; 
and  vegetable  matter,  27  per  cent. 

57— Geol. 


898  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

The  insects  were  ground  species,  such  as  beetles,  bugs,  grasshoppers 
and  caterpillars,  some  flies,  some  wasps,  and  spiders.  Crickets  and 
grasshoppers  constitute  29  per  cent,  of  the  entire  year's  food,  great 
numbers  being  eaten  in  August,  when  these  insects  are  most  numerous. 
Beetles  come  next,  being  nearly  21  per  cent.  They  may  become  very 
valuable  in  combating  new  enemies  of  the  meadow,  such  as  the  rapidly 
spreading  clover  root  horer,  and  clover  leaf  weevil.  The  vegetable  food 
is  grain,  weed  and  other  seeds.  Grain  amounts  to  14  per  cent.,  and, 
being  eaten  in  winter  and  spring,  is  probably  principally  waste  grains. 
Only  six  birds  had  eaten  clover  seeds  (See  also  Beal,  Year  Book  of  U. 
S.  Dept.  of  Agr.  for  1895,  p.  419,  et  seq.,  and  Farmers'  Bulletin  No. 
64,  same  Dept.,  May,  1897,  p.  21). 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Meadow  Lark  is  almost  entirely  bene- 
ficial. Care  should  be  taken  to  protect  it,  not  only  from  the  shooter, 
who  wants  something  to  practice  upon,  but  also  from  unnecessary  de- 
struction in  any  form.  The  mower,  particularly  in  meadows  of  red 
clover,  when  first  cut,  destroys  many  nests,  eggs  and  young. 

115    Genus  ICTERUS  Brisson. 

a^.  Tail  graduated,  its  length  about  equal  to  wing ;  bill  slender,  curved  downward 
at  tip;  adult  male,  chestnut  and  black.     Subgenus  Pendulinus  Vieillot. 

I.  spurius  (Linn. ).     192 
a^.  Tail  nearly  even,  much  shorter  than  wing;  bill  not  curved  downward  ;  male, 
orange  and  black;  female,  duller.     Subgenus  Yphantes  Vieillot. 

I.  galbula  (Linn.).     193 

Subgenus  Pendulinus  Vieillot. 

*192.     (506).    Icterus  spurius  (Linn.). 

Orchard  Oriole. 

Adult  Male. — Black;  lower  back,  rump,  lesser  wing  coverts,  and  all 
under  parts  from  throat,  deep  chestnut;  a  whitish  bar  across  the  tips 
of  the  greater  wing  coverts;  bill  and  feet,  blue-black;  tail,  graduated. 
Adult  Female. — Smaller;  above,  grayish  olive-green;  wings,  dusky; 
tips  of  the  coverts,  and  edges  of  the  inner  quills,  whitish;  below,  yel- 
lowish. Young,  first  year:  Similar  to  female,  but  browner  above. 
Young,  second  year:  Similar  to  last,  but  with  black  mask,  and  some- 
times showing  patches  of  chestnut. 

Length,  6.00-7.25;  wing,  2.90-3.25;  tail,  2.65-3.20. 

Eantge. — ^America,  from  Colombia  over  eastern  United  States  to 
Massachusetts,  Ontario,  Michigan  and  North  Dakota,  casually  to  New 
Brunswick.  Breeds*  from  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Rio  Grande,  north. 
Winters  south  of  United  States. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  899 

Nest,  of  green  grass,  lined  with  plant  down;  in  tree,  in  orcliaxd, 
lawn  or  grove.  Eggs,  4-6;  pale  bluish- white,  blotched,  spotted  and 
veined  with  brown,  purple,  lavender  and  pearl  gray;  .81  by  .57. 

The  Orchard  Oriole  is  a  summer  resident.  In  most  counties  in 
the  State  it  is  common,  being  more  numerous  where  there  are 
extensive  orchards  and  attractive  lawns.  It  is  generally  shown  that 
these  birds  are  steadily  increasing  in  numbers.  In  the  extreme  north- 
em  part  of  the  State  they  are  extending  their  range,  as  well  as  increas- 
ing numerically.  Prior  to  1883,  they  are  reported  to  have  been  un- 
known in  portions  of  Dekalb  County,  and  it  was  very  rare  in  portions 
of  Lake  County.  The  orchard  is  its  home,  and  not  the  deep  woods. 
As  conditions  become  more  inviting,  they  will  increase.  While  a  few 
years  ago  the  Baltimore  Oriole  was  much  more  abundant  than  this, 
an  estimate  I  made  the  present  spring  (1897)  shows  that  these  birds 
outnumbered  the  last  mentioned  species  ten  or  fifteen  to  one. 

The  Orchard  Oriole  comes  in  spring,  with  the  blooming  of  the 
Buckeye,  and  it  frequents  thickets,  at  first,  where  that  bush  or  tree 
is  found. 

The  earliest  records  are  from  Bicknell  and  Brookville.  April  18, 
1896,  it  appeared  at  each  place.  The  following  are  the  dates  it  first 
arrived  in  the  places  named  in  the  spring  of  1897,  an  early  spring, 
and  where  second  date  is  given,  it  is  the  latest  date  of  first  arrival: 
Brookville,  April  24,  1897,  May  14,  1888;  Bicknell,  April  22,  1897, 
April  27,  1894;  Richmond,  April  26,  1897;  Lafayette,  April  26,  1897; 
Sandusky,  0.,  May  9,  1897;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  6,  1897,  May  8, 
1889.  The  dates  next  given  are  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  spring 
arrival:  Dekalb  County,  April  19,  1896,  May  20,  1888;  Cook  County, 
111.,  May  9,  1896,  May  15,  1884.  The  females  arrive  after  the  males 
from  several  days  to  near  two  weeks. 

In  southern  Indiana  most  years  the  Baltimore  Oriole  arrives  first. 
At  Brookville,  but  twice  in  fifteen  years^  observations  do  I  find  this 
species  noted  as  occurring  in  advance  of  it,  while  in  1893  it  was  just 
two  weeks  later  in  arriving. 

I  have  observed  it  mating  as  early  as  April  27,  1881,  and  May  4, 
1886.  In  southern  Indiana  sometimes  the  full  complement  of  eggs  is 
laid  about  the  middle  of  May.  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  found  the  par- 
ents feeding  their  young  May  31,  1896.  Usually,  however,  they  are 
about  two  weeks  later.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  they  breed 
in  June.  A  set  of  fresh  eggs  was  found  at  Waterloo,  June  3,  1885 
(Snyder);  and  an  incomplete  set  at  Lafayette,  June  10,  1897  (Test). 

The  nest  is  usually  placed  in  an  orchard  tree,  most  often  an  apple 
tree.     It  is  made  of  green  grass  blades,  and  is  placed  in  the  crotch  or 


900  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

fork  of  a  limb.  The  color  of  the  nest  renders  it  inconspicuous.  One 
egg  is  laid  daily.  Incubation  lasts  about  twelve  days,  and  it  was 
Major  Bendire's  opinion  that  this  was  performed  exclusively  by  the 
female.     One  brood  only  seems  to  be  raised  each  year. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer,  the  old  birds  have  lived  upon 
the  insects  in  the  orchard.  Next,  upon  such  food  they  feed  their 
ever-hungry  young,  and  when  they  leave  the  nest  the  whole  family 
goes  into  the  cornfield  to  feast  upon  the  insect  enemies  of  the  corn. 

No  bird  deserves  better  treatment  by  the  orchard  man  and  farmer. 
Except  a  few  berries  and  fruit  blossoms,  almost  their  entire  food  seems 
to  be  injurious  insects.  These  include  green  worms,  hairless  cater- 
pillars, beetles,  flies,  cabbage  worms  and  plant  lice. 

They  are  very  destructive  to  insects  that  feed  upon  the  foliage  of 
trees,  berries,  bushes  and  grape-vines;  among  the  latter  they  use  their 
sharp  bills  to  destroy  the  cocoons  wrapped  within  the  leaves. 

It  has  a  loud,  rattling  call,  which  Mr.  Nehrling  expresses  by 
"tarrrrrrr,^'  besides  a  sprightly  song,  often  partly  sung  on  the  wing. 
The  song  grows  less  frequent  in  late  June,  and  seldom  is  heard  in  the 
Whitewater  Valley  after  early  July — July  9,  1886. 

They  leave  early  and  almost  unnoticed.  Often  but  few  are  to  be 
found  early  in  August.  The  last  of  the  year  was  reported  from  Sedan, 
August  24, 1892;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  August  18,  1894;  Bicknell,  August 
30,  1895,  and  July  27,  1896;  Vermillion  County,  August  28,  1897. 

Subgenus  Yphantks  Vieillot. 

*193.     (507).    Icterus  galbula  (Linn.). 

Baltimore  Oriole. 

Male. — Head  and  neck  all  around,  and  back,  black;  rump,  upper  tail 
coverts,  lesser  wing  coverts,  most  of  the  tail  feathers  and  all  the 
under  parts  from  the  throat,  fiery  orange,  but  of  varying  intensity, 
according  to  age  and  season;  middle  tail  feathers,  black;  the  mid- 
dle and  greater  coverts  and  inner  quills,  more  or  less  edged 
and  tipped  with  white,  but  the  white  on  the  coverts  not  form- 
ing a  continuous  patch;  bill  and  feet,  blue-black.  Female. — Smaller, 
paler;  the  black  obscured  by  olive,  or  sometimes  entirely  wanting. 
Young. — Similar  to  female,  but  wanting  black  on  throat  and  head. 

Length,  7.00-8.15;  wing,  3.50-3.90;  tail,  2.85-3.35. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Saskatche- 
wan; west  to  Rocky  Mountains;  casual  to  Hudson  Bay  and  Keewatin; 
accidental  in  Cuba  and  Shetland  Islands.  Breeds  from  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico, northward.     Winters  south  of  United  States. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana. 


901 


Nest,  pensile,  purse-shaped,  suspended  from  slender  branch  of  tree; 
of  vegetable  fibres,  hair,  string  and  shreds  of  bark.  Eggs,  4-6;  pale 
grayish-white,  blotched,  spotted  and  irregularly  lined  with  black, 
brown  and  lavender;  .91  by  .61. 

Summer  resident.  Frequents  the  vicinity  of  water.  The  trees 
along  water  courses  and  about  ponds  and  lakes  are  favorite  places  both 
for  feeding  and  nesting.     In  many  localities  away  from  streams,  this 


Baltimore  Oriole. 
(Beal.— Year  Book,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895,  p.  427.) 


Oriole  is  rare.  Sometimes  during  the  spring  migrations  they  are  gen- 
erally distributed  over  the  country.  They  apparently  have  been  much 
less  common  the  past  few  years.  Their  winter  home  is  eastern  Mex- 
ico, Central  America,  into  the  United  States  of  Colombia.  Cuba  is 
the  only  one  of  the  West  Indies  visited.  One  noting  their  restricted 
winter  home,  and  seeing  the  large  proportion  of  the  skins  of  these 
birds  shipped  from  there  for  purposes  of  decoration  and  adornment, 
need  have  no  difficulty  in  understanding  how  that  may  have  a  con- 
siderable effect  upon  the  number  that  returns  to  us  in  the  spring. 

But  the  spring  of  1897  they  were  more  numerous  during  the  mi- 
grations for  a  few  days  than  I  ever  saw  them.  They  were  found  wher- 
ever trees  grew.  In  the  deepest  woods  and  orchards;  on  hilltop  and 
valley;  in  country  and  town.     In  one  small  apple  tree.  May  6, 1  found 


902  •  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

three  busy,  insect  catching,  and  for  the  next  two  or  three  days  they 
continued  from  one  to  four  in  almost  every  tree.  I  never  knew  sa 
many  birds  of  all  species  among  the  orchards  as  there  were  last  spring. 
They  seemed  busy  all  the  time,  and  there  must  have  been  much  insect 
food  and  a  great  destruction  of  such  forms.  As  it  was,  there  was  an 
unusual  abundance  of  insects  left  to  damage  the  fruit.  But  little 
late  fruit,  or  fruit  trees,  escaped  unharmed.  What  would  have  been 
the  destruction  had  not  this  innumerable  army  of  insect-eating  birds 
thoroughly  inspected  and  cleansed  our  trees  from  the  earlier  de- 
stroyers ? 

They  cross  our  southern  border  usually  between  April  15  and  25. 
One  advance  straggler  was  reported  from  Ellsworth,  Vigo  County, 
April  10,  1897.  It  was  next  seen  April  16.  The  year  1889  there 
were  some  of  these  birds  that  moved  quite  early.  The  first  was  re- 
ported from  Terre  Haute,  April  17;  Oxford,  0.,  April  18;  Waterloo, 
April  18;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  19.  The  bulk  of  the  birds  were 
detained,  however,  and  they  were  not  common  until  after  they  often 
are  in  other  years;  1888  was  about  an  average  of  their  first  arrival. 
The  following  are  the  dates  reported:  Brookville,  April  22;  Terre 
Haute,  April  24;  Clinton  County,  April  25;  Burlington  and  Waterloo, 
each,  April  26;  Rochester,  April  27;  Cedar  Lake,  Lake  County,  April 
28.  A  single  specimen  was  reported  from  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  April 
25,  but  it  was  not  noted  at  Bay  City,  Mich.,  until  May  5.  As  with 
many  other  species,  its  movements  begin  to  be  slower  as  it  approaches 
the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  earliest  and  latest  date  of  first 
arrival  at  Chicago,  is  April  27  and  May  8,  1897.  On  the  eastern  side 
of  Michigan  and  Indiana,  it  arrives  sooner.  The  earliest  and  latest 
date  of  arrival  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  19  (1889),  April  27  (1897). 

Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  noted  it  at  Bloomington  the  four  years 
ending  1887,  as  first  arriving  on  April  20,  21,  20,  21,  respectively.  I 
have  never  found  it  so  regular  at  Brookville.  The  following  dates  of 
first  arrivals  there  for  a  series  of  years  are  of  interest:  1881,  April  25; 
1882,  May  3;  1883,  April  26;  1884,  April  27;  1885,  April  23;  1886, 
April  25;  1887,  April  23;  1888,  April  25;  1889,  April  20;  1892,  April 
29;  1893,  April  17;  1894,  April  28;  1895,  April  26;  1896,  April  18; 
1897,  April  20. 

It  usually  becomes  common,  then,  April  28-30,  though  in  1896  it 
was  common  April  20.  The  males  appear  first,  and  the  females  arrive 
about  the  time  the  species  becomes  common.  With  us,  they,  and  the 
Orchard  Oriole,  arrive  close  together,  but  by  the  time  they  reach 
Michigan  the  last  named  form  is  behind.  When  they  first  arrive,  the 
males  have  a  lively,  attractive  song.     Nuttall  gives  it  as  "tshippe- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  903 

tshayia-too-too,  tshippe-tshippe-too-too."  I  have  observed  them 
mating  as  early  as  May  3  with  us,  and  have  found  the  nest  completed 
May  30,  and  young  June  1.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  has  reported  young  in 
Lake  County  May  30,  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Hine  fresh  eggs  from  Sedan 
June  1.  The  nest  is  the  finest  bird  structure  found  with  us.  It  is  a 
pensile,  purse-shaped  composition,  into  which  strings,  fibres,  tow,  hair 
and  various  other  pliable  materials  enter.  Maj.Bendire  says  it  requires 
from  five  to  eight  days  to  build  the  nest.  One  egg  is  laid  daily,  and 
one  brood  reared  each  season.  Incubation  lasts  about  fourteen  days, 
-and  it  is  said  the  female  performs  most  of  that  duty.  It  is  said  the 
young  are  fed  upon  insects.  This  is  partly  true.  The  past  season 
a  pair  of  these  birds  built  their  nest  in  a  fir  tree  in  my  yard,  on  a  limb 
reaching  over  an  alley.  I  observed  the  old  birds,  when  the  young  were 
hatched,  catching  what  seemd  to  be  insects  for  them.  They  were 
also  frequent  visitors  to  my  strawberry  beds,  eating  and  carrying  away 
what  they  wanted.     This  was  kept  up  until  late  in  June. 

June  25  my  boys  found  that  one  of  the  young  was  fastened  in  the 
nest.  I  cut  off  the  limb  and  found  one  leg  entangled  in  the  strings. 
It  had  been  there  some  time,  as  the  muscles  were  shriveled  and  the 
leg  useless.  The  bird  was  lively  and  voracious.  From  the  stains  on 
its  feathers,  and  the  droppings  in  the  nest,  it  was  plain  to  be  seen 
that  a  large  part  of  its  food  for  some  time  had  been  strawberries. 

The  attractive  song  of  first  appearance  gives  place  to  a  shorter  one 
about  June  1.  "Who-ee,  here-we-are,"  or  "who-ee-who-ee-who-ee- 
who"  it  seems  to  say.  As  the  days  pass  by,  this  is  shortened  by  two  or 
three  syllables.  The  last  syllable  is  always  short  and  emphatic.  The 
staccato  effect  is  very  characteristic.  The  rattling  call,  "kur-r-r-t," 
still  continues,  as  when  it  first  came.  Through  June  the  songs  get 
less  frequent.  The  last  I  heard — a  fragment — was  June  25,  this  year. 
July  24,  I  again  heard  its  song.  The  performance  was  like  that  of 
mid-June,  but  finer.  This  was  continued  into  the  early  part  of  Au- 
gust. August  9, 1  heard  one  singing  little  parts  of  songs,  and  the  last  I 
heard  of  these  attractive  birds  was  a  "kur-r-r-t,"  August  12. 

They  begin  to  leave  late  in  June,  and  through  July  and  August  but 
few  remain  with  us.  Some  years  none  are  seen  after  tbe  middle  of 
August.  Others,  they  remain  well  into  September,  and  Prof.  W.  P. 
Shannon  reported  one  from  Greensburg,  October  1,  1896.  That  is 
the  latest  record  for  the  State.  In  113  stomachs  examined,  caterpil- 
lars constituted  34  per  cent,  of  the  food.  The  other  insects  found 
were  beetles,  chiefly  clickbeetles,  the  larvae  of  which  are  very  de- 
structive, bugs,  ants,  wasps,  grasshoppers  and  some  spiders.  Vegeta- 
ble material  was  found  to  be  a  little  over  16  per  cent,  of  the  food 


904  Eeport  of  State  Geologist.   • 

eaten.     They  eat  a  few  peas,  blackberries  and  cherries,  as  shown  by  the 
returns.     On  the  whole,  they  are  excedingly  beneficial. 

Good  looks  and  good  deeds  with  them  go  together  (see  article  by 
Prof.  F.  E.  L.  Beal,  in  Year  Book  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.  for  1895).  The 
Baltimore  Oriole  has  been  accused  of  damaging  grapes,  but  examina- 
tion of  the  stomachs  did  not  seem  to  sustain  the  charge.  Mr.  Isham 
Sedgwick,  of  Eichmond,  Ind.,  informs  me  that  for  three  succeeding 
years,  1894-5  and  6,  these  birds  damaged  his  grapes.  Both  he  and 
other  members  of  his  family  saw  the  birds  at  work,  and  agree  that  they 
neither  ate  the  fruit  nor  sucked  the  Juice  of  the  grapes  they  pecked. 
The  bird  would  bite  every  grape  in  a  bunch  in  15  to  20  seconds.  One 
year  they  wholly  or  partially  destroyed  about  75  bunches  of  fruit. 
Mr.  Sedgwick  once,  while  watching  for  the  bird,  saw  it  come  and  chase 
and  capture  several  bees,  which  were  about  grapes  where  the  skin  had 
been  broken.  I  suspect  that  is  the  clue  that  will  reward  the  inquirer 
with  the  cause  of  the  Oriole  nipping  the  grapes.  Insects  are  attracted 
by  the  grape  juice  in  punctured  fruit.  The  bird  punctures  the  grapes 
to  draw  more  insects  that  it  may  obtain  food  more  easily. 


116.    Gkkus  SCOLECOPHAGUS  Swainson. 

194.     (509).    Scolecophagus  carolinus.     (Mull). 

Rusty  Blackbird. 

Adult  MaU  in  Summer. — Lustrous  black,  the  reflections  greenish. 

Adult  Male  in  Fall  and  Winter. — Similar,  but  with  nearly  all  the 
feathers  skirted  with  warm  brown  above  and  brownish-yellow  below, 
frequently  continuous  on  the  fore  parts.  Female  and  Young  Male. — 
Entirely  rusty-brown  above;  the  inner  quills  edged  with  same;  a  pale 
stripe  over  the  eye;  below,  mixed  rusty  and  grayish-black;  the  pri- 
maries and  tail  above,  black;  tail  feathers  of  about  equal  length;  bill 
and  feet,  black. 

Length,  8.20-9.75;  wing,  4.25-4.75;  tail,  3.65-4.20. 

Eange. — North  America,  chiefly  east  of  Eocky  Mountains,  from 
Gulf  Coast  to  Labrador,  Keewatin  and  Alaska;  accidental  in  Lower 
California  and  Greenland.  Breeds  from  northern  New  England, 
northern  New  York  and  Manitoba,  northward.  Winters  from  Indiana 
and  Virginia,  southward. 

Nest,  in  saplings  and  bushes  near  wet  places;  of  twigs,  grass  and 
moss;  on  a  base  of  earth,  lined  with  grass.  Eggs,  4-5;  light  bluish- 
green,  blotched  and  spotted  with  different  shades  of  brown  and  gray; 
.98  by  .72. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  905 

Migrant,  most  places  rarely  identified,  but  really  common.  Earely, 
they  may  be  found  in  winter  in  southern  Indiana  and  Illinois,  as  far 
north  as  Catlin,  111.,  and  Knox  County,  Ind.  Most  of  them  pass  far- 
ther south  in  early  winter,  "remaining  with  us  throughout  the  State, 
Fome  years,  until  late  in  November. 

Mrs.  J.  L.  Hine  reports  them  from  Sedan,  November  11,  1889; 
November  25, 1891;  Mr.  J.  Gr.  Parker,  Jr.,  from  Calumet,  111.,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1887;  Greencastle,  November  15,  1893.  One  taken  to  be  this 
species  was  noted  at  Brookville,  January  23,  1887;  Brookville,  Novem- 
ber 17,  1885,  November  24,  1887.  Mr.  A.  W.  Hamilton  reports  a 
number  at  Zanesville,  Wells  County,  December  7,  1896.  The  greater 
number  begin  to  return  early  in  March,  and  may  be  seen  in  flocks  in 
southern  Indiana  until  past  the  middle  of  the  month — March  21, 1883. 
The  first  arrivals  pass  on  at  once  to  the  swampy  portions  of  the  State. 
There  they  may  be  found,  some  years,  well  through  April.  Mrs.  Hine 
reports  them  from  Sedan,  April  28,  1892,  and  Mr.  C.  A.  Tallman 
noted  them  in  Cook  County,  111.,  May  1,  1897.  In  the  fall  they  begin 
to  return  from  their  northern  breeding  grounds,  some  yqars  by  early 
October.  Mr.  Chansler  noted  it  at  Bicknell,  October  5,  1894.  Most 
of  them  remain  about  our  smaller  lakes  through  October,  ^nd  in  south- 
ern Indiana  we  generally  see  them  in  flocks  in  November.  Major 
Bendire  says  the  ordinary  call  note  is  like  "tchack,  tchack,'^  several 
times  repeated.  Another  call  is  "tumlee,  tumlee,'^  or  "trallahee,  trall- 
ahee." 

Prof.  F.  H.  King  says  he  examined  five  specimens.  Three  had 
eaten  seven  beetles,  among  them  three  aquatic  species;  one,  moths; 
one,  two  small  mollusks;  and  two,  small  seeds  (Geology  of  Wis.,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  551).  They  have  been  said  to  eat  com,  but  do  no  damage  in 
Indiana. 

117.    Gekus  QUISCALUS  Vikillot. 
Subgenus  Quiscalus. 

*195.    (5116).    ftuiscalus  quiscula  aeneus  (Ridgw.). 

Bronzed  Grackle. 
Synonyms,  Common  Blackbird,  Crow  Blackbird,  Purple  Grackle. 

Adult  Male. — ^Entire  body,  above  and  below,  uniform  and  unvarying 
brassy-olive,  or  olive-bronze;  wing  shading  gradually  into  bronze-pur- 
ple, the  primaries  and  tail  more  violet-purple;  head,  neck  and  jugulum, 
metallic  brassy-green,  steel-blue,  violet  or  purple  (according  to  individ- 
ual), always  very  abruptly  defined  against  the  very  different  color  of 
the  back  and  breast.     Bill  and  feet,  deep  black;  iris,  yellowish-white; 


906 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


tail,  conspicuously  graduated.  Adult  Female. — Smaller;  plumage 
much  duller  than  in  the  male,  the  metallic  colors  less  brilliant. 
Young. — Uniform  grayish-dusky  without  metallic  tints;  iris,  pale 
brown  (Ridg.). 

Male,  length,  13.00;  wing,  5.55-5.75;  tail,  5.50-6.2O.  "Female,  lengthy 
11.25-11.50;  wing,  5.00-5.50;  tail,  4.80-4.90. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Mexico  and  Gulf  Coast  to 
Louisiana,  northward,  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Alle- 


(Beal. 


Bronzed   Graekle. 
-Year-Book,Uni"ted  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1894,  p.  233.) 


ghanies;  to  Atlantic  Coast  in  Massachusetts,  Labrador  and  Great  Slave 
Lake.  Casually  to  Atlantic  Coast  from  Virginia  to  Florida.  Breeds 
from  Gulf  Coast,  north.     Winters  from  Indiana  and  Illinois,  south. 

Nest,  often  in  colonies,  in  cavities  or  among  branches  of  trees;  of 
grass,  weeds  and  mud;  lined  with  grass  or  feathers.  FJggs,  4-7; 
pale  greenish-white  to  light  rusty-brown,  blotched  and  irregularly 
streaked  with  various  shades  of  dark  brown,  and  sometimes  lavender; 
1.14  by  .82. 

Common  summer  resident;  most  numerous  in  spring  and  fall  in 
flocks.  Sometimes  in  groves  of  cottonwoods,  sycamores  or  crther  favor- 
ite trees,  they  are  found  breeding  in  companies,  and  there  during  nest- 
ing time  the  air  is  filled  with  harsh  utterances  and  metallic  notes. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  ^07 

Some  winters  they  are  found  in  favorable  places  within  the  State. 
Usually  these  are  few,  or  even  single  birds,  but  sometimes  they  are 
present  in  small  flocks.  The  winter  of  1878-79,  one  of  these  birds  re- 
mained about  my  home,  at  Brookville,  feeding  with  the  English  Spar- 
rows in  the  chicken  yard  and  comcrib. 

They  occasionally  remain  in  Monroe  County  (Evermann).  The 
winter  of  1896-7  they  were  reported  from  Hanover,  January  11  (Cul- 
bertson).  That  winter  they  remained  at  Greensburg  (Shannon),  and 
at  Bicknell  (Chansler).  Ulrey  and  Wallace  say  they  are  sometimes 
seen  in  mid- winter  in  Wabash  County.  They  were  fouad  at  Waterloo, 
January  18,  1890  (H.  W.  McBride),  and  Mrs.  Hine  says  a  flock  of 
Blackbirds  remained  at  Sedan  all  the  winter  of  1891-2,  and  the  winter 
of  1893-4  they  remained  about  Stony  Lake.  Mr.  B.  T.  Gault  saw  a 
Blackbird  of  some  kind  in  Cook  County,  111.,  in  January,  1896;  and 
Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  gives  it,  upon  the  authority  of  Mr.  Warren,  as  having 
been  seen  in  protected  bottoms  in  St.  Joseph  County  in  January 
(Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  105). 

Those  that  winter  farther  south  begin  to  appear  in  great  flocks  in 
southern  Indiana  in  February  and  eaxly  March.  At  night  they  roost 
in  great  numbers,  associated  with  Red-winged  Blackbirds  and  Cow- 
birds,  in  some  selected  spot.  The  evergreens  in  my  yard  have  for 
years  formed  such  a  roosting  place.  They  frequent  it  until  the  middle 
of  April.  The  older,  more  shady  towns  of  Indiana  are  selected  for 
roosting  places,  both  in  spring  and  fall.  The  earliest  and  latest  dates, 
respectively,  of  first  appearance  at  Brookville  are  February  17,  1882, 
and  1890,  March  11,  1889;  they  are  usually  common  between  March  8 
and  14;  at  Sedan,  February  27,  1893,  and  March  15,  1886;  common  be- 
tween March  14  and  25;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  6,  1897,  and  March 
18,  1891;  common  between  March  15  and  April  1;  Cook  County,  111., 
March  23,  1886,  and  April  7,  .1885.  Again,  will  be  observed  the 
earlier  arrival  of  a  species  near  Lake  Erie.  Soon  after  arrival  they 
begin  a  beautiful  mating  song.  The  birds  gather  at  evening  in  groves 
and  the  shade  trees  of  lawns,  even  in  towns,  and  sing  in  great  glee. 
This  was  continued  in  1895  until  April  28.  I  have  seen  them  mating 
by  March  9,  1887.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  thej  prefer  groves  of 
Cottonwood,  sycamore  or  other  trees  near  water  courses.  Often  they 
begin  building  in  southern  Indiana  early  in  April.  I  have  found  their 
nests,  apparently  completed  and  occupied,  by  April  12,  1897,  and  in 
1881  I  found  them  nesting  May  9. 

Mrs.  Hine  reported  their  nesting  at  Sedan  April  19,  1886,  and  Mr. 
L.  T.  Meyer  says  they  usually  breed  in  Lake  County  by  May  15.  The 
period  of  incubation  is  about  two  weeks,  and  both  birds  share  that 


908  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

labor.  The  young  remain  in  the  nest  about  eighteen  days.  Rarely  a 
second  brood  is  raised.  After  breeding,  they  begin  to  collect  into 
small  flocks.  In  1896  they  were  first  seen  in  flocks,  coming  into 
Greensburg  to  roost,  June  5  (Shannon).  In  1897  I  observed  the  first 
flock  in  Brookville  after  breeding,  June  16,  and  the  next  June  23. 
"She  greater  number  pass  northward  and  return  in  immense  flocks  the 
first  cold  spell  in  September.  September  3,  1897,  they  began  to  re- 
turn in  flocks,  and  added  their  clamor  to  the  sounds  of  the  town. 
The  evening  of  September  21,  a  great  flight  of  Blackbirds  and  Cow- 
birds  was  noted.  The  flocks  followed  each  other  so  rapidly  that  there 
was  almost  a  continual  stream  from  northeast  to  southwest.  Some 
years  but  few  remain  after  late  September.  At  Sedan  they  were 
noted  October  17,  1889;  October  29,  1891;  October  13,  1892;  October 
27,  1894  (Mrs.  Hine).  At  Brookville,  November  14,  1884;  November 
9,  1887. 

In  nine  specimens  examined  by  Prof.  King,  the  quantity  of 
animal  and  vegetable  food  was  about  equal.  Six  had  eaten  corn;  two, 
beetles;  one,  two  water  scorpions;  one,  a  small  crayfish;  and  one,  a 
few  seeds  (Geology  of  Wis.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  552.  Dr.  B.  H.  Warren,  as  the  re- 
sult of  the  examination  of  hundreds  of  stomachs  of  the  Purple  Grackle, 
through  the  period  of  their  sojourn  with  him,  extending  over  portions 
of  seven  years,  shows  that  October  is  the  month  in  which  the  greatest 
damage  to  com  is  done.  He  says:  "These  examinations  show  that 
late  in  the  fall,  when  insect  food  is  scarce,  com  is  especially  preyed 
upon  by  these  birds,  but  during  the  previous  periods  of  their  residence 
with  us,  insects  form  a  large  portion  of  their  diet"  (Birds  of  Pa.,  2nd 
ed.,  p.  222).  With  us  it  is  rarely  they  do  much  damage  to  com.  But 
one  or  two  instances  have  come  to  my  attention  during  the  time  it 
is  ripening,  in  twenty  years.  On  the  contrary,  the  industry  the  sable 
visitors  show  in  spring  in  destroying  the  insects  in  the  freshly  broken 
ground,  thereby  exterminating  a  whole  generation  of  the  farmer's 
foes,  much  more  than  compensate  for  the  little  com  they  eat.  Mr. 
Thos.  G.  Gentry  says  they  destroy  the  eggs  and  young  of  other  birds, 
particularly  Eobins.  In  our  State  I  am  not  familiar  with  such  a 
habit. 

XL.     Family  FRINGILLID^.     Finches,  Sparrows,  Etc. 

a^.  Mandibles  crossed  at  tip.  Loxia.     121 

a^.  Mandibles  not  crossed  at  tip. 

b^.  Head  crested;  bill,  wings  and  tail  chiefly  red.  Cardinalis.     137 

b^.  Head  not  crested. 

c^.  Bill  very  stout,  its  depth  at  base  equal  to  length  of  hind  toe  with  clawj 
length  about  three-fourths  that  of  head.  Coccothraustes.     118 


Birds  of  Indiana.  909 

.  Bill  less  stout,  its  depth  at  base  less  than  length  of  hind  toe  with  claw. 
d^.  Nasal  plumules  long,  covering  a  third  or  more  of  upper  mandible;  bill 
stout,  about  one-half  the  length  of  head.  Pinicola.     119 

d^.  Nasal   plumules,    if   present,    covering   less   than   one-third   of   upper 
mandible, 
e^.  Gonys  distinctly  convex  in  profile;  plumage  streaked  above,  not  be- 
low; no  white,  red,  yellow  or  blue.  Passer.     127 
e^.  Gonys  straight  or  nearly  so. 

f^.  Primaries  much  longer  than  secondaries,  exceeding  them  by  the 
length  of  the  tarsus  or  more. 
g^.  Wing  five  times  as  long  as  short  tarsus  or  more;  under  wing  cov- 
erts red  or  yellow. 
h^.  Length  6.00  or  more ;  wing  over  3.50;  plumage  mostly  white; 
hind  claw  nearly  as  long  as  bill.  Plictrophenax.     124 

h^.  Length  under  6.00  ;  wing  under  3.50;  tail  forked. 

i^.  Nasal  tufts  nearly  one-third  the  length  of  bill;  tail  feathers 

without  white  or  yellow;  adult  plumage  with  more  or  less 

red.  AcANTHis.     122 

i^.  Nasal  tufts  short  or  none  ;  tail  feathers  blotched  with  white 

or  yellow  ;  adult  plumage  with  more  or  less  yellow. 

Spinus.     123 
g"^.  Wing  not  five  times  as  long  as  tarsus. 

7^.  Under  wing  coverts  without  red  or  yellow;  bill  not  very 
stout. 
k^.  Depth  of  bill  at  base  about  equal  to  exposed  culmen ; 
nostrils  partly  covered  by  small  tufts  ;  no  white  on  tail ; 
male  more  or  less  red.  Carpodacus.     120 

k^.  Depth  of  bill  at  base  decidedly  less  than  length  of  cul- 
men ,  tail  partly  white ;  no  red. 
l^.  Tail  forked,  middle  feathers  pointed  ;  hind  claw  nearly 
as  long  as  bill,  rather  straight, 
m^.  Tail  feathers,  except  middle  pair,  white ;  all,  except 
outer  pair,  squarely  tipped  with  black. 

Rhynchophanes. 
m^.  Tail  feathers  not  squarely  tipped  with  black. 

Caloarius.     125 
P.  Tail  rounded  ;  middle  feathers  not  pointed  ;  hind  claw 
short  and  curved.  Chondestes.     129 

;2.  Under  wing  coverts  red  or  yellow  ;  bill  very  stout. 

Habia.     138 
/2.  Primaries  not  much  longer  than  secondaries,  exceeding  them  by 
less  than  the  length  of  tarsus ;  plumage  with  no  red. 

n^.  Colors  generally  blue,  brown  or  greenish  ;  not  de- 
cidedly streaked  or  spotted. 
0^.  Length  over  6.00;   bill  very  stout;    male  blue 
with  chestnut  on  wings;  female  plain  brown. 

GUIRACA.     139 
0^.  Length  under  6.00;  bill  not  very  stout. 
p^.  Male  with   blue   or  green;    female   mainly 
brown.  Passerina.     140 


910  Report  of  State  Geologist. 


p2.  Color  slate  or  ashy;  belly  and  first  to  third 
tail  feathers  white.  JuKCO.     132 

',^.  Colors  plain,  somewhere  or  everywhere  streaked 
or  spotted. 

q^.  Tail  with  two  to  four  outer  feathers  more  or 
less  white, 
r^.  Length   over   7.C0 ;    color    above,    male 
mainly  black;  female  mainly  brown. 

PiPiLO.     136 
r^.  Length  under  7.00  ;  above  brownish  gray, 
streaked  with  black  and  brown. 

Pooc^TES.     126 
9^.  Tail  with  no  white  feathers. 

s^  Tail  small  and  short;  decidedly  shorter 
than  wings ;  or  else  tail  feathers  nar- 
row and  sharp  pointed. 
t^.  Size  large  ;  tail  and  upper  tail  coverts 
and  wings  mainly  reddish  brown. 

Passekella.     135 

t^.  Size  smaller;    not  reddish   brown  as 

above. 

w^ .  Breast  more  o^  less  yellow ;  male 

with  black  patch.  Spiza.     141 

u^.  Breast  not  yellowish  ;    spotted   or 

striped  above  and  below,  or  with 

narrow  sharp  pointed  tail  feathers, 

or  both.  Ammodramus.     128 

s^.  Tail  as  long  as  or  longer  than  wing,  or 

tail  forked  ;    or  head  with  black  and 

white,    or  brown    and    lighter    brown 

stripes. 

v^.   Tail    forked,    middle    feathers 
shortest ;  adults  not  streaked  or 
spotted  below.     Spizella.     131 
i"2.  Tail  not  forked,  the  middle  feath- 
ers not  shortest, 
w^.  Plumage   streaked  or  spotted 
below,  or  crown  chestnut. 

Melospiza.     134 

w^.    Plumage    not    streaked    nor 

spotted  below ;  or  crown  with 

black   and  white  ;    or  brown 

and  lighter  brown  stripes. 

x^.  Wingover  2.75;  head  striped 

in  adults,  chestnut  in  young. 

ZONOTRICHIA.      130 

x^.  Wing  under  2.75;   edge   of 
wing  yellow.    Peuc^a.    133 


Birds  of  Indiana.  911 

118.    Gknus  COCCOTHRAUSTES  Brtsson. 
Subgenus  Hesperiphona  Bonaparte. 

196.     (514).    Coccothraustes  vespertinus  (Coop.). 

Evening  Grosbeak. 


Evening  Grosbeak.    (Reduced.) 

Male. — Above,  oliye-brown;  line  over  eye,  forehead,  wing  coverts 
and  rump,  yellow;  crown,  primaries  and  tail,  black;  secondaries,  mostly 
white;  below,  yellowish,  darkening  to  olive-brown  on  the  throat;  outer 
tail  feathers,  sometime's  more  or  less  white;  bill,  very  large,  greenish- 
yellow.  Female. — Above,  top  of  head,  brownish-gray;  rest  of  upper 
parts,  grayish,  tinged  more  or  less  with  yellowish;  a  whitish  patch  at 
base  of  primaries.     Immature. — Similar  to  female,  but  duller. 

Length,  7.00-8.50;  wing,  4.20-4.50;  tail,  3.75-3.20. 

Range. — Interior  of  North  America,  from  Eocky  Mountains  east 
to  Great  Lakes  and  northward.  Casually,  to  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and 
southward,  iu  winter,  irregularly,  into  Nebraska,  the  Ohio  Valley,  In- 
diana and  Kentupky,  Pennsylvania  and  Connecticut. 

Nest,  in  tree;  of  sticks,  twigs,  rootlets.  Eggs,  3-4;  greenish,  blotched 
with  pale  brown.  This  description  is  of  the  nest  and  egga  of  the 
western  form,  which  has  been  separated  from  this.  They  are  un- 
doubtedly similar. 

Very  irregular  winter  visitor;  sometimes  found  in  numbers.  These 
birds,  whose  home  is  in  the  dark  coniferous  forests  of  the  Northwest, 
some  winters  range  eastward  and  southward,  until  they  reach  the  At- 
lantic Coafit.  Such,  however,  is  unusual,  but  every  few  years  they 
have  been  found  in  Indiana. 


912  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

In  Illinois  they  were  observed  at  Freeport  during  the  winter  of 
1870-71,  and  at  Waukegan,  in  Januarj^  1873  (Hist.  N".  A.  Birds,  Baird, 
Brewer  and  Eidgway).  The  winter  of  1871  they  were  quite  com- 
mon throughout  the  northern  portion  of  that  State.  The  following 
winter  they  were  much  rarer,  and  since  then  but  very  few  have  been 
seen  (Nels.  Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIII.,  1876,  p.  104). 

About  the  year  1872,  while  hunting  in  the  autumn,  near  Eureka, 
Woodford  County,  111.,  Prof.  0.  P.  Hay  came  upon  a  flock  of  these 
birds  and  killed  six  (Bull.  ISTuttall  Om.  Club,  July,  1881,  p.  179).  Mr. 
T.  Mcllwraith  records  its  occurrence  in  Ontario,  at  Toronto,  December 
25,  1854,  and  at  Woodstock,  in  May,  1866.  In  1871  they  were  also 
found  near  London,  and  he  noted  them  near  Hamilton,  March  17, 
1883  (B.  of  Ont.,  1894,  p.  291).  Br.  Kirtland  noted  its  occurrence 
near  Cleveland,  0.,  in  March,  1860  (Wheaton,  Birds  of  0.,  p.  314). 
Dr.  Morris  Gibbs  has  informed  me  of  the  occurrence  of  this  species  in 
Michigan  in  1869,  1872,  1873,  1874,  1878  and  1879. 

During  none  of  these  visits,  except  that  of  1878,  does  it  seem  to  have 
been  identified  in  Indiana. 

The  first  reference  to  its  occurrence  in  this  State  I  find  in  Forest 
and  Stream,  Vol.  VI.,  1876,  p.  148,  where  Mr.  G.  Aug.  Smith  says: 
'^t  occurs  some  winters  at  Ft.  Wayne."  In  the  collection  of  Purdue 
University,  Laiayette,  Ind.,  is  a  specimen  taken  near  that  city  in 
November,  1878  (C.  K.  Barnes).  This  is  the  first  verified  record  for 
Indiana.  In  1883,  they  were  next  noted.  Five  specimens  were  shot 
at  Whiting  Station,  Ind.,  December  20,  1883  (H.  K.  Coale).  Mrs.  A. 
W.  Brayton  has  a  specimen  which  she  informs  me  was  taken  in  the 
summer  of  1886,  near  Allisonville,  twelve  miles  north  of  Indianapolis. 
The  winter  of  1886-7  they  ranged  eastward  into  Ontario,  as  far  as 
London,  and  south  into  Iowa  to  Fulton  County,  Ky.,  and  over  much 
of  Indiana,  as  far,  at  least,  as  Bloomington,  where  the  late  Mr.  C.  H. 
Bollman  and  Mr.  G.  G.  Williamson  obtained  several  specimens.  That 
winter  they  were  first  recorded  in  Indiana  from  Lake  George,  Decem- 
ber 5,  1886,  when  two  females  were  taken,  which -are  now  in  the 
collection  of  Mr.  G.  Fream  Marcom,  San  Diego,  Cal.  Messrs.  H.  K. 
Coale  and  Geo.  L.  Toppan  reported  seeing  two  January  1, 1887.  Jan- 
uary 14,  Mr.  Toppan  reported  two  males  near  Chicago.  January  20, 
Mr.  C.  H.  Bollman  took  one  male  near  Bloomington.  The  same  day, 
Cal.  Meredith  and  another  boy  shot  five  from  a  fiock  of  twelve,  near 
Frankfort  (C.  E.  Newlin).  March  25,  Mr.  Oscar  Vaught  shot  two 
from  a  flock  of  eight  or  ten  near  Mace. 

In  Mr.  Morcom's  collection  I  saw  six  males  and  two  females,  two  of 
which  were  kindly  given  to  me,  marked  Berry  Lake,  Ind.,  April  3, 


Birds  of  Ini  iana.  913 

1887;  also  four  males  from  the  same  locality,  April  18,  1887,  and  a 
male  and  a  female,  dated  May  10  1887. 

Mr.  G.  G.  Williamson  noted  the  following  specimens  at  Blooming- 
ton,  in  April,  1887;  April  27,  one;  29,  two;  30,  two.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stock- 
bridge,  of  Ft.  Wayne,  has  a  specinr  n  taken  from  a  flock  of  eight  or 
nine  near  that  city,  about  May  6, 1  s  >  I.  Mr.  E.  Turtle,  a  taxidermist  of 
Chicago,  showed  me  a  number  oi  i:liese  birds,  of  which  he  said  he 
killed  ten,  May  8,  1887,  at  Berry  Luke,  Ind.,  and  thirteen  May  10,  at 
Whiting.  Mr.  Turtle  obtained  a  large  number  of  specimens  the  pre- 
ceding winter  from  Whiting.  The  latest  record  I  have  of  its  occur- 
rence in  spring  is  May  13, 1887,  when  it  was  found  in  Lake  County. 

The  winter  of  1888-9,  although  they  were  observed  in  Michigan  and 
Illinois,  none  were  reported  from  Indiana.  The  year  1889-90,  they 
appeared  at  Madison,  and  other  places  in  Wisconsin,  by  November  20, 
1889.  They  reached  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  in  December,  and  in  Jan- 
uary, February  and  March  were  found  reaching  almost  to  the  Atlantic 
Coast.  Dr.  Warren  says  they  remained  in  some  parts  of  Pennsylvania 
until  May  15,  1890  (Birds  of  Penn.,  Eev.  Ed.,  1890,  p.  225).  •  In  In- 
diana this  movement  was  not  so  noticeable.  Mr.  H.  N.  McCoy  ob- 
tained a  specimen  from  a  flock  of  twenty  or  thirty  near  Lafayette,  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1890.  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  reported  them  from  Whiting,  Lake 
County,  in  January  and  February.  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton  identified  a 
specimen  taken  near  Indianapolis  that  winter.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge 
saw  them  at  Ft.  Wayne,  February  15  and  16,  1890.  After  the  last 
date  they  became  common,  and  he  took  one  as  late  as  April  12  of  that 
year.  Messrs.  Ulrey  and  Wallace  say  there  are  two  pairs  in  the 
collection  of  Mr.  M.  L.  Galbraith,  Collamer,  Indiana.  They  were 
taken  in  Whitley  County.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  informs  me  a  gentleman 
in  Steuben  County  has  an  Evening  Grosbeak  that  was  taken  in  the 
southern  part  of  that  county. 

Their  food  is  principally  elm  buds,  maple  buds  and  seeds,  and  espe- 
cially the  buds,  more  rarely  the  seeds,  of  the  box-elder  (Negundo 
aceroides).  This  last  is  most  commonly  eaten  in  early  winter,  the 
others  all  through  their  stay  with  us.  They  resemble  clumsy  Cross- 
bills when  extracting  the  seeds  of  this  tree.  They  also  eat  fruit  of  the 
climbing  bitter-sweet.  They  are  loth  to  leave  a  woods  heavy  with 
maple  "mast."  Early  in  May  they  have  been  known  to  turn  their  at- 
tention to  the  pine  trees.  One  instance  is  recorded  of  their  eating 
frozen  crab-apples,  that  remained  on  the  trees  until  mid-winter.  In 
addition  to  evergreens,  maple,  beech  and  elm  woods,  they  frequent 
orchards,  where  apple  seeds  are  favorite  food.     They  gather  food  from 

58 — Geol. 


914  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

the  trees  and  also  pick  it  off  the  ground.  When  on  the  ground  feed- 
ing, they  are  quite  silent.  The}'^  move  by  hopping,  holding  them- 
selves like  robins,  and  turn  over  the  leaves  with  great  dexterity, 
picking  up  the  seeds  from  under  them.  The  males  have  a  loud  call 
note,  a  sharp,  metallic  cry  like  the  note  of  a  trumpet,  which  they  utter 
frequently  whep  excited.  The  females  chatter  like  Bohemian  Wax- 
wings  (Ampelis  garrulus).  Their  song  towards  spring  is  a  rambling, 
jerky  warble,  beginning  low,  suddenly  increasing  in  power,  and  as 
suddenly  ceasing,  as  though  the  singer  were  out  of  breath.  They  are 
usually  found  in  flocks  of  six  to  twelve  individuals.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, there  are  twenty  or  thirty  in  a  flock.  It  is  but  rarely  that  full 
plumaged  males  will  be  found  among  them.  During  the  more  severe 
part  of  the  winter,  they  are  usually  tame  and  unsuspicious;  this  some- 
times continues  through  their  stay,  but  they  often  become  shy  before 
they  leave.  Sometimes,  when  one  is  shot,  all  will  leave;  usually,  how- 
ever, they  will  remain  until  a  number  are  killed  before  taking  flight. 
Their  flight  through  the  woods  is  very  swift,  reminding  one,  by  the 
dexterity  with  which  they  avoid  branches,  of  a  Pigeon;  when  in  the 
open,  it  is  more  like  that  of  a  Blackbird  (See  Butler,  Some  Notes 
Concerning  the  Evening  Grosbeak,  The  Auk,  Vol.  IX.,  pp.  238,  247. 
Further  notes  on  the  Evening  Grosbeak,  The  Auk,  Vol.  X.,  April, 
1893,  pp.  155-157;  also  Proceedings  of  the  Ornithological  sub-section 
of  the  Biological  Section  of  the  Canadian  Institute  for  1890-91.). 

119.    Genus  PINICOLA  Vieillot. 

197.     (515).    Pinicola  enucleator  (Linn.). 

Pine  Grosbeak. 

Adult  Male. — Carmine;  paler  ashy  on  the  belly;  darker  and  streaked 
with  dusky  on  the  back;  wings  and  tail,  dusky,  the  former  much 
edged  with  white  and  with  two  white  bars.  Adult  Female. — Ashy; 
paler  below;  head,  back  and  lower  parts,  brownish,  shaded  with  olive; 
rump,  olive-yellow;  wings,  similar  to  those  of  male.  Immature. — 
Similar  to  female,  but  more  ashy. 

Length,  8.25-9.00;  wing,  4.50-5.00;  tail,  3.70-4.45. 

Eange. — JSTorthem  parts  of  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  America, 
breeding  from  Maine,  Quebec  and  mountains  of  Colorado  northward. 
In  winter,  irregularly  into  northern  United  States,  rarely  as  far  as 
northern  Illinois,  northern  Indiana,  Pennsylvania,  'New  York  and 
southern  New  England. 

Nest,  in  coniferous  trees;  of  twigs  and  rootlets,  lined  with  finer  ma- 
terials. Sggs,  "usually  4;  pale  greenish-blue,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  dark  brown  surface  markings,  and  lilac  shell  spots;  1.06  by  .74." 


Birds  of  Indiana.  915 

Irregular  or  accidental  winter  visitor.  Mr.  J.  W.  Byrkit  identified 
it  at  Michigan  City.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge  informe  me  there  is  a 
specimen  in  the  collection  of  Prof.  H.  Duemling,  Concordia  College, 
Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  that  was  taken  near  that  city  by  the  late  Mr.  G. 
Aug.  Smith.  It  was  observed  at  Waukegan,  111.,  Jan.  2,  1884  (Kidg., 
Birds  of  111.,  I.,  p.  224).  Mr.  Geo.  L.  Toppan  once  noted  it  in  Lake 
County,  Ind.,  and  thinks  it  was  in  the  winter  of  1884-5. 


^*^ 


■^\ 


Pine  Grosbeak.    (Reduced.) 

Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  writes  that  a  few  days  before  January  1,  1896, 
Mr.  John  F.  Ferry  took  a  number  of  specimens  from  a  flock  of  Pine 
Grosbeaks  at  Lake  Forest,  111. 

Mr.  L.  0.  Pindar  reports  it  from  Fulton  County,  Kentucky,  several 
times  between  February  7  and  March  19,  1888  (The  Auk,  July, 
1888,  p.  321). 

They  were  seen  in  flocks  of  thousands  in  Jackson  County,  Mich.,  in 
1881,  and  were  very  tame.  Jackson  County  is  only  one  county  re- 
moved from  Indiana.  With  that  exception,  they  are  reported  as  rare 
in  southern  Michigan.-  They  are  found  far  north,  where  Mr.  Nelson 
Bays  they  withstand  the  cold  of  these  forests  even  within  the  Arctic 
Circle.  Wherever  found  they  appear  in  flocks,  the  greater  part  of 
which  are  young  and  females.  Adult  males  are  few  some  writers 
say,  from  one  to  ten  or  fifteen  of  the  plainer-colored  birds.  Their 
disposition  is  agreeable,  social  and  gentle.  The  fruit  of  the  red  cedar 
and  berries  of  the  mountain  ash  are  favorite  foods  along  the  southern 
pori;ion  of  their  winter  range. 


916  Report  of  State  Geologist. 


120.    Genus  CARPODACUS  Kaup. 


198.    (517)-    Carpodacus  purpureus  (Gmel.). 

Purple   Fincli. 

Adult  Male. — Crimson,  rosy  or  purplish-red,  most  intense  on  the 
crown,  fading  to  white  on  the  belly,  mixed  with  dusky  streaks  on  the 
back;  wings  and  tail,  dusky,  with  reddish  edgings,  and  the  wing  coverts 
tipped  with  the  same;  lores  and  feathers  all  around  the  base  of  the  bill, 
hoary.  Female  and  Young. — With  no  red;  olivaceous-brown,  brighter 
on  rump,  the  feathers  above  all  with  paler  edges,  producing  a  streaked 
appearance;  below,  white,  thickly  spotted  and  streaked  with  olive- 
brown,  except  on  the  middle  of  the  belly  and  under  tail-coverts;  ob- 
scure whitish  superciliary  and  maxillary  lines.  Young  males  show 
every  gradation  between  these  extremes  in  gradually  assuming  the 
male  plumage,  and  are  frequently  brownish-yellow  or  bronzy  below. 

Length,  5.50-6.25;  wing,  3.15-3.40;  tail,  2.30-2.50. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from. Gulf  of  Mexico  north  to 
Labrador  and  Saskatchewan.  Breeds  from  Illinois  and  Pennsylvania 
northward.     Winters  from  Indiana  and  Pennsylvania  southward. 

Nest,  usually  in  evergreen;  of  weeds,  grass,  bark  shreds,  vegetable 
fibre;  lined  with  hair.  Eggs,  4-5;  pale  green,  with  spots  and  irregular 
lines  of  dark-brown  and  lilac,  chiefly  towards  the  larger  end;  .85  by 
.65. 

These  birds,  when  not  in  full  plumage,  more  nearly,  both  in  shape 
and  coloration,  resemble  the  English  Sparrow  than  any  of  our  native 
birds.  They  are  often  killed  for  the  saucy  foreigners  by  those  who 
do  not  distinguish  them. 

The  Purple  Finch  is  a  regular  migrant  in  varying  numbers,  and  is 
irregularly  a  winter  resident,  even  to  the  northern  limits  of  the  State, 
in  favorite  localities.  In  northern  Indiana  they  may  possibly  be 
found  occasionally  to  remain  through  the  summer.  The  winter  of 
1887-8  a  company  of  these  birds  remained  all  winter  near  Sedan,  De- 
kalb County,  and  a  number  more  were  found  in  the  same  woods 
through  November,  1891  (Mrs.  J.  L.  Hine).  They  were  found  Janu- 
ary 9,  1896,  at  Lake  Forest,  111.;  January  25,  1879,  in  Carroll  County; 
January  21,  1894,  and  through  the  winter  of  1894-5  at  Greencastle, 
Ind.;  December  15, 1894,  in  Johnson  County.  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  says 
they  breed  in  northern  Illinois,  eggs  having  been  taken  at  Polo,  111. 
(Bird  Mig.,  Miss.  Yal.,  p.  179).  They  have  also  been  taken  at  Wau- 
kegan  in  the  breeding  season  (Nehrling,  N.  A.  Birds,  Pt.  IX.,  p.  31). 
Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  reports  it  breeding  at  Lansing,  Mich.  (Birds  of  Mich., 
p.  107). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  917 

They  are  most  common  during  the  spring  migrations  in  March  and 
April,  being  also  occasionally  seen  in  February  and  early  May,  and  in 
fall  in  October,  though  they  may  be  noted  rarely  as  early  as  late 
August  and  late  into  November.  The  following  dates  give  respectively 
the  earliest  and  latest  date  of  first  arrival  and  the  latest  date  of 
departure  in  spring  at  the  places  noted:  Vincennes,  March  4,  1897; 
Eed  Key,  February  15,  1895;  Brookville,  February  26,  1892;  April  25, 
1881,  1887;  depart,  April  30,  1887;  Richmond,  March  20,  1892;  de- 
part. May  11,  1897;  Greensburg,  April  23,  1893;  April  30,  1896;  de- 
part. May  7, 1893;  Lafayette,  March  13, 1897;  April  28, 1895;  Chicago, 
111.,  April  12,  1884;  April  28,  1885;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  17, 
1889;  April  23,  1897.  At  Brookville  they  have  been  noted  in  spring 
nine  years  out  of  twenty-one.  Some  years  they  are  found  but  for 
a  day;  others,  they  remain  for  several  days.  They  are  usually  found 
in  flocks,  but  occasionally  single  birds  are  seen.  In  1896  they  were 
noted  in  Cook  County,  111.,  August  21,  and  remained  that  fall  until 
October  31,  while  in  1895  they  were  found  there  November  4.  At 
Greensburg,  Ind.,  the  year  last  mentioned,  they  were  found  October 
26.  In  1894  they  were  seen  at  Sedan  October  11  to  October  31,  and 
in  1891  were  present  through  November.  In  Carroll  County  they  were 
noted  from  October  12  to  October  19,  1878.  In  spring  they  may  be 
noted  as  feeding  upon  the  opening  buds  of  the  elms,  particularly  the 
red  elm,  of  which  they  seem  to  be  very  fond. 

They  may  be  found  wherever  elms  grow,  and  prefer  less  dense  woods 
or  the  straggling  trees  along  smaller  waterways.  Sometimes  they  are 
quiet  while  feeding.  In  April,  however,  their  voices  may  often  be 
noted  reaching  through  the  woodland  for  a  considerable  distance.  To 
me,  the  song  somewhat  resembles  that  of  the  warbling  vireo.  The 
song  is  a  beautiful  liquid  utterance,  and  I  fancy  it  as  the  beginning 
of  the  nuptial  courtship.  They  usually  nest  in  cedars,  spruce  or  other 
evergreens,  but  occasionally  build  in  apple  trees.  In  height,  they  are 
found  from  5  feet  to  50.  The  nests  are  placed  upon  a  limb  among 
the  twigs.  The  nest  is  shallow  and  composed  of  vegetable  fibres, 
grass,  shreds  of  bark;  sometimes  they  are  nicely  woven  and  lined  with 
a  well-woven  mat.  In  the  fall  they  feed  upon  seeds,  being  especially 
fond  of  hemp  and  sunflower  seeds. 


918  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

121.    Grnijs  LOXIA  Linn.eus. 

a^.  Wing  with  no  white.  Ii.  curvirostra  minor  (Brehm).     199 

a^.  Wing  with  white.  L.  leucoptera  Gmel.     200 

199.     (521).    Loxia  curvirostra  minor  (Brehm.). 

American  Crossbill. 


American  Crossbills— Male  and  Female.    (Reduced.) 

Adult  Male. — Bill,  crossed;  above,  bricky-red;  wings,  blackish,  un- 
marked. Female. — Brownish-olive,  streaked  and  speckled  with  dusky, 
the  rump  saffron.  Immature  Males. — Mottled  with  greenish  and  green- 
ish yellow. 

Length,  5.50-6.25;  wing,  3.20-3.60;  tail,  1.85-2.40. 

Range. — Northern  North  America  in  winter;  south  irregularly  to 
South  Carolina  and  Louisiana.  Of  irregular  occurrence  south  into 
the  Ohio  Valley  in  summer.  Breeds  along  the  AUeghanies  from 
the  northern  United  States  and  occasionally  to  Georgia. 

Nest,  in  evergreen  trees;  of  evergreen  twigs,  bark;  lined  with  horse- 
hair, fine  rootlets,  grass  and  feathers.  Bggs,  3-4;  pale  greenish, 
spotted  and  dotted,  mostly  at  larger  end  with  various  shades  of  brown 
and  purplish;  .75  by  .57  (Bicknell,  N.  0.  C,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  7-11). 

A  very  erratic  bird.  When  found  is  generally  noted  as  a  winter 
visitor  or  migrant  in  flocks;  less  common  in  southern  Indiana;  some 
winterff  wholly  wanting.  They  are  sometimes  found  singly  in  company 
with  Pine  Siskins.  Prefers  localities  where  pines  or  other  coniferous 
trees  are  found.  There  they  sometimes  remain  quite  well  into  the 
summer,  and  are  reported  to  breed. 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  919 

Dr.  Haymond  makes  no  record  of  the  Crossbill  in  his  list  of  1856, 
and  the  first  account  at  hand  is  that  of  Dr.  Wheaton,  who  noted  it  from 
Ohio  in  the  winter  of  1859-60.  Dr.  Haymond  included  it  in  his  report 
of  the  birds  of  Franklin  County  in  1869.  That  year  and  the  succeed- 
ing, Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  observed  them  in  Lake  County,  Ind.,  and  Cook 
County,  111.  They  were  not  again  observed  in  Indiana  until  the  winter 
of  1882-3,  when  they  spread  over  Indiana  and  reached  at  least  to 
Nelson  County,  Ky.  (Beecham,  p.  24).  That  winter  they  were  reported 
by  Prof.  Evermann  from  Monroe  and  Carroll  counties,  and  Mr.  E.  R. 
Quick  and  myself  took  them  at  Brookville. 

The  three  succeeding  winters  they  were  noted  in  different  parts  of 
the  State,  as  far  south  as  Bloomington.  In  May,  1887,  they  were 
reported  from  Lake  County.  The  succeeding  fall  they  were  found  at 
Brookville  from  October  29  to  November  19,  and  from  there  and 
Terre  Haute  northward  were  reported  the  following  winter  and  spring. 
The  winter  of  1888-9,  they  were  found  over  western  Indiana,  as  far 
south  as  Vincennes.  From  that  time  until  1897,  when  they  were 
noted  at  Lafayette,  they  were  not  reported  from  the  State  in  winter. 
They  were,  however,  reported  as  migrant  in  the  spring  of  1890,  1891, 
1892,  and  1895,  and  in  the  fall  of  1894;  Wabash,  September  11,  1894 
(Ulrey  and  Wallace).  When  they  visit  us,  they  usually  arrive  in  late 
October  or  November,  and  pass  northward  in  March  and  April.  Some- 
times, however,  they  remain  much  later.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  tells  me 
they  became  very  abundant  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  including  Lake 
County,  Ind.,  in  July  and  August,  1869,  and  remained  until  late  in  the 
fall.  They  fed  greedily  on  sunflower  seeds,  and  were  so  sluggish  that 
one  could  approach  within  a  few  feet  of  them,  so  that  they  fell  an 
easy  prey  to  boys  with  catapults.  He  says  they  were  not  rare  the  suc- 
ceeding year  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago.  The  summer  of  1878  they 
were  found  at  Columbus,  0.,  and  abundantly  at  Cleveland,  0.  In 
1885  they  remained  at  Bloomington  until  May  12;  in  1886  they  were 
noted  July  10,  13,  and  14.  They  have  also  been  noted  in  summer  at 
Muncie,  May  4, 1888;  Greencastle,  July  27,  1891;  Bainbridge,  July  11- 
15,  1892;  Lafayette,  March  11  to  June  30,  1892;  March  30 
to  May  22,  1895;  February  22  to  May  24,  1897.  For  the  notes  from 
Lafayette  I  am  indebted  to  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test. 

In  the  summer  of  1878  they  were  reported  to  have  bred  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cleveland,  0.  Dr.  Wheaton  reports  it  having  been  known 
to  nest  in  Indiana  (Ohio  Geol.  Survey,  Vol.  IV.,  1879,  p.  317).  Mr. 
E.  M.  Eandle  informs  me  that  Mr.  Sam  Hunter  reported  a  pair  of 
these  CrossbiUs  to  have  bred  at  Bloomington,  Ind.,  in  1885.  The 
nest  was  said  to  have  been  placed  in  a  pine  tree  and  was  made  ex- 


920  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

clusively  of  pine  burrs.  Mr.  R.  B.  Moffit  informs  me  they  nested  at 
West  Lafayette,  in  1885,  and  that  young  birds  were  taken  there. 

Dr.  H.  A.  Atkins  is  said  to  have  taken  their  nests  near  Locke,  Mich., 
July  13,  1880.  They  are  said  to  nest  early,  often  in  February,  while 
the  snow  still  covers  the  earth,  but  they  have  been  found  nesting  until 
into  July. 

They  feed  principally  upon  the  seeds  of  conifers,  which  they  extract, 
from  the  cones.  The  crackling  of  these  burrs  was  what  first  called  my 
attention  to  the  Crossbills.  They  uttered  no  note,  but  busily  tore  off 
the  plates  and  picked  out  the  seeds.  The  sound  resembled  the  crack- 
ling noise  made  by  the  opening  of  the  cone  left  on  the  tree  under  the 
warping  influence  of  a  warm  spring  sun.  They  sought  their  food  both 
upon  the  tree  and  upon  the  ground  beneath  it.  They  were  very  tame, 
permitting  me  to  approach  quite  close  to  them,  apparently  unnoticed. 
When  they  took  wing,  they  uttered  a  note  which  Mr.  Otto  Widmann 
has  compared  to  the  "parent  call  of  Progne"  our  Purple  Martin.  Mr. 
Widmann  informs  me  that  they  were  attracted  to  the  vicinity  of  Old 
Orchard,  Mo.,  partially  by  the  abundance  of  apples  left  on  the  trees 
the  winter  of  1891-2.  These,  I  presume,  formed  part  of  thoir  food. 
They  also  eat  elm  buds  in  May.  They  also  eat  the  seeds  of  horse- 
weeds.  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  found  a  male  in  breeding  plumage  and  four 
other  Crossbills  in  dull  plumage  apparently  probing  the  mud  about 
the  borders  of  a  mill  pond  near  Greencastle,  July  27,  1891.  The 
specimen  first  mentioned  he  shot.  But  a  small  proportion  of  the  birds 
seen — as  they  move  about  in  flocks  of  varying  size — are  males.  Mr. 
Nehrling  says  its  song  consists  of  a  number  of  loud,  flute-like  notes 
which  are  frequently  intermingled  with  several  harsh  chattering  tones 
(N.  A.  B.,  p.  41).  (See  Butler.  The  range  of  the  Crossbill  in  the  Ohio 
Valley,  with  notes,  on  the  unusual  occurrence  in  summer.  Papers 
read  at  the  World's  Congress  of  Ornithology  in  Chicago,  1893-1896, 
pp.  47  58,  and  Proc.  Indiana  Acad.  Sci.,  1892,  pp.  63-72.) 

200.     (522).    Loxia  leucoptera  Gmel. 

White-wing-ed  Crossbill. 

Wings  in  both  sexes,  with  two  conspicuous  white  bars;  bill,  crossed. 
Male. — Eosy-red.  Female. — Brownish-olive,  streaked  with  dusky,  the 
rump  saffron.    Immature  Males. — Mottled  as  in  last  species. 

Length,  6.00-6.50;  wing,  3.50;  tail,  2.60. 

Kange. — Northern  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  northern 
Indiana  and  Pennsylvania,  rarely  to  Kansas,  southern  Ohio  and  Vir- 
ginia. Breeds  from  northern  New  England  and  northern  Eocky 
Mountains  north. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  921 

Nest,  of  twigs  and  strips  of  birch,  bark,  covered  externally  with 
moss  (Usnea),  and  lined  with  soft  moss  and  hair;  in  an  evergreen  in 
deep  forest.  Bggs,  3  (?);  pale  blue,  spotted  and  streaked  near  larger 
end  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac;  .80  by  .55.    (Chamberlain). 

These  Crossbills  are  more  rare  than  the  preceding  species,  but  their 
visits  are  of  the  same  irregular  character.  Usually  they  are  found  in 
flocks.  They  often  accompany  the  common  Crossbill,  and  may  be 
looked  for  at  the  same  time  in  similar  localities.  The  habits  of  the 
two  birds  are  similar. 


White-winged  Crossbill.    (Reduced.) 

Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton  mentioned  it  in  his  catalogue  of  the  Birds  of 
Ohio,  in  1861.  In  the  winter  of  1868-9,  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  found  this 
end  the  last  mentioned  species  together  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati 
in  large  flocks  in  the  proportion  of  two  of  that  to  one  of  this  species. 
Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  reports  the  first  record  of  the  White-winged  Crossbill 
from  Indiana.  The  summer  of  1869,  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  in 
Cook  County,  111.,  and  Lake  County,  Ind.,  he  found  this  species  in 
company  with  the  last,  and  they  remained  throughout  the  winter  suc- 
ceeding. About  1878' a  pair  of  these  birds  was  taken  at  Ft.  Wayne. 
The  female  is  now  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge,  who  has 
kindly  permitted  me  to  examine  it. 

Mr.  Fletcher  M.  Noe  reports  its  occurrence  near  Indianapolis  early 
in  1883.  February  6,  1883,  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  shot  two  males 
from  a  flock  of  fifteen  of  these  birds  at  Bloomington.  Others  were 
taken  February  10  and  12.  Mr.  J.  W.  Byrkit  found  both  species  to- 
gether at  Michigan  City  the  winter  of  1883-4.  Miss  H.  E.  Colfax  in- 
forms me  of  its  occurrence  there  as  late  as  June  26,  1884.  Mr.  Chas. 
Dury  reports  it  from  Michigg,n  City,  he  thinks,  1885.  Hon.  E.  Wes. 
McBride  reports  it  in  Dekalb  County,  where  Mrs.  J.  L.  Hine  tells  me 


922  Eepobt  of  State  Geologist. 

Mr.  McCord  shot  two  in  the  court-house  yard  at  Auburn,  March  8, 
1885.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  killed  a  female  with  a  stick,  the  only 
one  seen,  at  Burlington.  Another  female  was  seen  at  Camden,  March 
16,  1885.  The  only  instance  of  its  occurrence  in  summer  in  the  Ohio 
Valley  is  that  given  me  by  the  late  Mr.  C.  H.  Bollman.  He  saw  eleven 
on  a  fir  tree  in  Bloomington,  Ind.,  June  24,  1886.  This  species 
has  been  found  breeding  in  Maine,  in  winter.  Mr.  H.  Nehrling  men- 
tions a  nest  having  been  found  April  21,  1891,  in  Delta  County, 
Mich.  Nests  of  this  species  have  been  but  rarely  found,  and  are  still 
desirable  in  collections.  (See  same  papers  referred  to  at  end  of  last 
species.)  In  addition  to  the  same  kind  of  food  eaten  by  the  other 
species,  they  are  said  to  eat  decayed  garden  fruits,,  the  seeds  of  beech, 
grass  and  canker  worms.  They  have  a  chattering  note,  uttered  when 
they  fly,  and  in  their  breeding  grounds  have  a  song,  which  is  de- 
scribed as  low,  sweet  and  disconnected. 

122.    Genus  ACANTHIS  Bechstein. 

a^  Wing  3.00  or  less;  tail  2.50  or  less.  A.  linaria  (Linn.).      201 

a^.  Wing  usually  over  3.00;  tail  2.60  or  more ;  bill  much  larger  and  stouter. 

A.  linariarostrata  (Coues.).     202 

201.     (528).    Acanthis  linaria  (Linn). 

Redpoll. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  streaked  with  dusky  and  flaxen  in  about  equal 
amounts;  crown,  with  a  patch  of  crimson;  rump  and  breast,  pink; 
throat,  with  a  black  patch;  belly,  dull  white,  sides  streaked;  wings, 
brownish-dusky,  with  two  white  bars.  Adult  Female. — Without  pink 
on  breast  and  rump.  Young. — Head,  neck  and  breast,  streaked,  and 
showing  no  red  or  pink.    Bill,  pointed  and  yellow. 

Length,  4.50-5.00;  wing,  2.70-2.80;  tail,  2.30-2.35.  Bill,  length,  .32- 
.36;  depth  at  base,  about  .20-.25;  tarsus,  .52-.55. 

Eange. — Northern  part  of  northern  hemisphere  in  North  America; 
south,  irregularly  in  winter  to  Kansas,  Indiana  and  D.  C.  Breeds 
far  north. 

Nest,  in  low  tre«  or  bush;  of  grass  and  moss,  lined  with  plant-down 
and  feathers.  Eggs,  4-6;  pale  bluish  or  greenish- white  speckled  with 
reddish-brown;  .67  by  .48. 

The  little  Eedpoll  is  an  irregular  winter  visitor.  Some  years  they 
occur  in  immense  numbers  in  the  northern  paxt  of  the  State.  Pos- 
sibly it  is  to  be  found  there  most  every  winter,  but  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  State  it  is  rare. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  ^3 

Mr.  Chas.  Dury  took  a  single  specimen  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati 
in  January,  1869.  The  first  record  for  Indiana  is  a  specimen  taken  by 
Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann,  at  Camden,  November  5,  1878.  From  south- 
ern Indiana  there  are  but  few  notes.  Dr.  C.  R.  Case  noted  it  in  flocks 
in  Franklin  Connt}^,  February  10,  1881.  Prof.  Evermann  identified  a 
single  bird  at  Bloomington  in  December,  1882.  Mr.  E.  L.  Guthrie 
obtained  specimens  in  Decatur  County  the  winter  of  1883.  Mr.  Chan- 
eey  Juday  obtained  specimens  from  a  flock  of  twenty  at  Bloomington, 
April  12,  1895.  They  have  also  been  reported  as  follows  in  winter: 
That  of  1889-90,  they  were  distributed  generally  over  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  in  some  numbers,  having  been  reported  from  Benton, 
Wabash,  Allen  and  Dekalb;  1892-3,  there  were  many  about  Elkhart; 
1895-6,  they  were  tolerably  common  in  Cook  County,  111.,  and  Lake 
County,  Ind.;  1896-7,  they  seem  to  have  been  generally  distributed 
northward,  having  been  reported  as  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Chi- 
cago; noted  at  different  times  in  Lal?:e  County  and  common  in  March 
at  Sandusky,  0.  There  is  a  specimen  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indian- 
apolis, from  Boone  Countj^  Ind.  The  earliest  date  of  arrival  in  fall 
is  October  24,  1896,  when  they  appeared  commonly  at  Chicago.  They 
remained  in  that  vicinity  in  1885  until  April  26. 

While  often  found  among  the  evergreens,  they  also  frequent  weed 
patches,  eating  the  seeds,  after  the  manner  of  the  American  Gold- 
finch. They  are  easily  frightened  from  their  feeding  grounds,  but 
soon  return,  uttering  a  soft  call,  as  if  to  reassure  each  other.  Mr.  H. 
Nehrling  observed  them  in  1875-6  at  Oak  Park,  111.  He  says:  "With- 
out fear,  they  came  under  the  kitchen  windows,  picking  up  millet, 
canary  seed  and  crumbs  of  bread.  The  weeds  in  the  garden  (a  species 
of  Amhrosia),  and  the  hemp  stalks,  were  thoroughly  searched  for  food. 
Like  Titmice,  they  climbed,  head  downward,  along  branches  of  shrubs 
and  weed  stalks,  always  uttering  a  peculiar  chett,  or  chett-cherrett" 
(Birds  N.  A.,  X.,  p.  51).  They  are  very  tame  and  unsuspicious  when 
undisturbed,  but  when  frightened  become  wild.  Their  flight  is  not 
high,  and  the  scattered  flocks  move  along  in  undulating  Lines.  The 
late  Dr.  Kirtland,  of  Ohio,  records  a  crippled  Redpoll  which  came  into 
his  possession  in  the  winter  of  1868,  that  ate  crumbs  of  bread  and  hay- 
seed, and  rapidly  recovered.  It  learned  to  live  exclusively  upon  the 
parasitic  insects  of  house  plants,  and  did  so  until  it  escaped  in  the 
spring. 


924  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

202.     (5286).    Acanthis  linaria  rostrata  (Coues). 

Greater  Redpoll. 

Similar  to  A.  linaria;  usually  more  heavily  streaked  on  sides,  and 
all  the  dimensions  larger. 

Length,  5.25-5.75;  wing,  3.00-3.30;  tail,  2.60-2.70;  biU,  .41-.47; 
depth  of  bill  at  base,  .25-.30;  tarsus,  .65-.70. 

Range. — Greenland  and  northeast  North  America;  south,  irregu- 
larly in  winter — ^to  New  England,  New  York,  Ontario  and  northern 
Indiana  and  west  to  Manitoba. 

This  species,  which  is  said  to  be  common  in  Greenland,  occasionally 
reaches  in  its  winter  wanderings  as  far  southwest  as  Ontario,  Michigan, 
Illinois  and  Indiana. 

Different  forms  of  Redpolls  are  associated  in  flocks,  but  this  and 
the  preceding  are  the  only  ones  that  have  been  taken  in  Indiana.  Mr. 
H.  K.  Coale  obtained  a  specimen  of  this  Redpoll  (No.  5340,  Mus.  H. 
K.  C.)  at  Davis  Station,  Starke  County,  Ind.,  January  1,  1884.  It 
was  found  with  a  flock  of  Redpolls  (A.  linaria),  feeding — eating 
seeds  of  weeds,  the  tops  of  which  protruded  through  the  snow.  Mr. 
Coale  had  taken  a  specimen  November  21,  1878,  in  Cook  County,  lU., 
near  the  Indiana  line,  which  was  the  first  Illinois  record.  These  birds 
were  reported  as  Acanthis  linaria  holhmllii,  but  evidently  are  this 
form.    Its  habits  are  similar  to  that  of  its  more  common  relative. 

123.    Genus  SPINUS  Koch. 

a^.  Inner  webs  of  tail  feathers  with  white  patch ;  plumage  not  streaked. 

S.  tristis  (Linn.).     203 

a^.  Inner   webs   of   tail   feathers   without   white   patch,  but  with  yellow  bases; 

plumage  streaked.  S.  pinus  (Wils.).     204 

*203.     (529).     Spinus  tristis  (Linn.). 

American  Goldfinch. 
Synonyms,  Yellow  Bird,  Lettcce  Bird,  Salad  Bird. 

Adult  Male. — ^Bright  gamboge-yellow;  crown,  wings  and  tail,  black; 
lesser  wing-coverts,  band  across  the  greater  ones,  ends  of  secondaries 
and  tertiaries,  inner  margins  of  tail  feathers,  upper  and  under  tail- 
coverts  and  tibia,  white.  Female. — Yellowish-gray,  above;  greenish- 
yellow,  below;  no  black  on  forehead;  wing  and  tail  much  as  in  male. 
Young. — Eeddish-olive,  above;  fulvous  yellow,  below;  two  broad 
bands  across  coverts,  and  broad  edges  to  the  last  half  of  secondaries, 
pale  rufous  (B.,  B.  and  E.). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  925 

Length,  4.45-5.40;  wing,  2.60-3.90;  tail,  1.80-2.10. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  southern  California  and  Gulf  coast 
north  to  Labrador,  Manitoba,  and  British  Columbia.  Breeds  from 
Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Kansas,  northward.  Winters  from  southern 
Ontario  and  northern  United  States,  southward. 

Nest,  usually  in  upright  fork  of  tree  or  bush,  5  to  25  feet  up,  a  neat 
structure  of  grass,  bark  strips  and  plant  fibres,  closely  woven,  and  lined 
with  plant  down.    Eggs,  3-6;  pale  bluish-white;  .65  by  .52. 

Eesident;  rare  some  winters,  northward.  Most  persons  fail  to  recog- 
nize the  bright,  black-winged,  black-capped  yellow  bird  of  May  and 
June  in  the  mottled  plumage  of  September.  In  spring  the  bright 
plumage  is  taken  on,  and  in  September  the  duller  winter  plumage 
begins  to  replace  it.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  year  these  birds 
associate  in  flocks,  wandering  about  as  they  are  attracted  by  desirable 
food.  While  these  birds  are  always  present,  the  same  individuals  are 
not.  Those  which  winter  with  us  pass  northward,  and  the  bright- 
colored  ones,  who  have  changed  their  dress  farther  south,  come  upon 
us  quite  suddenly,  with  the  bursting  of  the  apple  blossoms  each  spring. 
They  usually  come  to  the  Whitewater  Valley  in  the  latter  part  of 
April,  but,  in  1883,  arrived  April  12,  and  in  1884,  not  until  April  30. 

With  the  advent  of  those  in  brighter  colors,  the  ones  which  have 
been  feeding  upon  the  buds  of  elms  and  other  early  flowering  trees, 
leave.  They  do  not  mate  upon  arrival,  but  postpone  their  nesting 
until  quite  late.  The  earliest  I  observed  them  mating  was  May  9, 
1887.  Nests  may  generally  be  looked  for  after  July  1,  but  sets  of 
eggs  are  sometimes  found  in  August  and  September.  Their  song  is 
an  ecstatic  effort  that  is  very  pleasing.  It  is  loud  and  has  a  peculiar 
flute-like  quality  that  adds  attractiveness  to  its  brilliant  effort.  The 
strain  may  be  written  thus:  chit,  chit,  chit-o-ree-e,  repeated  with 
trills  and  expressions  indescribable.  Besides,  it  is  continued  into  July 
and  sometimes  August,  and  becomes  more  conspicuous,  because  many 
of  its  rivals  have,  long  before  that,  ceased  to  sing.  In  1897,  I  last 
heard  it  July  22.  As  it  gallops  through  the  air,  apparently  riding  the 
wind-waves,  its  rythmic  note  has  been  interpreted  by  Mr.  F.  M.  Chap- 
man as  "per-chic-o-ree,"  "per-chic-o-ree."  When  feeding  in  spring 
among  the  tree-buds,  it  has  a  note,  "co-ree,"  "co-ree,"  which  a  number 
sometimes  utter  together.  But  all  through  the  year  they  have  a  soft 
"tweet"  that  readily  distinguishes  them.  They  are  the  seed  destroyers 
par  excellence.  Sometimes  it  is  something  desirable,  like  the  seed  of 
lettuce,  turnip  and  hemp,  but  more  often  it  is  the  baneful  dandelion, 
burdock,  mullein,  and  other  pernicious  weeds.     Sunflower  seed  is  a 


926  Eeport  op  State  Geologist. 

favorite  food.  In  winter  the  seeds  of  grasses,  rag-weeds,  horse-weeds, 
and  occasionally  sycamore,  are  eaten. 

They  are  very  tame.  In  summer  they  often  make  their  homes  in 
orchards,  lawns,  and  even  among  the  fruit  and  shade  trees  of  our 
towns.  In  autumn  the  garden  is  a  favorite  place.  In  winter  they  are 
often  found  about  the  barnyards  and  adjacent  shrubbery. 

Prof.  F.  H.  Kjng  examined  34  stomachs  and  found  they  had  eaten 
20  plant  lice,  and  the  remainder  of  their  contents  was  chiefly  weed 
seeds.  He  says  the  service  which  the  Thistle  Bird  does  in  destroying 
the  seeds  of  the  almost  uncontrollable  Canada  Thistle  throughout  the 
Eastern  and  Middle  States  must  be  very  great  (Geol.  Wis.,  I.,  p.  535). 
Dr.  Wheaton  says  they  eat  the  Hessian  Fly. 

204.     (533).    Spinus  pinus.     (Wils.). 

Pine  Siskin. 
Synonym,  Pine  Finch. 

"Tail  deeply  forked;  above,  brownish-olive;  beneath,  whitish,  every 
feather  streaked  distinctly  with  dusky;  concealed  bases  of  tail  feathers 
and  quills,  together  with  their  inner  edges,  sulphur-yellow;  outer 
edges  of  quills  and  tail  feathers,  yellowish-green.  Two  brownish- 
white  bands  on  the  wing.  Sexes  alike.  Young. — Similar,  but  the 
white  below  tinged  with  yellow,  the  upper  parts  with  reddish-brown, 
and  there  are  two  pale  ochraceous  bands  on  the  wing." 

Length,  4.50-5.25;  wing,  2.75-2.90;  tail,  1.85-1.95.    (B.  B.  and  R.). 

Eange. — ^North  America,  from  Mexico  (Vera  Cruz)  north  into  Brit- 
ish provinces.  Breeds  from  south  ISTew  England,  New  York,  the  south- 
em  limit  of  its  range  in  Mexico,  northward,  but  mostly  north  of 
United  States. 

Nest,  in  coniferous  trees,  of  grasses,  rootlets  (near  settled  places, 
string,  threads,  etc.);  lined  with  finer  material  of  the  same  kind,  hair 
and  feathers.  Eggs,  4;  pale  bluish- white,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
reddish  or  dark  brown,  vinaceous,  sometimes  lines  of  same  color;  .61 
by  .47. 

More  or  less  regular  winter  migrant,  and  rare  winter  resident. 
Sometimes  found  in  great  numbers,  in  flocks,  occasionally  associating 
with  Goldfinches,  in  winter,  and  with  Purple  Finches,  in  spring.  They 
resemble  the  Goldfinches  in  action,  in  fall  and  winter,  too,  but  not  in 
song.  Their  note  is  a  single  wheezy  syllable,  which  may  be  expressed 
as  "Cree,"  sometimes  highest  at  the  end,  again  highest  on  the  first 
vowel,  and  falling  towards  its  close.  Some  years  they  arrive  in  Octo- 
ber, others  in  November.     They  arrived  at  Wabash  early  in  October, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  927 

1896,  and  were  found  in  abundance  into  November.  They  also  were 
noted  at  Bloomington.  The  earliest  arrival  at  Brookville  is  October 
14,  1896.  That  fall  and  the  succeeding  spring  they  were  generally 
distributed  in  the  Whitewater  Valley,  but  were  not  abundant.  No- 
vember 17,  1882,  I  found  them  everywhere  along  the  Whitewater 
Eiver  bottoms  in  countless  numbers. 

Eoadsides,  fence  rows,  weedy  banks  and  thickets,  corn  and  stubble 
fields,  all  were  alive  with  their  fluttering  wings,  while  the  crackling  of 
weed  seeds  and  their  peculiar  note  added  voice  to  the  scene.  They 
were  present  in  great  numbers  throughout  the  winter.  Were  last  seen 
April  27.  Some  years  they  are  not  seen  after  February  or  March; 
others,  they  remain  until  late  April  or  May.  In  spring  they  frequent 
the  evergreen  trees  about  our  homes,  as  well  as  the  native  cedar, 
where  they  sometimes  are  found  in  company  with  the  Crossbills;  also, 
elms,  maples,  apple,  and  other  deciduous  trees,  where  they,  with 
habits  somewhat  resembling  the  Purple  Finches,  associate  with  them 
while  feeding.  The  spring  of  1885  they  remained  at  Brookville  until 
May  11,  while  the  spring  of  1887  they  generally  remained,  not  leaving 
until  May  5.  They  were  remarkably  abundant  at  Eichmond,  where 
they  remained  until  May  24  (Hadley);  Lafayette,  May  29  (L.  A.  and 
C.  D.  Test);  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  12  (Trombley).  Dr.  Jordan  took 
a  specimen  near  Indianapolis  in  midsummer  (Bray ton).  One  was  ob- 
served at  Wabash,  with  Goldfinches,  several  times  between  June  10 
and  20,  1892.  They  were  feeding  on  mulberries  (Wallace).  The  last 
ones  to  remain  in  spring  are  very  shy.  They  frequent  the  higher  ever- 
greens in  little  companies,  and,  after  sitting  quietly  for  a  time,  all 
utter  their  lisping  "cree^^  together,  sometimes  repeating  it  two  or 
three  times.  After  an  interval  of  silence  they  repeat  the  call.  Dr. 
Wheaton  thought  it  probable  it  breeds  in  ^orthern  Ohio,  and  Davie 
gives  it  as  breeding  in  Michigan  (Nests  and  Eggs  of  N.  A.  Birds,  1 889, 
p.  293).  Nests,  with  eggs,  have  been  found  from  near  the  first  of  May 
until  near  July  1.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  took  a  nest  of  this  species  at 
Sing  Sing,  N.  Y.,  May  25,  1883  (See  Eidg.,  B.  111.,  p.  289). 

I'M.    Genus  PLECTROPHENAX.    Stejnegkr. 

205.     (534).    Plectrophenax  nivalis   (Linn.). 

Snowflake. 

Synonyms,  Snow  Bunting,  White  Snowbird. 

Adult,  Breeding  Plumage. — White,  middle  of  back,  terminal  half  of 
primaries,  and  tertiaries,  and  two  middle  tail  feathers,  black;  legs  and 
bill,  black.  Adult  in  Winter. — White;  head,  rump  and  breast,  brown- 
ish; back,  brown  and  black,  streaked;  wings,  fuscous;  bill,  yellow. 


928  Kepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

darker  at  tip.  Female,  in  Breeding  Plumage. — Streaked  above  with 
black,  white  below. 

Length,  about  6.50-7.00;  wing,  4.20-4.50;  tail,  2.80-3.15. 

Eange. — Northern  part  of  northern  hemisphere;  south  in  winter 
to  northern  Illinois,  northern  Indiana  and  northern  Ohio,  and  south- 
em  New  England.  Casually  to  District  of  Columbia,  Georgia  and 
Kentucky.    Breeds  from  Labrador  to  Alaska,  north. 

Nest,  on  ground,  of  grass  and  moss,  lined  with  fine  grass  and 
feathers.  Eggs,  4-7;  greenish  or  bluish- white,  spotted,  principally 
about  the  larger  end,  with  brown;  .91  by  .64. 

The  Snowflake  comes  to  us  from  the  north,  in  flocks,  with  the  whirl- 
ing wreaths  of  the  midwinter  snow.  They  are  irregular  in  their  com- 
ing and  variable  in  their  numbers.  Sometimes  they  are  absent  for 
several  years.  Other  winters  they  occur  in  numbers  in  the  northern 
portion  of  the  State.  Farther  south  they  are  of  rare  occurrence,  ap- 
pearing during  the  coldest  weather. 

Dr.  Haymond  observed  it  in  Franklin  County,  where  it  was  later 
identified  by  Dr.  C.  E.  Case,  in  December,  1880.  Mr.  E.  L.  Guthrie 
noted  it  in  Decatur  County  the  winter  of  1883-4.  Mr.  Angus  Gaines 
informs  me  that  it  is  a  rare  winter  visitor  in  Knox  County.  Mr.  Eobert 
Eidgway  has  reported  a  single  specimen  from  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Wabash  Eiver.  They  were  quite  common  about 
Indianapolis  during  the  extreme  cold  weather  and  snow  of  January, 
1879  (Brayton). 

Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says  of  it,  in  Cook  County,  111.,  and  Lake 
County,  Ind.:  "Not  uncommon  winter  visitor.  Found  in  large  flocks 
on  our  prairies.  On  November  9,  1891,  I  found  these  birds  in  thou- 
sands on  the  sand  fiats  about  Wolf  Lake.  December  17,  1895,  they 
were  very  abundant  on  the  beach  at  Miller^s,  Ind.  The  last  leave 
for  the  north  during  March.    Latest,  March  15,  1884." 

Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  says  they  were  exceedingly  abundant  in  the  vicinity 
of  Chicago  the  winter  of  1869-70.  They  were  noted  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chicago,  November  11,  1895  (Blackwelder),  and,  the  spring  of  1893, 
remained  until  March  12  (Dunn).  At  Plymouth,  Mich.,  they  appeared 
October  16,  1894,  and  in  1893  remained  until  March  20  (Alexander). 
They  have  been  noted  from  Michigan  City  as  a  rare  winter  visitor 
(Byrkit).  Miss  Colfax  reported  them  there,  January  15,  1884.  Away 
from  the  lakes  we  see  them  very  rarely  in  December,  generally  appear- 
ing in  January  and  February.  Among  other  localities  they  have  been 
noted  as  follows:  Newton  County,  seen  several  times  (Pfrimmer); 
Carroll  County,  January  15,  1884,  January  to  February,  1885  (Ever- 
mann);  Starke  County,  a  number  of  flocks  at  English  Lake,  February 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  929 

14  and  15,  1891;  Wabash  County,  several,  winter  of  1892-3  (Wallace); 
Dekalb  County  (E.  W.  McBride);  Allen  County  (Stockbridge). 

While  usually  found  in  flocks  of  their  kind,  sometimes  small  num- 
bers, or  single  individuals,  are  sometimes  found  associated  with  flocks 
of  Horned  Larks,  with  which  at  times  may  be  found  Lapland  Long- 
spurs,  also. 

With  us,  they  frequent  the  meadows,  pastures,  stubble  and  other 
cultivated  land,  living  upon  seeds  of  different  kinds  of  grasses  and 
weeds.  From  examinations  made  of  the  stomachs  of  birds,  presumably 
taken  in  Wisconsin,  their  chief  food  was  found  to  be  the  seeds  of  the 
black  bind-weed  and  foxtail  grass  (King,  Wis.  Geology,  I.  p.  535). 
"They  keep  pretty  closely  in  flocks,  numbering  from  a  dozen  or  so 
to  several  hundreds,  and,  though  they  spread  over  the  ground  a  good 
deal  in  running  about  after  seeds,  they  fly  compactly  and  wheel  all 
together.  In  their  evolutions  they  present  a  pretty  sight,  and  have  a 
not  unpleasant  stridulent  sound,  from  the  mingling  of  the  weak  chir- 
rups from  so  many  throats"  (Coues). 

125.    Genus  CALCARIUS  Bechstein. 

a^.  Lower  pans  whitish;  but  little  white  on  outer  tail  feather. 

C.  lapponicus  (Linn.).     206 
a^.  Lower  parts  deep  buff;  much  white  on  two  outer  tail  feathers. 

C.  pictus  (Swains.).     207 

206.     (536).    Calcarius  lapponicus  (Linn). 

Lapland  Longspur. 

Adult  Male  in  Summer. — Above,  brown,  spotted  with  black;  head 
and  jugulum,  black,  with  broad  white  supra-auricular  stripe;  lower 
parts,  dull  whitish;  nape,  bright  chestnut-rufous;  lesser  wing  coverts, 
grayish;  middle  coverts,  dusky;  legs,  black.  In  Winter. — Similar,  but 
throat  whitish.  Jugular  patch  badly  defined,  head  much  tinged  with 
ochraceous,  and  rufous  of  nape  obscured  by  grayish.  Adult  Female  in 
Summer. — Head,  mostly  dull-bufl'y,  the  crown  with  two  broad  lateral 
stripes  of  broad  dusky  streaks,  the  ear  coverts  tipped  with  dusky  bar; 
a  dusky  patch  on  each  side  of  throat,  and  indication  of  one  on  the 
jugulum;  nape,  faintly  rufous,  streaked  with  black.  In  Winter.— Simi- 
les, but  more  suffused  with  brownish.  Young. — Head,  neck,  jugulum, 
and  upper  parts,  yellowish-fulvous,  streaked  with  black;  crown  and 
wings,  strongly  tinged  with  rufous.  (Eidgway,  Orn.  of  111.,  Vol.  I., 
p.  241). 

Length,  about  6.10-6.90;  wing,  3.60-3.90. 

59— GtOL. 


930  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Eange. — Noi;thern  part  of  northern  hemisphere,  in  North  America; 
south  in  winter  to  Kansas,  California,  northern  Illinois,  northern  In- 
diana. Casually  to  South  Carolina,  Kentucky,  Texas,  and  North  Mex- 
ico.   Breeds  in  Arctic  regions. 

Nest,  on  ground,  in  clumps  of  grass,  of  grass  and  moss,  lined  with. 
feathers.  Eggs,  4-5;  greenish-gray,  heavily  marked  or  washed  with 
chocolate;  .83  by  .60. 

The  Lapland  Longspur  ranges  farther  south  than  the  Snow  Bunt- 
ing. Like  it,  however,  it  is  found  in  flocks  varying  in  numbers  from 
a  few  individuals  to  several  hundred.  Often,  during  their  stay  with  us, 
they  and  the  Horned  Larks  are  associated  in  flocks.  To  the  northward, 
sometimes,  but  a  few  Larks  will  be  found  in  a  flock  of  Longspurs, 
while  farther  south,  where  usually  Longspurs  are  scarce,  a  few,  or  even 
single  birds,  may  be  found  in  flocks  of  Larks.  Their  actions,  in  some 
respects,  are  similar. 

Dr.  Wheaton  notes  that  frequently,  when  first  flushed,  they  utter 
a  rapid,  rattling  note,  somewhat  like  that  of  the  Kingfisher,  but  less 
loud  and  harsh.  They  are  irregular  in  their  visits  over  the  most  of 
Indiana,  occurring  in  fall,  winter  and  spring,  but  are  seen  more  fre- 
quently and  more  numerously  than  the  Snowflake.  About  the  lower 
end  of  Lake  Michigan  they  are  sometimes  seen  in  great  numbers.  In 
the  vicinity  of  Chicago  they  were  exceedingly  abundant  the  winter  of 
1869-70  (Aiken);  also  1895-6  (Blackwelder),  and  1896-7  (Tallman). 
Mr.  Parker  says  it  is  a  common  spring  and  fall  migrant  in  Cook 
County,  111.  It  is  found  by  thousands  on  the  prairies  west  of  Engle- 
wood,  throughout  April,  in  beautiful  spring  plumage,  and  by  May  1 
most  have  gone  north.  Mr.  Toppan  reports  it  as  a  common  spring 
migrant  in  Lake  County,  Ind.  In  Wayne  County,  Mich.,  they  were 
seen  the  winter  of  1891-2,  and  springs  of  1892-93-94-95  (Alexander). 
The  earliest  fall  record  from  that  vicinity  is  September  26,  1896,  and 
the  latest  spring  date  is  May  3,  1894.  From  March  28  to  April  4, 
1896,  they  were  common,  in  immense  flocks,  in  fields,  accompanied 
by  a  few  Shorelarks,  at  Laporte  (Barber).  Mr.  Byrkit  had  pre- 
viously reported  it  from  there. 

The  winter  of  1893-4  they  were  common  in  Wabash  County,  arriv- 
ing in  September,  and  remaining  until  March  15.  Before  that  there 
were  but  two  records  of  its  occurrence  there.  It  has  been  noted  as  a 
rare  winter  visitor  in  Dekalb  County  (E.  W.  McBride);  as  a  regular 
but  rare  winter  visitor  in  Allen  County;  a  pair  was  taken  at  Ft.  Wayne 
in  1880  (Stockbridge).  Dr.  J.  T.  Scovell  took  three  specimens  near 
Terre  Haute  in  the  winter  of  1881-2.  November  14,  1893,  Jesse 
Earlle  obtained  a  single  specimen,  which  he  flushed  from  a  wheat 


BiKDS  or  Indiana.  •         931 

stubble,  on  bottom  land  of  Big  Walnut  Greek,  Putnam  County.  Tvo 
were  taken  at  Bloomington,  February  2,  1883  (Evermann).  There 
is  a  pair  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indianapolis  from  Boone  County. 
Mr.  Balmer  reports  it  as  a  winter  resident  in  Knox  County,  and  Mr. 
Eobert  Eidgway  has  noted  large  flocks  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  during 
severe  weather.  Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  identified  it  in  Franklin  County, 
March  1,  1897,  and  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  .observed  it  in  Brown  County, 
January  29  and  30,  and  February  13,  1897. 

Mr.  B.  T.  Gault,  Glen  Ellyn,  111.,  says:  "June  14,  1889,  I  took  an 
adult  female,  in  breeding  plumage,  at  Sheffield,  Lake  County,  Ind. 
When  first  seen  it  was  flushed  from  the  side  of  a  wagon  road,  near  Lake 
Michigan,  and,  taking  wing,  flew  ahead  of  me  but  a  few  feet  above  the 
ground.  It  seemed  rather  tame,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  it  may 
have  been  crippled  earlier  in  the  season,  thus  accounting  for  its  late 
sojourn  in  this  latitude;  but,  judging  from  its  appearance  when 
skinned,  it  must  have  recovered  entirely  from  the  effect  of  wounds 
previously  received  (The  Auk,  Vol.  VL,  No.  3,  p.  278). 

While  with  us  its  food  is  wholly  the  seeds  of  weeds  and  grasses.  Of 
six  examined  by  Prof.  King,  each  had  eaten  more  than  one  hundred 
seeds  of  pigeon  grass  and  black  bind-weed  (Geol.  Wis.,  I.,  p.  536). 

It  is  common  in  northern  Europe  and  northern  Asia,  also  breeding 
in  the  Arctic  portions  of  those  continents,  as  it  does  in  North  America. 
Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  found  it  breeding .  abundantly  on  the  grassy  flats 
near  St.  Michael's,  Alaska.  They  arrive  there  early  in  May,  while  the 
ground  is  still  largely  covered  with  snow,  and  by  the  middle  of  that 
month  are  common.  "The  males,  as  if  conscious  of  their  handsome 
plumage,  choose  the  tops  of  the  only  breaks  in  the  monotonous  level, 
which  are  small,  rounded  knolls  and  tussocks.  The  male  utters  its 
song  as  it  flies  upward  from  one  of  these  knolls,  and  when  it  reaches 
the  height  of  ten  or  fifteen  yards,  it  extends  the  points  of  its  wings 
upwards,  forming  a  large  V-shaped  figure,  and  floats  gently  to  the 
ground,  uttering,  as  it  slowly  sinks,  its  liquid  tones,  which  fall  in 
tinkling  succession  upon  the  ear,  and  are,  perhaps,  the  sweetest  notes 
that  one  hears  during  the  entire  spring-time  of  these  regions.  It  is 
an  exquisite  jingling  melody,  having  much  less  power  than  that  of  the 
Bobolink,  but  with  the  same  general  character,  and,  though  shorter, 
it  has  even  more  melody  than  the  song  of  that  well  known  bird.  The 
nests  are  placed  on  the  drier  portions  of  the  flats;  a  hummock  or  tuft 
of  grass  is  chosen,  or  perhaps  a  projecting  bunch  of  dwarf  willow 
stems,  and,  as  one  comes  directly  upon  it,  the  female  usually  flutters 
off  under  one's  feet."    (N.  H.  Coll.,  in  Alaska,  pp.  184,  185). 


932         •  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

207.     (537).    Calcarius  pictus  (Swains.). 

Smith's  Iiongspur. 
Synonym,  Painted  Longspur. 

"Outer  tail  feathers  dusky  at.base;  lower  parts,  deep  buff;  legs,  yellow. 

"Male  in  Spring. — Top  and  sides  of  head,  black;  a  line  from  bill 
over  the  eyes,  lores,  lower  and  posterior  border  of  the  black  cheeks, 
ears  (encircled  by  black),  and  a  small  patch  in  the  nape,  white;  entire 
under  parts  and  extending  round  neck  to  nape  (where  it  bounds 
abruptly  the  black  of  head),  buff  or  light  cinnamon  yellow;  the  under 
tail  coverts,  paler;  the  inside  of  wings, white;  feathers  of  upper  surface, 
black,  edged  with  yellowish-gray;  shoulders  or  lesser  coverts,  and  the 
greater,  black;  middle,  white,  forming  a  conspicuous  patch;  quills, 
edged  externally  with  white,  this  involving  the  whole  outer  web  of 
outermost  primary;  whole  of  outer  and  most  of  second  tail  feathers, 
white;  bill,  dusky;  lower  mandible  and  legs,  yellowish.  Female. — The 
markings  of  male  faintly  indicated,  but  the  black  and  buff  wanting; 
head,  above,  brown,  streaked  centrally  with  paler;  a  narrow  dark  line 
on  each  side  of  the  throat,  and  brownish  streaks  across  the  jugulum, 
and  along  sides  of  body;  traces  visible  of  the  white  marks  of  the  head; 
bill  and  feet,  as  in  male.''    (Ridgway,  III.,  I,  p.  243). 

Male,  length,  6.40-6.50;  wing,  3.60-3.70.  Female,  length,  about 
5.50-6.00;  wing,  3.45-3.60. 

Range. — Interior  plains  of  North  America,  east  to  Indiana,  from 
Texas  to  Yukon  and  Mackenzie  rivers.  Breeds  in  north  part  of  range. 
Winters  from  southern  Wisconsin  and  Kansas,  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground,  similar  to  last  species.  Eggs,  4-5;  light  clay,  with 
spots  and  lines  of  dark  purplish-brown;  size  of  those  of  C.  lapponicus. 

Migrant;  sometimes  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan;  of 
unusual  occurrence  elsewhere;  rare.  Nelson  observed  this  species  as  a 
common  migrant  on  the  borders  of  Lake  County,  Indiana,  where  even 
seventy-five  were  observed  in  a  flock  (Brayton,  Trans.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc, 
1879,  p.  121). 

In  the  fall  of  1896  a  flock  of  fifty  was  seen  in  Cook  County,  III., 
October  3,  and  others  were  seen  October  11  (Tallman).  Mr.  F.  M. 
Woodruff  informs  me  there  are  four  specimens  in  the  collection  of  the 
Field  Columbian  Museum,  collected  at  Worth,  111.,  May  3,  1894.  At 
the  same  place,  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  found  them  quite  common  in  a 
patch  of  meadow  land,  April  27,  1893.  The  spring  of  1896  they  were 
first  seen  near  Chicago,  April  16,  where  Mr.  Eliot  Black  welder  saw 


Birds  of  Indiana.  933 

about  a  hundred,  two  days  later.  Mr.  C.  A.  Tallman  reported  seeing 
a  hundred  and  fifty.  Each  of  these  gentlemen  saw  them  repeatedly 
that  spring,  as  did  ?ilso  Mr.  Parker.  They  were  last  noted  May  2. 
March  29,  1894,  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  found  about  sixty  Smith's  Longspurs 
in  a  field  about  three  miles  west  of  Greencastle,  Ind.  Of  these,  he 
obtained  two  specimens. 

Smith's  Longspur  is  a  bird  of  the  interior  of  America,  frequenting 
the  great  interior  plains  of  the  United  States  and  the  interior  valleys 
of  British  America.  It  breeds  in  the  valleys  of  the  Anderson  and 
Mackenzie  rivers  very  numerously.  It  is  not  found  breeding  on  the 
Atlantic  or  Pacific  coast. 

The  nest,  like  that  of  the  last  species,  is  placed  on  the  ground,  and 
is  made  of  grasses,  lined  with  finer  materials  of  the  same  kind,  down 
and  feathers. 

126.    Gexus  POOCiETES  Baird. 

*208.     (540).    Poocaetes  gramineus  (Gmel.). 

Vesper  Sparrow. 
Synonyms,  Bay  winged  Bunting,  Grass  Finch. 

Thickly  streaked  everywhere,  above,  on  sides  and  across  breast;  no 
yellow  anywhere;  lesser  wing  coverts,  chestnut,  and  one  to  three  outer 
pairs  of  tail  feathers,  partly  or  wholly  white;  above,  grayish-brown, 
the  streaking,  dusky  and  brown,  with  grayish- white;  below,  white, 
usually  buffy-tinged,  the  streaks  very  numerous  on  the  fore  part  and 
sides;  wing  coverts  and  inner  quills,  much  edged  and  tipped  with  bay; 
crown,  like  back,  without  median  stripe;  line  over  and  ring  round  eye, 
whitish;  feet,  pale. 

Length,  5.50-6.70;  wing,  2.95-3.40;  tail,  2.40-2.75. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  plains,  north  to  Nova 
Scotia,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  Virginia,  Kentucky  and 
Missouri,  north.    Winters  from  southern  Indiana  and  Virginia,  south. 

Nest,  in  open  field,  in  a  depression  in  the  ground,  of  grass,  lined  with 
hair.  Eggs,  4-5;  white,  sometimes  greenish  or  pinkish,  blotched  and 
lined  with  various  shades  of  reddish-brown;  .80  by  .60. 

The  Vesper  Sparrow  is  found  commonly  throughout  Indiana  from 
March  to  November.  Mr.  J.  0.  Balmer  informs  me  it  is  also  found 
through  winter  in  Knox  County,  and  doubtless  occurs  from  that  lati- 
tude south,  some  winters  at  least.  At  Brookville,  I  have  found  it  as 
early  as  February  15,  1882,  and  until  November  19,  1894.  Usually, 
however,  they  appear  near  March  20,  and,  while  many  leave  through 


934  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

September  and  early  October,  quite  a  number  are  found  until  well  into 
the  latter  month.  At  Laporte,  they  were  first  noted  March  20,  1894, 
April's,  1896;  at  Sedan,  March  20,  1894,  April  4,  1895;  Cook  County, 
111.,  April  5,  1886,  April  14,  1895.  They  are  usually  common  over 
the  greater  part  of  the  north  half  of  Indiana  by  the  first  week  in  April. 
I  have  observed  them  mating,  April  8,  1882.  They  may  be  found 
nesting  through  May,  June  and  July.  July  17,  1886,  I  took  a  female 
Vesper  Sparrow,  containing  eggs  about  ready  to  be  laid.  Two  and 
sometimes,  perhaps,  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  summer. 

The  nest  is  placed  upon  the  ground,  preferably  in  a  timothy  or 
clover  field;  in  prairie  districts,  on  the  prairie.  In  September  they  be- 
gin to  collect  in  flocks,  and  the  latter  part  of  the  month  and  all  the 
next  they  are  found  along  the  fence  rows,  working  their  way  south- 
ward. 

Prof.  King  found  that  37,  which  he  dissected,  had  eaten:  8,  moths; 
3,  flies;  3,  ants;  27,  beetles;  4,  grasshoppers;  3,  snails;  8,  grasshoppers' 
eggs;  10,  larvae;  31  of  them  had  eaten  various  small  weed  seeds;  1, 
two  kernels  of  wheat,  and  1,  a  kernel  of  rye.  He  estimates  that  fully 
one-third  of  their  food  consists  of  insects  and  the  remainder  largely  of 
seeds  of  noxious  plants  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I,  p.  536).  They  remain,  some- 
times, as  far  north  as  our  northern  border  until  November.  It  has 
been  reported  from  Sandusky,  0.,  November  1,  1896;  Sedan,  Ind., 
October  31,  1894;  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  November  5,  1894;  Livonia,  Mich., 
October  31,  1894. 

This  striped  sparrow  shows  a  white  feather  on  each  side  of  the  tail 
as  it  flies.  That  distinguishes  it  by  sight  as  it  flies  before  one  in  the 
public  highway,  or  the  field.  Its  song  may  be  heard  in  the  morning  or 
on  cloudy  days,  but  its  sweetest  notes  swell  forth  at  twilight,  asso- 
ciated with  the  sounds  of  insect  life,  the  glow  of  the  fire-fly,  the  call 
of  the  Whip-poor-will.  This  is  its  vesper  song;  hence  its  author  is 
known  as  the  Vesper  Sparrow.  Of  all  the  pretty  things  said  of  this 
sweet-voiced  finch,  nothing,  perhaps,  has  been  said  that  fits  the  case 
so  well  as  that  written  by  Mr.  John  Burroughs,  in  his  charming  book 
named  "Wake  Robin.''  From  it  I  quote:  "Have  you  heard  the  song 
of  the  Field  Sparrow?  If  you  have  lived  in  a  pastoral  country,  with 
broad  upland  pastures,  you  could  hardly  have  missed  him.  Wilson, 
I  believe,  calls  him  the  Grass  Finch,  and  was  evidently  unacquainted 
with  his  powers  of  song.  The  two  white  lateral  quills  of  his  tail,  and 
his  habit  of  running  and  skulking  a  few  yards  in  advance  of  you,  as 
you  walk  through  the  fields,  are  sufficient  to  identify  him.  Not  in 
meadow  or  orchards,  but  in  high,  breezy  pasture  grounds,  will  you 
look  for  him. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  935 

"His  song  is  most  noticeable  after  sundown,  when  other  birds  are 
silent,  for  which  reason  he  has  been  aptly  called  the  Vesper  Sparrow. 
The  farmer,  following  his  team  from  the  field  *at  dusk,  catches  his 
sweetest  strain.  His  song  is  not  so  brisk  ajid  varied  as  that  of  the 
Song  Sparrow,  being  softer  and  milder,  sweeter  and  more  plaintive. 
Add  the  best  parts  of  the  lay  of  the  latter  to  the  sweet,  vibrating 
chant  of  the  Woods  Sparrow  (8pizella  pusilla),  and  you  have  the  even- 
ing hymn  of  the  Vesper  bird,  the  poet  of  the  plain,  unadorned  pas- 
tures. Go  to  those  broad,  smooth,  uplying  fields,  where  the  cattle 
and  sheep  are  grazing,  and  sit  down  on  one  of  the  warm,  clean  stones, 
and  listen  to  his  song.  On  every  side,  near  and  remote,  from  out  the 
short  grass  which  the  herds  are  cropping,  the  strain  rises.  Two  or 
three  long,  silver  notes  of  rest  and  peace,  ending  in  some  subdued 
trills  and  quavers,  constitute  each  separate  song.  Often  you  will 
catch  only  one  of  the  bars,  the  breeze  having  blown  the  minor  part 
a^ay.  Some  unambitious,  unconscious  melody!  It  is  one  of  the  most 
characteristic  sounds  of  Nature.  The  grass,  the  stones,  the  stubble, 
the  furrow,  the  quiet  herds,  and  the  warm  twilight  among  the  hills, 
are  all  subtlely  expressed  in  song.  This  is  what  they  are,  at  least, 
capable  of." 

The  song  period  usually  ends  near  the  first  of  July,  though  some- 
times it  may  be  heard  well  toward  the  1st  of  August.  I  heard  the  last 
song  June  25,  1897. 

127.    Genus  PASSER  Brtsson. 

209.     ( — ).    Passer  domesticus  (Linn.). 

European  House  Sparrow. 

Synonym,  English  Sparrow. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  chestnut  brown,  back  streaked  with  black; 
crown,  nape  and  rump,  ashy;  line  back  of  nostrils,  lores  and  throat, 
black;  remaining  lower  parts,  grayish;  chestnut-brown  stripe  from  be- 
hind the  eye  to  the  back;  wing,  edged  with  brown;  cheek,  sides  of  neck 
and  bar  across  the  wing,  white.  Female. — Lacking  the  black  on  head 
and  neck;  lower  parts  and  cheeks,  ashy;  breast  and  abdomen,  tinged 
with  reddish;  head  and  rump,  grayish;  back,  streaked  with  black; 
stripe  over  the  eye,  and  wing  bar,  ochraceous. 

Length,  6.00;  wing,  2.85;  tail,  2.50. 

Raxge. — Almost  all  Europe,  western  Asia;  introduced  into  North 
America,  Australia  and  other  countries.  Now  occupying  the  eastern 
United  States  and  southern  Canada,  and  extending  west  to  Colorado, 
and  Utah.    Not  so  numerous  in  Southern  States. 


936 


Kepobt  of  State  GtEologist. 


Nest,  about  houses,  in  trees,  etc.,  of  grass,  hay,  and  feathers.  Eggs, 
6-9;  soiled  white,  speckled  with  brown;  .86  by  .62. 

The  European  House  Sparrow,  which  is  generally  known  as  "Eng- 
lish Sparrow,'^  is  a  resident  throughout  the  State.  Its  history  in 
America  is  but  one  of  the  accounts  of  the  folly  of  ignorance,  in  the 
introduction  of  species  into  a  new  country,  where,  under  favorable  con- 
ditions, they  so  thrive  at  the  e:Jfpense  of  man  and  his  native  bird 


European  House  Sparrow.    Male. 

(Barrows,  Bulletin  I,  Division  of  Economic  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  1889,  p.  16  ) 


friends,  that  they  become  a  serious  pest.  They  were  first  introduced 
into  the  United  States  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1850,  and  into  several 
other  cities  at  different  times  from  that  date  to  1869.  They  were 
brought  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  between  1865  and  1870.  Cleveland,  0., 
received  40  birds  in  1869,  and  the  same  year  Cincinnati  received  ^Q 
pairs.  In  Indiana,  they  are  said  to  have  first  appeared  at  New  Albany, 
presumably  from  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1867.  In  1869  they  were  brought 
to  Eiehmond  from  Philadelphia,  Pa.  In  1871  and  1873  several  hun- 
dred were  brought  to  Indianapolis  from  New  York  City.  In  1873 
they  were  introduced  into  Evansville,  and  about  1874  into  Lafayette. 
From  these  points  they  spread,  appearing  at  Burlington  about  1870; 
Greencastle,  1872;  Bloomington,  1875,  and  at  Brookville,  1878.  It 
was  not  observed  at  Albion  until  about  1880. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  937 

It  is  now  to  be  found  in  suitable  localities  in  every  part  of  the 
State.  At  the  close  of  the  year  1886  it  was  to  be  found  in  35  States 
and  5  Territories.  It  has  spread  very  rapidly,  reaching  west  to  cen- 
tral Kansas  and  Nebraska.  From  there  it  followed  the  railway  lines, 
reaching  Pueblo,  Col.,  in  1895,  and  Denver  in  the  summer  of  1896. 
In  March,  1897,  it  was  estimated  that  less  than  twenty  pairs  were  to 
be  found  in  the  latter  city  (Cooke,  Birds  of  Colorado,  pp.  99,  100). 

They  have  proved  their  enmity  to  our  very  best  native  birds,  have 
lived  off  the  farmers'  crops,  ruthlessly  destroyed  fruits  and  vegetables, 
and,  by  reason  of  their  noisy  chatter,  their  dirtiness,  and  other  unde- 
sirable habits,  have  made  themselves  public  nuisances.  In  Indiana, 
they  have  occupied  many  of  the  nesting  sites  of  the  Martin  and  Blue- 
bird. From  many  towns  and  farms  the  latter  have  almost  disappeared. 
The  Chipping  Sparrow,  Robin,  House  Wrens,  and  Carolina  Wrens,  and 
even  the  Great  Crested  Flycatcher  and  Red-winged  Blackbird,  have 
been  persecuted  by  them.  The  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture has  had  specific  reports  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  of  70 
kinds  of  native  birds  it  lias  molested.  Of  1,860  complaints  received 
regarding  molested  birds,  more  than  one-half  relate  to  Martins,  Swal- 
lows, Wrens,  and  Bluebirds.  In  the  garden  they  are  most  destructive 
to  young  peas,  and  in  the  field,  to  ripened  wheat.  As  soon  as  the  ten- 
der pea  sprouts  are  out  of  the  ground,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  a  num- 
ber of  these  sparrows  to  begin  at  some  point  in  the  row  and  bite  off 
the  leaves  from  every  vine,  completely  destroying  the  crop.  When 
wheat  is  ripe,  young  and  old  are  associated  in  flocks.  They  leave  town 
and  village  fo¥  wheat  fields,  and,  breaking  down  the  stalks,  feed  upon 
the  grain  until  it  is  shocked.  Then  I  have  known  them  to  eat  all 
accessible  grains  in  the  cap,  and  outside  sheaves,  and,  when  the  crop 
was  stacked,  to  live  upon  the  stack  until  it  was  threshed  and  garnered. 
They  also  eat  oats,  barley,  rye,  and  corn.  Besides  these,  reports  from 
this  State  indicate  they  eat  lettuce,  cabbage,  radish,  and  beets,  par- 
ticularly the  young  plants,  also  their  seeds.  In  the  spring  they  cut  off 
apple  blossoms,  and  later,  sometimes  eat  mellow  apples,  and  juicy 
pears.  They  also  eat  cherries,  currants  and  strawberries.  In  Indiana, 
I  have  found  them,  of  all  fruits,  to  destroy  grapes  the  most.  This  I 
find  has  also  been  the  experience  of  others. 

The  fall  of  1896  they  began  work  upon  my  grapes  about  August  20. 
The  Delawares  were  first  attacked.  Early  in  the  morning  they  com- 
menced cutting  off  the  bunches,  then  gathering  upon  the  ground  to  eat 
the  fallen  fruit.  Many  also  ate  grapes  from  such  bunches  as  they  could 
reach  from  a  perch.  The  next  grapes  attacked  were  the  Prentiss,  fol- 
lowing which  came  the  Catawba.  There  were  other  kinds,  but  they  did 


938  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

not  suffer  perceptibly.     For  about  ten  weeks  ending  about  October 

25  a  great  part  of  their  food  was  grapes.  The  insects  they  destroy  are 
comparatively  few,  and  are  most  often  caught  to  feed  the  young.  I 
have  occasionally  seen  a  Sparrow  catch  a  moth  or  other  flying  species, 
and  on  one  or  two  occasions  have  observed  them  hunting  among  cab- 
bage heads,  as  though  they  were  after  cabbage-worms.  Indeed,  they  are 
known  to  occasionally  eat  these.  July  21  a  mass  of  larvae  of  a  species 
of  ant  was  found  associated  together  and  so  arranged  that  they  looked 
like  one  large  worm  the  size  of  a  piece  of  rope.  They  were  upon  a 
street  crossing  in  Brookville.  All  moved  together  in  one  direction. 
A  few  specimens  were  taken  and  sent  to  Mr.  L.  0.  Howard,  U.  S.  Ento- 
mologist, Washington,  D.  C,  for  identification.  Soon  after  a  flock  of 
House  Sparrows  found  this  living  rope,  and  ate  it  all.  The  mass  was 
about  IJ  feet  long,  f  inch  wide  and  i  inch  deep. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  contents  of  522  stomachs  of  these 
birds,  examined  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture: 
'^heat  was  found  in  22  stomachs,  oats  in  327,  com  (maize)  in  71, 
fruit  seed  (mainly  mulberries)  in  57,  grass  seed  in  102,  weed  seed  in 
85,  undetermined  vegetable  matter  in  219,  bread,  rice,  etc.,  in  19;  nox- 
ious insects  in  47,  beneficial  insects  in  50,  insects  of  no  economic  im- 
portance in  31.  Doubtless  most  of  the  oats  found  in  the  stomachs 
were  obtained  from  horse  droppings,  and  some  of  the  undetermined 
vegetable  matter  was  from  the  same  source."  Insects  constituted  but 
a  little  over  17  per  cent.,  which,  when  we  consider  that  it  was  an  un- 
usually favorable  year  for  insects  at  Washington,  D.  C,  where  most 
of  these  birds  were  killed,  and,  further,  that  the  grounds  where  they 
were  taken  were  infested  with  several  noxious  forms,  of  which  only 
two  specimens  of  one  kind  were  found  to  have  been  eaten  by  the 
aparrows,  is  not  f a^vorable  to  this  bird  as  an  insect  destroyer. 

They  are  very  prolific.  I  have  found  them  mating  January  16, 
1887,  and  have  found  young  barely  able  to  fly  July  30,  1896.  They 
sometimes  lay  in  February  and,  perhaps,  rarely  breed  as  late  as  Novem- 
ber. I  have  found  nests  with  from  three  to  nine  eggs.  It  is  supposed 
they  lay  from  four  to  six  sittings  a  year,  and  it  is  estimated  that  each 
pair  raised  24  young  in  a  season.  The  rate  of  increase  is  enormous. 
How  shall  it  be  held  in  check?  In  most  States  it  is  outlawed;  some 
States  have  offered  a  bounty  for  its  capture,  but  the  results  have  not 
been  altogether  satisfactory.  Poisoning  has  been  tried,  generally  with 
unjBatisfaetory  results.  Trapping,  too,  has  been  used.  It  is  said  Mr.  W. 
T.  Hill,  of  Indianapolis,  trapped  40,000  of  them  in  Indianapolis  the 
two  years  ending  October  1,  1887.  Outside  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood of  operations  no  effect  was  observed.    The  best  thing  to  do  is  to 


Birds  of  Indiana.  939 

wage  war  upon  them  with  gun,  trap,  poison,  and  every  other  way  that 
will  work.  I  find  that  the  best  results  are  obtained  by  destroying  the 
eggs,  and  using  a  gun  od  the  adults.  But  to  our  help  comes  natural 
causes.  Some  hard  winters  many  of  them  perish.  In  Wabash  County, 
and  perhaps  elsewhere,  a  great  many  were  destroyed  the  winter  of 
1892-3  (Ulrey  and  Wallace,  Proc.  I.  A.  S.,  1895,  p.  154).  Cats  are 
ef&cient  aids.  I  am  satisfied  the  greater  part  of  my  grapes  were  saved 
in  1897  by  a  cat  which  spent  hours  among  the  vines  and  on  top  the 
arbors.  Several  birds  have  become  more  useful- by  their  destruction 
of  this  sparrow.  Shrikes,  Blue  Jays,  and  Bronzed  Grrackles  are  men- 
tioned, but  sometimes  in  the  country  and  borders  of  towns  the  Spar- 
row Hawk,  Sharp-shinned  and  Cooper^s  Hawks,  Marsh  Hawk,  Red- 
shouldered  Hawk,  the  Short-eared  Owl,  and  occasionally  the  more  rare 
Pigeon  Hawk,  eat  them.  In  towns  and  cities,  as  well  as  country,  the 
Screech  Owl  is  a  valuable  destructive  agent.  It,  and  the  Sparrow 
Hawk,  especially,  should  be  protected.  The  House  Sparrow  is  also 
subject  to  accidents,  and,  doubtless,  to  disease.  Prof.  C.  A.  Waldo  in- 
forms me  a  few  years  ago,  at  Greencastle,  Ind.,  of  seeing  a  Sparrow 
suspended  from  a  building  by  a  string  about  its  neck,  while  about  it 
was  a  noisy  crowd  of  its  fellows,  flying  at  it  and  pecking  it. 

His  query  was,  whether  it  committed  suicide,  was  hanged  by  its 
fellow-outlaws,  or  accidentally  came  to  such  a  fate  (See  Report  of 
Om.  and  Mam.,  IJ.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Report  1886;  also,  same  Dept., 
Bulletin  N"o.  1;  also,  Walter  B.  Barrows,  "The  English  Sparrow  in 
America,"  etc.,  1889,  from  which  some  of  the  above  data  is  derived). 


128.    Genus  AMMODRAMUS  Swainson. 

Outer  pair  of  tail  feathers  longer  than  the  middle  pair ;  wing  much  longer 
than  tail.     Subgenus  Passerculus  Bonaparte, 

A.  sandwichensis  savanna  (Wils.).  210 
Outer  pair  of  tail  feathers  shorter  than  the  middle  pair;  wing  not  much,  if 
any,  longer  than  tail, 

^.  Bill  stout;  tail  feathers  narrow  and  sharp-pointed ;  center  of  crown  with  a 
light  stripe.     Subgenus  Coturniculus  Bonaparte, 
c^.  Tail  much  shorter  than  wing;  double  rounded. 

A.  savannarum  passerinus  (Wils.).     211 
c^.  Tail  about  equal  to  or  longer  than  wing;  outer  tail  feathers  shortest, 
c?^.  Bill  very  stout;  a  dusky  streak  on  each  side  of  the  light  malar  stripe. 

A.  henslowii  ( Aud. ) .     212 

c?2.  Bill  very  small  and  slender;  no  dusky  streak  on  each  side  of  the  light 

malar  stripe.  A.  leconteii  (Aud.).     213 

2,  Bill  slender;    tail   feathers  sharp  pointed;    outer  ones  shortest;    center  of 

crown  without  a  light  stripe.     Subgenus  Ammodramus. 

A.  caudacutus  nelsoni  Allen.     214 


940  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Subgenus  Passerculus  Bonaparte. 

210.    (542a).   Ammodramus  sandwichensis  savanna  (Wils.). 

Savanna  Sparrow. 

Above,  brownish-gray,  streaked  with  blackish,  whitish-gray  and 
pale  bay;  the  streaks  largest  on  the  inner  scapulars,  smallest  on  the 
cervix;  the  crown  divided  by  an  obscure  whitish  line;  superciliary  line 
and  edge  of  wing,  yellowish;  sometimes  an  obscure  yellowish  suffusion 
about  the  head;  below,  white,  pure,  or  with  faint  buffy  shade,  thickly 
streaked  with  dusky,  the  individual  spots  edged  with  brown,  mostly 
arrow-shaped,  running  in  chains  along  the  sides  and  often  aggregated 
in  an  obscure  blotch  on  the  breast;  wings  and  tail,  dusky;  the  wing- 
coverts  and  inner  secondaries,  black,  edged  and  tipped  with  bay. 

Length,  about  4.85-5.50;  wing,  2.60-2.90  (2.73);  tail,  '1.90-2.20 
(2.07). 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Mexico  and  Cuba  to  Labra- 
dor and  Hudson  Bay.  Breeds  from  Missouri,  southern  Illinois  and 
New  Jersey  north.     Winters  from  Indiana  and  Virginia  southward. 

Nest,  in  depression  on  ground;  of  grass.  Eggs,  3-6;  greenish  or 
grayish-white,  spotted  and  blotched  most  thickly  about  the  larger  end 
with  light-brown  and  lilac;  .76  by  .54. 

The  Savanna  Sparrow  is,  some  seasons  at  least,  a  rare  resident  in 
the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  Mr.  J.  A.  Balmer  in  1888  noted  it  as  a 
winter  resident  in  Knox  County,  and  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  at  that 
season  across  the  Wabash  River  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  where  he  also  has 
taken  its  nest  and  eggs.  The  bulk  of  these  Sparrows  pass  northward 
with  us  through  April.  At  Brookville  they  are  often  found  in  flocks, 
frequenting  the  pastures,  meadows  and  stubble  of  the  upland  farms. 
In  the  river  valleys  they  are  rare.  All  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  spring 
have  been  between  April  9,  1887,  and  April  24  (1886). 

They  are  inconspicuous,  and  will  often  be  overlooked,  as  they  run 
or  crawl  among  the  grass  and  weeds,  unless  when  too  closely  pressed, 
they  rise  but  a  little  piece  above  the  ground  and  all  fly  away  to  an- 
other field.  In  1897  it  was  seen  at  Richmond,  March  26  and  April 
29  (Hadley).  In  1892,  at  Bloomington,  March  30  (Kindle);  at  Terre 
Haute,  May  1,  1890  (Evermann);  Spearsville,  May  3,  1894  (Barnett). 
They  were  first  noted  in  Cook  County,  111.,  in  1896,  March  31;  in 
1895,  April  1;  in  1897,  April  8  (Tallman).  While  many  of  them  leave 
early  in  May,  they  are  often  common  after  the  middle  of  that  month; 
May  18,  1895;  May  23,  1896.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  thinks  it  breeds 
not  uncommonly  about  Calumet  Lake,  where  he  collected  one  July  16, 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  941 

1896,  and  another  August  4,  1896.  May  30,  1894,  he  found  it  com- 
mon about  Wolf  Lake.  "In  northern  Illinois,  in  Wisconsin  and  Min- 
nesota it  is  in  some  localities  common,  breeding  in  large  colonies,  but 
in  other  entirely  similar  places  it  is  not  found  at  all"  (Nehrling,  N".  A. 
B.,  Pt.  X.,  p.  84).  There  is  a  specimen  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indian- 
apolis that  was  taken  at  English  Lake,  Ind.,  June  14,  1896.  Dr.  J.  M. 
Wheaton  notes  he  once  observed  it  in  Ohio  in  June,  and  refers  to  its 
breeding  at  Gambier  (Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  325). 

In  the  fall  they  begin  to  be  observed  migrating  in  September. 
The  earliest  record  I  have  at  Brookville  is  September  9,  1886.  They 
may  be  seen  through  that  month  and  the  next.  The  latest  record  I 
have  from  Cook  County,  111.,  is  October  11,  1896.  Some,  however, 
linger  along  into  November,  and  stop  with  us  in  mild  winters.  The 
song  is  always  a  weak  affair,  as  easy  to  be  overlooked  as  the  singer. 
At  breeding  time  insects  are  eaten;  at  other  times  they  do  good  by 
destroying  great  quantities  of  weed  seed  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p. 
536). 

Subgenus  Coturniculus  Bonaparte. 

*211.    (546).  Ammodramus  savannarum  passerinus  (Wils.). 

Grasshopper  Sparrow. 
Synonyms,  Cricket  Sparrow,  Yellow-winged  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Above,  chestnut-brown,  edged  with  ashy,  streaked  with 
black;  nape,  grayish  or  buff}^  with  small  chestnut  spots;  lower  back 
and  rump,  reddish  and  ashy;  head,  throat,  breast  and  sides,  ochraceous- 
buff;  other  under  parts,  whitish;  edge  of  wing  and  spot  before  the  eye, 
yellow;  no  streaks  on  side  of  breast;  crown,  blackish,  with  a  middle 
stripe  over  the  eye  of  buff  or  paler  gray;  tail  feathers,  narrow  and 
pointed;  they,  and  wing  feathers,  edged  more  or  less  with  whitish. 
Immature. — More  buffy  below;  grayer  above;  breast,  streaked  with 
dusky. 

Length,  5.20;  wing,  2.50;  tail,  1.90;  bill,  .50;  depth  of  bill,  .25; 
tarsus,  .80.  ' 

Kange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Costa  Eica  and  West  Indies; 
north  to  Dakota,  south  Ontario  and  Massachusetts;  casual  in  Maine. 
Breeds  throughout  United  States  range.  Winters  from  southern  Illi- 
nois and  North  Carolina  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground;  of  grass.  Eggs,  3-5;  white,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  reddish-brown;  .73  by  .58. 

Over  most  of  Indiana  a  common  summer  resident,  frequenting 
timothy  and  clover  meadows,  prairies  and  fields  of  small  grain.  In  the 
three  first  mentioned  its  nest-building  is  upon  the  ground.  Sometimes, 


942  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

at  least;  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  Davie  reports  fresh  eggs 
having  been  found  in  Illinois  as  late  as  August  12.  I  have  observed 
young  not  able  to  fly,  at  Brookville,  Ind.,  July  8,  1887.  They  have 
been  gradually  increasing  in  numbers  and  extending  their  range.  Fif- 
teen years  ago,  in  the  lower  Whitewater  Valley,  they  were  rare,  any- 
where; now,  it  is  the  most  common  meadow  bird  on  the  uplands,  but 
it  is  rare  in  the  lowlands.  In  1886  it  was  a  rather  common  summer 
resident  in  Monroe  County  and  a  very  rare  summer  resident  in  Carroll 
County  (Evermann).  It  was  not  reported  at  that  time  from  Putnam 
or  Lake  counties,  where  there  were  good  observers.  Although  Mr. 
Nelson  gave  it  as  abundant  in  Cook  County,  1876,  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale 
coUected  there  and  in  Lake  County  for  a  number  of  years  up  to  about 
1888,  and  was  unable  to  find  it.  In  May,  1887,  I  visited  many  locali- 
ties in  Cook  County  and  failed  to  observe  it.  It  first  began  to  be  com- 
mon in  Dekalb  County  in  1893,  and  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  notes  its  increas- 
ing abundance  in  southern  Michigan  (Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  112). 

The  following  are  the  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrival  in 
spring:  Brookville,  April  8,  1892,  April  27,  1885  and  1897;  Chicago, 
lU.,  April  18,  1896,  May  11,  1895;  Waterloo,  April  21,  1896;  Ply- 
mouth, Mich.,  April  19,  1896;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  23,  1897. 

Often  when  they  arrive  in  the  spring  they  are  mated.  One  who  is 
familiar  with  them  will  first  detect  their  arrival  by  their  peculiar 
stridulating  song.  It  reminds  one  of  the  music  made  by  the  grasshop- 
per or  cricket.  From  this  curious  song  the  bird  is  named.  The  song 
has  several  variations,  among  which  are  the  following:  "pit-tick-zee- 
e-e-e-e-tick,"  or,  "tick-zee-e-e-e-e;"  another,  the  most  common  of  the 
longer  efforts,  is,  "pit-tick-ze-z-rr  (trill)  1-rl  (rl  sometimes  three  or 
four  times  repeated)  ee-e-e."  It  may  be  sung  from  the  ground,  a  weed 
in  the  meadow,  a  small  bush,  a  clod  in  a  plowed  field,  or  a  fence-post. 
It  begins  with  the  dawn,  and  may  be  heard  through  the  day  and  until 
8  or  9  o'clock  at  night.  A  favorite  position  is  on  a  fence,  where  they 
will  often  permit  one  in  a  buggy  to  pass  within  10  or  15  feet  of  them. 
Then  the  large  bill  and  head,  short  tail  and  wings  and  light-colored 
legs,  may  be  plainly  seen.  When  they  have  selected  a  home  they 
seldom  fly  far,  but  when  they  first  arrive,  or  after  breeding  is  past, 
they  make  long,  zigzag  flights  close  to  the  ground. 

The  sudden  changes  which  come  to  their  homes  are  enough  to 
drive  these  birds  away,  and  that  is  generally  the  result.  Late  in  June 
they  are  driven  from  the  fields  of  small  clover  when  the  first  crop  is 
mowed.  Then  they  seek  other  fields  for  a  short  time,  until  the  abund- 
ant rains  cause  it  to  renew  its  growth.  By  the  middle  of  July  the 
mower  cuts  clean  the  fields  of  timothy.    About  the  meadows  the  fences 


Birds  of  Indiana.  943 

are  full  of  these  little  Sparrows  in  full  song.  Some  find  cover  in  the 
fields  of  English  clover,  or  wheat  stubble.  The  greater  number,  how- 
ever, leave  at  this  time.  This  occurred  in  1897,  July  14.  I  found 
them  still  common  in  fields  of  English  clover  August  3,  1897,  and 
the  last  were  noted  August  6,  still  singing.  About  that  time  cutting 
of  the  large  clover  began,  and  they  disappeared.  Some  years  a  few 
remain  later  than  this,  but  they  quit  singing,  and  skulk  along  the 
grassy  and  weedy  fence  rows,  and  are  hard  to  find.  In  1894  I  found 
them  as  late  as  September  25,  and  that  same  year  they  remained  at 
Sedan  until  October  20  (Mrs.  Hine).  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  reported 
it  at  Trafalgar,  Brown  County,  October  23,  1897. 


*212.     (547).    Ammodramus  henslowii  (Aud.). 

Henslow's  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Tail  feathers,  narrow,  sharp-pointed,  outer  dnes  much  the 
shortest,  middle  ones  bright  rufous-brown,  darker  along  the  shafts; 
others  darker,  edged  with  ashy;  bill,  large;  crown,  blackish,  divided  by 
a  middle  stripe  of  pale  olive-green;  stripe  over  eye  and  sides  of  head 
and  nape,  pale  olive-green,  which  also  tinges  the  back;  a  black  stripe 
behind  the  eye,  and  one  from  the  comer  of  the  mouth,  and  usually 
©ne,  more  or  less  distinct,  on  each  side  of  upper  throat;  back,  brown,  the 
feathers  marked  with  black  and  edged  with  grayish;  tertiaries  and 
rump,  chestnut-brown,  more  or  less  grayish  edged.  Below,  whitish, 
more  or  less  shaded  with  buffy;  breast  and  sides  streaked  with  black 
(wanting  in  young).    Edge  of  wing,  yellow. 

Length,  4.75-5.25;  wing,  2.10-2.20;  tail,  1.90-2.05. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States.  Breeding  locally  from  Maine,  Vir- 
ginia north  to  Nebraska,  northern  Indiana  and  Michigan.  Winter* 
from  Illinois  south  to  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Nest,  in  meadow,  prairies  or  neglected  fields;  on  ground  in  tuft  of 
grass;  of  dry  grass  and  hair.  Eggs,  4-5;  greenish  or  grayish  white, 
rpeckled  and  blotched  with  different  shades  of  brown  and  lilac;  .75 
by  .57. 

Although  Henslow's  Sparrow  has  nevar  been  taken  in  southern  In- 
diana it  probably  occurs  as  a  migrant,  but  is  overlooked  because  it  is 
»ot  readily  recognized.  Audubon  drew  his  description  and  figure 
from  a  bird  of  this  species  taken  at  Newport,  Ky.,  across  the  river 
from  Cincinnati,  0.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  in  the  wet 
prairie*  and  marshee,  they  breed  in  companies  in  certain  localitiefl. 
The  first  record  I  have  from  thi«  Stet«  ii  a  tpecimen  taken  by  Mr.  C. 


944  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

E.  Aiken  while  hunting  Prairie  Chickens  in  Lake  County,  in  August, 
1869.  He  identified  it,  but  did  not  preserve  it.  Near  Tolleston,  in 
the  same  county,  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  obtained  a  male  May  10,  1877.  He 
says:  "Hearing  a  rustle  in  the  grass,  I  looked  down  and  saw  a  bird, 
which  ran  like  a  mouse.  It  stuck  its  head  under  some  leaves  and 
grass,  leaving  its  tail  exposed.  I  had  to  go  back  some  distance  to 
shoot  it." 

July  4,  1881,  he  visited  the  same  locality  again  and  found  quite  a 
number  of  these  birds  confined  to  a  restricted  area.  He  obtained  five 
specimens.  The  males  were  in  full  song,  and  he  is  confident  they 
were  breeding.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  collected  a  female,  near  Liver- 
pool, Ind.,  May  18,  1895,  and  a  pair  July  4,  1896.  He  had  previously 
taken  several  west  of  Cheltenham  Beach,  Cook  County,  111.,  April  29, 
1886.  He  says  the  bird  is  loth  to  take  wing  from  its  shelter  of  weeds 
and  grasses,  and  when  it  does  fly  it  goes  but  a  short  distance,  and  just 
above  the  tops  of  the  weeds,  again  alighting  and  skulking  like  a  field 
mouse. 

Two  males  were  collected  at  English  Lake,  June,  29,  1891.  Mr. 
Euthven  Deaaie  informs  me  that  he  spent  July  26,  1891,  making  the 
acquaintance  of  that  species  at  the  same  locality.  He  reported  seeing 
about  twenty-five  specimens,  of  which  two  persons  killed  ten.  They 
were  very  shy  and  hard  to  collect,  and  had  been  there  all  summer;  Mr. 
Deane  also  observed  them  the  latter  part  of  June,  1894.  Within  five 
days  after  receiving  Mr.  Deane's  account  of  his  first  trip,  my  friend, 
Mr.  Chas.  Dury,  of  Cincinnati,  0.,  wrote  me  that  two  of  his  friends 
had  visited  English  Lake  in  July  and  August.  They  found  Henslow's 
Sparrows  rather  common  and  breeding,  and  took  some  specimens,  in- 
cluding some  young  birds.  An  adult  taken  there  was  kindly  presented 
to  me  by  Mr.  Ealph  Kellogg,  one  of  the  collectors.  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn  in- 
forms me  Henslow^s  Sparrows  were  very  common  in  a  field  of  weeds 
near  the  southeast  comer  of  Bass  (Old  Cedar)  Lake,  Starke  County, 
Ind.,  late  in  Jialy,  1894.  They  were  apparently  breeding,  but  no  nests 
were  found;  two  males  were  taken.  One  beautiful  evening, 
about  10:30  o'clock,  a  bird  of  this  species  was  heard  singing 
near  camjj.  July  24,  1895,  the  same  gentleman,  with  Mr. 
Wallace  Craig,  found  it  abundant  in  an  extensive  field  of  tall 
weeds  near  Wilders,  Ind.  Mr.  Dunn  says  of  his  experience 
with  them  there,  in  "The  Auf  Vol.  XIL,  October,  1895:  "Hens- 
slow's  Sparrows  seem  to  be  quite  numerous  and  found  over  a  consider- 
able area  in  the  prairies.  They  sing  frequently,  and  may  be  found  in 
almost,  if  not  quite,  the  hottest  part  of  the  day.  The  song  is  very 
simple,  being  a  very  rude  attempt  at  producing  music.     It  consists, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  945 

as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  determine,  of  two  insect-like  notes;  it  may 
be  represented  by  the  syllables,  stitch,  lick,  uttered  in  quick  succes- 
sion, and  once,  when  I  had  fired  several  shots  without  hitting  any- 
thing, I  thought  the  bird  said,  "Such  luck,  such  luck/^  The  notes,  as 
has  been  said,  are  insect-like  in  character,  especially  the  first  one, 
which  is  very  lisping,  the  last  note  having  more  volume.  The  notes 
are  not  loud,  but  may  be  heard  at  some  distance,  and  are  somewhat 
ventriloquistic,  seeming  to  come  from  some  general  direction,  but  not 
from  any  definite  spot,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  locate  the  birds  easily 
by  their  notes.'^  Mr.  Nehrling,  N.  A.  Birds,  Pt.  X.,  p.  88,  gives  its 
song  as,  "Sit-sit-sit-sit-ser-it."  Lynds  Jones  says:  "The  song  is  a  few 
short  and  rapidly-uttered  notes,  something  like,  'i-tse,  tse-tsip.'^  Mr. 
L.  Whitney  Watkins,  May  12, 1894,  added  this  species  to  the  Michigan 
list,  and  May  30  found  a  nest  containing  five  eggs  in  Jackson  County, 
Mich.  June  8  the  female  was  shot  as  she  was  leaving  the  nest,  and 
identified.  The  nest  was  in  an  open  marsh,  bordering  a  lake.  It 
was  placed  in  a  tuft  of  grass  about  four  inches  above  the  wet  ground, 
and  is  neatly,  though  loosely,  constructed  of  coarse  grasses  and  sedges, 
lined  with  finer  ones.  The  eggs  average  .72  by  .59  inches,  and  are 
white,  with  small  reddish  specks  so  numerous  as  to  form  an  imperfect 
wreath  about  the  large  end.  Incubation  was  well  advanced.  The  nest 
was  hardly  different  from  one  of  a  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  found 
on  the  same  day  in  the  same  locality  (Proc,  I.  A.  S.,  1894,  p.  74). 
Mr.  James  B.  Purdy  more  recently  has  recorded  taking  a  bird  and  the 
nest  and  eggs  at  Plymouth,  Mich.,  July  27,  1893  ("The  Auk,''  Vol. 
XIY.,  1897,  p.  220). 

Mr.  Eliot  Blackwelder  noted  five  of  these  birds  in  Cook  County, 
111.,  April  16,  1896.  Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  took  a  male  in  a  cherry  orch- 
ard at  Wabash,  Ind.,  April  26,  1897.  Mr.  Eobert  Eidgway  found  it 
exceedingly  numerous  during  the  latter  part  of  October,  1882,  in  dead 
grass  in  the  damp  portions  of  meadows  in  Eichland  County,  111.  (B. 
of  111.,  I.,  p.  255).  It  therefore  arrives  from  April  16  to  May  10  and 
remains  until  late  in  October.  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  says  it  sometimes 
winters  in  southern  Illinois  (Eeport  Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p..  191). 

213.     (548).    Ammodramus  leconteii  (Aud.). 

LeConte's  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Tail  feathers,  narrow,  sharp-pointed,  the  outer  ones  much 

the  shortest,  light-brown,  shaded  with  grayish,  centers  very  dark;  bill, 

small;  culmen,  slightly  depressed  in  the  middle;  crown,  black,  feathers 

sometimes  bordered  with  brown,  divided  by  a  middle  stripe  of  whitish 

60— Geol. 


946  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

or  cream;' stripe  over  the  eye,  buff;  a  black  stripe  behind  the  eye;  nape, 
reddish-brown,  feathers  with  black  centers  and  whitish  edges;  back 
and  rest  of  upper  parts,  black,  feathers  edged  and  bordered  vnth.  dif- 
ferent shades  of  brown  and  buff  and  whitish;  ear-coverts  and  lores, 
grajdsh-white.  Below,  whitish;  breast,  throat  and  sides,  washed  with 
huffy;  sides,  streaked  with  black.  Immature. — Similar,  but  more 
buffy. 

Length,  4.40-5.50;  wing,  1.87-2.06;  tail,  1.87-2.25;  bill,  .35. 

Range. — Eastern'  portion  of  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Manitoba. 
Breeds  from  Dakota  and,  possibly,  Iowa,  north.  Migrates  south  and 
southeast.  Winters  from  Illinois,  South  Carolina  and  Texas,  south  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

See  description  of  nest  and  eggs  below. 

LeConte's  Sparrow  is  only  known  from  Indiana  as  a  rare  migrant 
in  March,  April  and  October.  March  12,  1884, 1  found  a  bird  which  I 
could  not  identify  at  close  range,  sitting  on  a  small  bush  near  the  rail- 
road track,  four  miles  northwest  of  Brookville.  Backing,  so  as  not  to 
destroy  it,  I  shot  it,  and  it  is  now  in  my  collection.  I  am  indebted 
to  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  for  the  following  note,  from  Lake  County,  Ind,: 
"While  snipe  shooting  near  Water  Valley  about  April  15,  1887,  I 
caught  sight  of  two  small,  yellowish  Sparrows  darting  out  of  the  dead' 
lopping  flags  of  the  marsh.  I  believed  them  to  be  this  speciee,  but 
could  not  secure  them  for  close  examination.  At  about  the  same 
season  in  1889,  in  the  same  vicinity  and  on  similar  ground,  I  started 
three  of  the  same  birds,  and  as  they  scurried  off  I  shot  two  of  them, 
which  proved  to  be,  indeed,  A.leconteii,  one  a  male,  the  other  a  female. 
Both  specimens  are  preserved,  and  one  is  still  in  my  possession.  The 
other  was  given  to  my  friend,  C.  H.  Holden,  of  Chicago.  When 
flushed,  the  birds  started  from  thick  cover  close  to  me,  flew  straight 
away  from  five  to  twenty  rods,  then  darted  again  into  the  dead  marsh 
grass  or  rushes,  from  which  I  could  not  start  them  a  second  time. 
The  rise  was  not  more  than  two  feet  above  the  grass,  except  in  one 
case,  that  of  one  of  the  birds  killed,  which  had  apparently  started  for 
a  long  flight  and  was  flying  about  four  feet  above  the  ground  when 
shot.    I  did  not  see  any  of  them  except  while  on  the  wing.^^ 

March  30,  1892,  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  took  a  bird  of  this  species,  which 
was  with  two  or  three  others,  possibly  of  the  same  kind,  feeding 
among  the  dead  grass  by  the  side  of  the  railroad,  near  Lebanon.  This 
specimen,  a  male,  is  now  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indianapolis.  Oc- 
tober 2,  1894,  I  saw  a  Leconte's  Sparrow  along  the  edge  of  a  clover 
patch  near  Brookville.  Besides  these  records  from  Indiana,  I  may  say- 
Mr.  Eliot  Blackwelder  noted  six  at  Morgan  Park,  111.,  April  21,  1895. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  947 

They  were  next  seen  the  following  day,  and  a  few  days  later  four 
were  taken.  The  same  authority  reports  them-April  16  and  19,  1896, 
from  the  same  vicinity.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  says  the  latter  part  of 
October,  1882,  he  found  it  numerous  in  the  meadows  of  Sugar  Creek 
Prairie,  Richland  County,  111.,  in  company  with  the  species  last  men- 
tioned (Birds  of  111.,  I.,  pp.  257,  258). . 

Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson  says  of  Leconte's  Sparrow,  in  its  sum- 
mer home  in  Manitoba:  "This  bird  frequents  the  damp  meadows, 
which  are  a  mixture  of  red  willows  and  sedgy-grass.  It  is  commonly 
found  in  the  willows  at  all  seasons,  uttering  its  peculiar  ventriloquial 
tweete,  tweete,  whence  I  knew  it  as  the  ^Willow  Tweete'  long  before 
I  ever  heard  of  Leconte  or  any  other  name  for  this  bird.  But  in  spring 
the  male  may  be  seen  perched  on  some  low  twig  in  the  meadow,  pour- 
ing out  its  little  soul  in  a  tiny,  husky  double  note,  like  ^reese-reese/ 
This  is  so  thin  and  so  weak  as  to  be  inaudible  at  thirty  yards,  yet  in 
uttering  it  he  seems  to  labor  hard,  his  beak  being  wide  open  and 
pointed  straight  up  to  the  zenith;  he  delivers  it  with  such  unction 
that  afterwards  he  seems  quite  exhausted,  and  sits  very  still  until  at 
length  the  fit  comes  on  again,  as  it  is  sure  to  do  in  about  ten  sec- 
onds. 

"On  the  26th  of  June,  1882,  I  found  the  nest  and  eggs,  which,  I 
believe,  were  previously  unknown.  The  nest  was  by  a  willow  bush  in 
a  damp  meadow;  it  was  apparently  on  the  ground,  but  really  raised 
six  inches,  being  on  a  tangle  of  grass,  etc.  It  was  composed  entirely 
of  fine  grass.  The  eggs — three  in  number — were  of  a  delicate  pink, 
with  a  few  spots  of  brownish  and  of  black  toward  the  large  end.  The 
pink  was  lost  on  blowing  them.  One  measured  .75  by  .50  inches'' 
(The  Auk,  Vol.  II.,  January,  1885,  pp.  23,  24;  see  also  Proc.  U.  S. 
Nat.  Mus.,  Vol.  XIII.,  p.  596).  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  says  it  winters 
and  possibly  breeds  in  Illinois  (Bird  Mig.  Miss.  Valley,  p.  191). 

Subgenus  Ammodramus. 

214.    (549a).    Ammodramus  caudacutus  nelsoni  Allen. 

Nelson's  Sparrow. 

Tail  feathers,  narrow  and  sharp-pointed;  outer  ones  much  the  short- 
est, umber-brown,  darkest  along  the  shafts;  bill,  not  large;  crown, 
ohve-brown,  divided  by  a  middle  stripe  of  blue-gray;  breast,  sides, 
throat,  a  stripe  over  the  eye  and  sides  of  head,  excepting  grayish  ear- 
coverts,  deep  ochraceous;  back,  brown  or  olive-brown,  feathers  mar- 
gined with  whitish;  tertials,  dusky,  bordered  with  rusty  white  or  rusty. 
Below,  belly  white;  the  ochraceous  breast,  throat  and  sides,  faintly,  or 
not  at  all,  streaked  with  dusky;  edge  of  wing,  yellow. 


948  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  4.80-5.85;  wing,  2.12-2.23;  tail,  1.90-2.25;  bill,  .53-.69. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States.  Breeds  in  interior  locally  from 
northern  Illinois  north  to  Manitoba.  Winters  from  South  Carolina 
to  Texas.  Found  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  from  Massachusetts  south 
during  migration. 

Nest  and  eggs,  unknown;  probably  similar  to  those  of  A.  caudacutus. 

Migrant  and  possibly  a  summer  resident  locally  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  State  where,  only,  it  has  been  observed  within  our  limits. 
Nelson^s  Sparrow  was  discovered  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  in  the  Calumet 
marsh,  near  Chicago,  111.,  September  17,  1874.  They  were  then 
abundant  there.  June  12,  1875,  he  found  several  of  these  birds  in  the 
dense  grass  bordering  Calumet  Lake,  where  they  were  undoubtedly 
breeding.  October  1,  next,  they  were  abundant  in  the  Calumet  marsh, 
and  November  10  following  they  were  numerous  in  the  wild  rice  bor- 
dering Grass  Lake,  Lake  County,  111.  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIII., 
1876,  p.  107). 

Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  informs  me  that  he  saw  about  a  dozen  Sharp-tail 
Finches,  A.  nelsoni,  in  the  grass  along  Berry  Lake,  Lake  County, 
Ind.,  September  25,  1875.  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton  informed  me  he  had 
taken  this  species  in  Lake  County,  Ind.  These  are  the  only  two  In- 
diana records. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  considers  it  now  very  rare  in  Cook  County, 
111.,  where  he  thinks  it  probably  breeds.  The  only  locality  where  he 
has  found  it  is  on  the  wet  prairies  bordering  the  east  shore  of  Calumet 
Lake.  There  he  collected  two  birds  September  19,  1893.  Mr.  Eliot 
Blackwelder,  however,  reports  it  from  the  vicinity  of  Morgan  Park, 
September  28,  1895,  where  he  says  it  is  not  common  and  breeds.  I 
have  a  specimen  from  Hyde  Park,  111.,  taken  September  21,  1878, 
about  which  time  Mr.  G.  F.  Clingman  took  five  specimens  in  a  week 
at  Mud  Lake. 

Mr.  Nelson  says:  "They  are  difficult  to  obtain,  as  they  take  refuge 
in  the  dense  marsh  grass  upon  the  first  alarm.  Occasionally  one 
mounts  a  tall  reed  and  utters  a  short,  unmusical  song,  slightly  re- 
sembling that  of  the  Swamp  Sparrow  (M.  palustris)"  Mr.  Nehrling 
says:  "In  northern  Illinois  and  near  Lake  Koshkonong  and  in  the 
Horicon  marshes  in  Wisconsin  this  is  an  abundant  summer  resident" 
(N.  A.  Birds,  Pt.  X.,  p.  92).  It  appears  to  be  extremely  local  in  its 
distribution  in  the  breeding  season. 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  949 

129.    Genus  CHONDESTES  Swainson. 

*215.     (552).    Chondestes  grammacus  (Say  ). 

Lark  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Crown,  chestnut,  black  towards  forehead,  divided  by  a  mid- 
dle stripe  of  whitish;  stripe  over  eye,  one  from  the  angle  of  the  mouth, 
meeting  it  behind  the  ear-coverts,  and  a  crescent  below  the  eye,  whit- 
ish; a  black  stripe  through  and  one  below  the  eye,  and  one  on  each  side 
of  the  throat;  ear-coverts,  chestnut;  remainder  of  upper  parts,  pale 
grayish-olive,  the  back  with  blackish  markings.  Below,  white;  a  small 
black  spot  in  the  middle  of  the  breast;  tail,  rounded;  outer  tail  feathers 


Head  of  Lark  Sparrow.    Natural  size. 

edged  with  white;  others,  except  the  middle  pair,  tipped  with  white, 
which  the  bird  shows  as  it  flies  with  the  tail  partly  spread.  Imma- 
ture.— More  buffy;  chest  streaked  with  dusky. 

Length,  6.50-7.25;  wing,  3.35-3.70;  tail,  2.60-3.35. 

Eange. — Interior  of  North  America,  north  to  Manitoba  and  from 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Ontario  west  to  the  plains.  Breeds  throughout  its 
range.  Accidental  on  Atlantic  Coast  north  to  Massachusetts.  Winters 
from  Texas  south. 

Nest,  of  grass,  rootlets  and  hair;  on  the  ground  or  in  low  bushes. 
EggSy  3-5;  white,  bluish  or  pinkish-white,  speckled  and  lined  chiefly 
at  the  larger  end  with  black  and  dark-brown;  .80  by  .61. 

The  Lark  Sparrow  is  a  prairie  species  that  is  year  by  year  extending 
its  way  into  the  former  forest  area.  In  1861  it  made  its  flrst  appear- 
ance in  Ohio,  and  about  the  same  time  appeared  in  Ontario.  In  1879 
it  was  common  throughout  central  Ohio,  but  both  north  and  south 
of  there  it  was  rare.  In  Indiana  it  is  most  numerous  through  the 
central  part  of  the  State.  It  was  rather  rare  until  recently  in  southern 
Indiana,  and  is  still  scarce  in  many  localities  northward.    Everywhere 


950  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

it  is  apparently  becoming  more  numerous.  They  first  appeared  in 
Franklin  County  about  1877.  They  were  rare  in  Monroe  County  in 
1886  and  'in  Carroll  County  that  year  they  were  noted  as  "until  re- 
cently very  rare"  (Evermann).  In  1871  they  were  rare  in  Lake 
County  (Aiken),  and  are  still  reported  as  rare  in  Dekalb  (Mrs.  Hine) 
and  in  Cook  County,  111.  (Tallman,  Parker). 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  State  they  may  be  found  in  pairs  or 
small  flocks  from  April  15  to  May  10,  and  in  the  northern  part  they 
are  noted  from  April  25  to  May  12.  The  following  are  the  earliest 
and  latest  dates  of  its  first  arrival  in  spring  at  the  places  mentioned: 
Spearsville,  April  11,  1897,  April  18,  1894;  Brookville,  April  18,  1885, 
May  11,  1882;  Elkhart,  April  23,  1891;  Cook  County,  111.,  May  9, 
1896,  May  12,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  26,  1897,  May  5,  1888. 
With  us,  when  they  arrive,  they  are  first  seen  upon  the  sandy 
fields  and  weedy  and  grassy  bottom  lands  along  the  rivers.  Later, 
they  frequent  open  fields  having  fence  rows  grown  up  with  bushes  or 
adjoining  sparse  woodland;  also,  the  neighborhood  of  shady  highways, 
along  which  they  spend  the  sunny  days,  and  from  which  they  enjoy 
the  pleasures  of  a  dust  bath.  They  are  readily  recognized  as  they  fly  up 
ahead  of  the  passing  traveler,  and  exhibit  their  decided  markings  and 
rounded  tail,  each  feather  so  beautifully  tipped  with  white.  I  find 
them  mating  early  in  May.  May  3,  1881,  is  the  earliest  date,  and  that 
was  the  date  of  their  first  arrival  that  year.  With  us,  the  nests  are 
placed  in  bushes,  in  a  thicket  or  along  a  fence.  It  is  also  said  to  nest 
at  the  foot  of  some  weeds  on  the  bare  ground  (Nelson),  and  in  corn- 
fields, where  the  nest  is  put  at  the  foot  of  a  cornstalk  (Kidgway).  They 
begin  nesting  in  May  and  continue  well  through  June.  Mr.  V.  H. 
Barnett  found  a  nest  at  Spearsville,  June  18,  1897.  June  10,  1897, 
I  found  young  able  to  fly  near  Brookville.  I  found  four  pairs  of  these 
birds  nesting  along  a  public  highway  near  Brookville  that  year  in  a 
distance  of  less  than  a  mile.  They  have  a  beautiful  song,  in  some 
respects  reminding  one  of  the  Indigo  Bird's  notes. 

After  the  young  are  reared,  most  of  the  birds  leave  through  July 
and  August.  Sometimes  they  collect  in  considerable  flocks.  One  that 
Mrs.  Hine  observed  near  Sedan,  August  16,  1887,  contained  about 
fifty  birds,  and  Mr.  V.  H.  Bamett  saw  one  August  4,  1897,  in  Vermil- 
lion County  containing  twelve.  Some,  however,  are  found  in  Septem- 
ber, October  and  even  November.  The  following  are  the  latest  dates 
of  its  fall  occurrence:  Pljmiouth,  Mich.,  September  15,  1894;  Sedan, 
Ind.,  September  15,  1892;  Lafayette,  October  13,  1885,  November  3, 
1894;  Greensburg,  October  29,  1894. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  951 

Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  says  in  some  parts  of  Illinois  it  is  called  the  "Potato 
Bird,"  because  of  its  eating  potato  bugs.  But  few  survive  the  paris 
green  which  they  eat  with  the  bugs.  In  May  and  June  Prof.  King 
found  those  he  examined  had  eaten  nothing  but  small  seeds  (Geol.  of 
Wis.,  I.,  p.  540). 

130.    Gkxus  ZONOTRICHIA  Swainson. 

a^.  No  yellow  anywhere;  throat  not  abrnptly  white. 

Z.  leucophrys  (Forst.).     216 
a^.  Yellow  on  head;  throat  abruptly  white.  Z.  albicoUis  (Gmel.).     217 

216.     (554)     Zonotrichia  leucophrys  (Forst.). 

White-crowned  Sparrow. 

Adult. — No  yellow  in  front  of  eye;  throat,  ashy;  edge  of  wing,  white; 
crown,  white,  bordered  by  two  black  stripes,  each  as  wide  as  the  white 
center;  a  black  stripe  behind  each  eye  almost  meeting  on  back  of  head; 
white  stripe  from  over  eye  to  back  of  crown;  nape  and  sides  of  head, 
gray;  tack,  light  ash-gray,  streaked  with  chestnut-brown;  rump, 
brownish;  wing-coverts,  edged  with  chestnut  and  tipped  with  white, 
forming  two  white  bars;  tail,  fuscous.  Below,  grayish,  white  on  belly; 
sides  and  lower  tail-coverts,  buffy.  Immature. — Black  stripes  on  the 
Grown,  brownish;  white  stripe,  brownish-yellow  or  ashy. 
,  Length,  6.50-7.50;  wing,  3.00-3.30;  tail,  2.80-3.20. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Mexico  north  at  least  to  Hudson 
Bay  and  Greenland.  Breeds  from  Labrador,  Vermont  and  Wisconsin 
to  Rocky  Mountains  and  northward;  also,  south  in  the  higher  moun- 
tain ranges  of  the  western  United  States  to  Colorado  and  California. 
Winters  from  southern  Indiana  and  southern  Illinois  south. 

Nest,  bulky;  of  grass  or  straw;  on  ground  or  in  bushes  or  briers. 
Eggs,  4-5;  light  green  or  greenish-blue,  tolerably  uniformly  speckled 
with  small  blotches  of  reddish  and  golden-brown;  more  prominent  at 
the  larger  end;  .88  by  .62. 

Common  migrant;  occasional  winter  resident  southward.  Very 
noticeable  late  in  April  and  early  in  May.  I  always  associate  this 
beautiful  bird  with  the  fragrance  of  apple  blossoms,  for  they  come  to- 
gether. At  the  time  of  the  spring  migration  they  are  usually  found 
singly  in  gardens,  orchards  and  occasionally  in  the  more  open  woods. 
Then  its  characteristic  song  declares  its  presence.  This  song,  Mr. 
NehTling  says,  sounds  like,  pee-des-de-de-de.  The  first  two  notes  are 
long  drawn  and  rising,  the  rest  hurried  and  lowering,  the  whole  sound- 
ing like  a  mellow  whistle,  being  easily  imitated.  It  is  easily  distin- 
guished from  that  of  the  White-throated  Sparrow.    The  White-crown 


952  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

arrives  later  in  spring  than  the  White-throat,  yet  the  former  sometimes 
winters  in  southern  Indiana,  while  the  latter,  so  far  as  I  know,  has 
not  been  noted.  The  White-throat  thus  passes  it  in  migration.  In 
winter  the  present  species  frequents  swampy  woods  and  thickets.  Some 
remained  in  Knox  County  the  winter  of  1888-9  (Balmer),  and  the  win- 
ter of  1896-7  (Chansler).  Mr.  Robert  Eidgway  reports  them  often 
wintering  abundantly  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  and  Mr.  Charles  Dury  found 
them  at  Cincinnati,  Christmas  week,  about  1877  (Langdon).     Some 


Head  of  White-ciowued  Sparrow.     Natural  size. 

winters  all  go  farther  south  toward  the  Gulf  coast,  where  they  abound 
throughout  the  colder  months,  ranging  into  Mexico  and,  perhaps,  to 
the  Valley  of  Mexico  (Sumichrast  La  Naturaleza,  Tomo,  V.,  p.  245). 
They  are  occasionally  seen  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  in 
'March,  possibly  only  when  they  remain  in  the  neighborhood  over 
winter.  The  following  indicate  the  earliest  and  latest  date  of  first  ar- 
rival and  the  earliest  and  latest  date  at  which  last  seen  in  the  spring: 
Brookville,  first  seen  April  13,  1882,  May  6,  1897;  departed  May  3, 
1882,  May  27,  1892;  Bicknell,  first,  April  14,  1896,  April  28,  1895; 
departed.  May  18,  1895;  Lafayette,  first,  April  24,  1897,  May  2,  1896; 
departed,  May  13,  1897;  Sedan,  first,  April  30,  1896,  May  4,  1894; 
departed.  May  8,  1895,  May  10,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  first,  April  21, 
1885,  May  9,  1896;  departed.  May  17,  1897,  May  20,  1896;  Peters- 
burg, Mich.,  first.  May  5,  1889,  May  9,  1888;  departed.  May  11,  1889, 
May  20,  1888.  In  1896  it  remained  at  North  Manchester  until  June 
6  (Bell),  and  Ulrey  and  Wallace  report  it  from  Wabash  County  as  late 
as  June  10.  In  the  fall  they  reach  the  upper  part  of  the  State  late 
in  September  and  early  in  October.  Some  years  they  pass  through 
rapidly,  others  they  straggle  slowly  along,  remaining  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Ohio  River  into  November  and  even  all  winter.  The  following 
dates  as  to  fall  migration  are  given:  Sandusky,  0.,  arrived  October 
11,  1896;  departed  October  19,  1896;  Bicknell,  Ind.,  arrived  Septem- 
ber 29,  1894,  and  1895;  departed  November  5,  1895;  Lafayette,  last 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  953 

seen  October  14,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  October  3,  1895,  October  9,  1896; 
Brookville,  Ind.,  October  13,  1879,  October  16,  1886.  In  fall  they 
have  lost  their  song  and  frequent  the  edges  of  woods  and  fields,  brier 
patches,  thickets  and  clumps  of  weeds.  They  are  then  busy  eating 
weed  seeds,  of  which  they  destroy  great  quantities.  They  migrate 
chiefly  through  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  thence  many  turn  off 
northeast  to  Labrador  and  Newfoundland  where  they  breed  abundantly. 
Their  scarcity  and  irregularity  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  has  been 
noted.  Its  summer  range  is  a  little  north  of  that  of  the  next  species, 
consequently  they  in  migrating  pass  them.  It  has  been  found  breed- 
ing at  Eutland,  Vt.,  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Oconto  County,  Wis. 
Mr.  Nehrling  says:  "In  northern  Wisconsin,  and  especially  in  north- 
ern Michigan — in  the  Lake  Superior  region — this  Sparrow  is  a  rather 
common  summer  bird."  Mr.  0.  B.  Warren,  however,  has  never  found 
them  breeding  at  Palmer,  Mich.  Its  food  is  principally  weed  seeds 
and  insects,  though  Audubon  adds  small  mollusks  to  its  bill  of  fare. 
I  suspect  from  its  habits  about  our  gardens  and  orchards  that  it  will 
be  found  to  destroy  many  injurious  insects  that  frequent  such  places. 


217.     (558).    Zonotrichia  albicollis  (Gmel.). 

WMte-throated  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Edge  of  wing  and  spot  in  front  of  eye  (sometimes  extend-- 
ing  to  above  eye),  yellow;  throat,  abruptly  white;  two  broad  stripes 
on  the  crown  and  a  narrow  one  behind  the  eye,  black;  a  white  stripe 
in  middle  of  crown,  and  one  over  ear-coverts,  sometimes  extending 
over  eye;  ear-coverts  and  jugulum,,  deep  ash;  back,  rusty  brown 
streaked  with  black.  Immature,  First  Winter. — Similar  to  adult,  but 
head  stripes  rusty  dusky-bro^n  and  pale  rusty-buff;  the  yellow  in  front 
of  eye  and  white  throat-patch,  less  distinct.  First  Plumage. — Crown, 
uniform  snuff -brown,  with  a  narrow  whitish  middle  stripe;  stripe  over 
the  eye,  dirty- whitish,  with  no  yellow  in  front  of  eye;  jugulum, 
streaked  with  dusky;  throat,  not  abruptly  white. 

Length,  6.30-7.65;  wing,  2.80-3.15;  tail,  3.05-3.35. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  Montana,  north  to  Labra- 
dor and  the»fur  countries.  Breeds  from  Montana,  northern  Michigan, 
Ontario  and  Massachusetts  north.  Winters  from  Massachusetts  and 
southern  New  York  south  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  and  in  the  lower 
Mississippi  Valley,  north  to  Missouri  and  Illinois.  Accidental  in 
Utah,  California  and  Oregon. 


954  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  on  ground,  at  base  of  small  bush  or  clump  of  weeds;  of  dry 
weed  stalks,  bark,  grass,  rootlets  and  hair.  Eggs,  4  to  5;  light  blue  or 
bluish-white,  dotted  more  or  less  with  light  and  dark-brown;  .84  by 
.62.    Usually  two  broods. 

The  White-throated  Sparrow  precedes  the  last  mentioned  species 
in  both  spring  and  fall  migrations.  While  it  remains  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State  late  in  the  fall,  I  have  no  account  of  its  wintering 
within  our  limits,  though  it  may  do  so.  Some  winters  it  remains  in 
the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis  (Cooke),  and  in  Illinois  as  far  north  as  Wa- 
bash, Lawrence  and  Richland  (Ridgway). 


Head  of  White-throated  Sparrow.    Natural  size. 

We  know  it  in  Indiana  as  a  very  abundant  migrant,  generally  in 
flocks,  in  March,  April  and  early  May,  and  from  September  to  No- 
vember. It  varies  in  the  date  of  its  arrival  in  the  same  locality,  both 
in  spring  and  fall  as  much  as  a  month.  The  earliest  and  latest  dates 
of  its  first  arrival  and  Of  its  departure  in  spring  at  several  localities  are 
given:  Bicknell,  arrived  March  11,  1894,  March  24,  1895;  departed 
May  1,  1895,  May  16,  1897;  Brookville,  arrived  March  13,  1884,  April 
25,1881;  departed  May  1, 1889,  May  8,  1886;  Lafayette,  arrived  March 
6,  1894,  April  13,  1895;  Laporte,  arrived  March  7,  1894,  April  12, 
1896;  departed  May  1,  1896;  Sedan,  arrived  April  13,  1894,  April- 27, 
1893;  departed  May  4,  1889,  May  10,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  arrived  April 
12,  1884,  April  16,  1896;  departed  May  6,  1896,  May  15,  1886;  Peters- 
burg, Mich.,  arrived  April  24,  1889,  May  5,  1888;  departed  May  5, 
1889,  May  20,  1888.  They  are  to  be  found  among  thickets,  brier 
patches  and  brush  piles,  either  in  the  open  or  among  the  densest 
woods.  From  among  the  thickets  and  through  the  long  forest  aisles 
their  peculiar  song  comes  to  one's  ear  at  the  time  of  their  vjemal  visits. 
In  March,  when  they  are  present,  their  songs  are  seldom  heard,  but  in 
April,  particularly  toward  the  latter  part,  and  in  early  May,  one  who 
visits  their  haunts  is  greeted  with  both  solos  and  choruses  as  the  waves 
of  inspiration  come  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  brush-piles  with  the 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  955 

intermittent  warm  southern  breezes.  The  song  is  commonly  inter- 
preted, pe-pe-pe-hody,  pe-lody,  and  from  it  the  singer  has  been  named 
the  "Peabody  Bird.''  Both  this  species  and  that  last  described  are 
scratchers,  moving  both  feet  together  in  turning  over  the  leaves.  They 
are  very  persistent  in  this  work,  and  "all  is  grist  that  comes  to  their 
mill."    Be  it  seeds  or  insects,  they  serve  as  food. 

A  White-throated  Sparrow  was  taken  at  Berry  Lake,  Lake  County, 
Ind.,  July  23,  1887,  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Colby  (Coale).  While  they  may 
rarely  breed  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  I  do  not  know  that 
they  do.  In  Michigan  they  breed  abundantly  northward,  and  have 
been  found  breeding  as  far  south  as  Grand  Rapids  (Cook,  Birds  of 
Mich.,  p.  114).  They  also  breed  abundantly  in  northern  Wisconsin. 
They  remain  with  us  in  spring  as  late  as  they  can.  Often  they  are 
seen  mating,  and  some  years,  when  they  lingered  long,  they  have 
been  observed  carrying  sticks,  as  though  they  had  thought  to  begin 
nest-building.  Some  year,  when  they  remain  late,  I  shall  not  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  the  imperative  demands  of  nature  have  impelled 
some  of  them  to  make  their  summer  homes  with  us  and  build  their 
nests.  In  fall,  some  years,  they  cross  the  northern  line  of  this  State 
near  the  middle  of  September,  and  linger  in  their  journey  south- 
ward, feasting  upon  seeds,  wild  fruits  and  insects  for  a  month  or 
more.  At  that  season  of  the  year,  the  present  species  and  the  last 
are  often  associated  with  a  number  of  other  birds  in  a  mixed  com- 
pany, frequenting  thickets  and  weed  patches.  The  following  gives, 
earliest  and  latest  fall  dates  of  arrival  and  departure  at  the  places 
noted:  Chicago,  111.,  arrived  September  16,  1896,  September  20, 
1894,  departed  October  24,  1896;  Sedan,  Ind.,  arrived  September  25, 
1894,  departed  October  17,  1889,  November  4,  1894;  Lafayette,  ar- 
rived.  September  26,  1896,  October  2,  1894,  departed  October  17, 
1894,  October  26,  1895;  Greensburg,  arrived  October  3,  1896,  October 
19,  1894,  departed  October  28,  1894,  November  17,  1896;  Brook- 
ville,  arrived  October  5,  1887,  departed  October  20,  1883;  Bicknell, 
arrived  September  29,  1894,  1895,  September  30,  1896,  departed, 
October  17,  1894,  November  26,  1896.  They  winter  abundantly  in 
the  Gulf  States.  Mr.  H.  Nehrling  sa3^s:  "In  southern  Louisiana  a 
shameless  slaughter  of  our  small  song  birds  is  going  on  throughout 
every  winter.  In  the  French  Market  of  New  Orleans  we  notice  dead 
Juncos,  Towhees,  White-throated  and  White-crowned  Sparrows, 
Thrashers,  Thrushes,  Eobins,  Warblers,  etc.,  by  the  thousand.  We 
learn  from  Audubon  that  even  in  his  time  these  birds  were  slaugh- 
tered in  innumerable  numbers  in  Louisiana.  In  Texas  they  are  not 
much  molested,  except  by  negroes"  (Birds  of  N.  A.,  Pt.  XL,  pp.  117, 


956  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

118).  Prof.  F.  H.  King  examined  16  White-throated  Sparrows,  and 
found  they  had  eaten  4  caterpillars,  4  beetles,  1  grasshopper,  and  1 
caddis  fly;  13  of  them  had  eaten  some  seeds;  1  had  eaten  raspberries. 
Until  after  July  their  food  is  largely  insects  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  540). 


131.    Gknus  SPIZELLA  Bonaparte. 

a^.  Crown  rufous  in  adults. 

6^.  Upper  mandible  black,  lower  yellow;  dusky  spot  on  breast. 

S.  monticola  (Gmel.).     218 
6^.  Bill  wholly  black  or  reddish  brown. 

c^  Bill  wholly  light  reddish  brown.  S.  pusilla  (Wils.).     221 

c^.  Bill  wholly  black  in  adults ;  dull  reddish  brown,  lighter  below  in  young. 

S.  socialis  (Wils.).     219 
a^.  Crown  grayish  brown,  streaked  with  black.  S.  pallida  (Swains.).     220 

218.    (559).    Spizella  monticola  (Gmkl). 

Tree  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Bill,  upper  mandible,  black,  lower,  yellow;  a  black  or 
dusky  spot  on  the  middle  of  the  breast;  crown,  rufous,  feathers  some- 
times bordered  with  gray;  grayish-white  stripe  over  the  eye;  rufous 
stripe  behind  the  eye;  greater  and  middle  wing  coverts  edged  with 
rufous  and  tipped  with  white,  forming  two  conspicuous  bars;  sec- 
ondaries more  or  less  edged  with  rufous  and  white;  back,  brownish, 
streaked  with  black  and  buffy;  rump,  brownish-ashy;  sides  of  head 
and  neck,  ash-gray,  lighter  on  the  throat;  rest  of  under  parts,  whitish, 
washed  with  pale  brownish.  Immature. — Similar,  but  more  or  less 
distinctly  streaked  below. 

Length,  6.00-6.50;  wing,  3.80-3.10;  tail,  2.60-3.90. 

Eange. — North  America  east  of  Plains,  from  South  Carolina,  Ken- 
tucky and  Indian  Territory,  north  to  Arctic  Ocean.  Breeds  from 
northern  Maine  to  Labrador  and  north.  Winters  from  North  Da- 
kota, northern  Michigan,  Ontario  and  New  England,  south. 

Nest,  on  ground,  or  low  in  trees;  of  grass,  rootlets  and  hair.  Eggs, 
4-5;  pale  green,  speckled,  blotched  and  scratched  with  various  shades 
of  brown;  .74  by  .57. 

Soon  after  the  Junco,  or  common  Snowbird,  appears  in  the  fall, 
these  little  winter  Sparrows  appear.  They  frequent  thickets,  weedy 
places  and  spots  where  grasses  and  sedges  have  borne  seed.  There, 
sometimes  alone,  sometimes  with  the  Juncos,  they  may  be  found, 
busily  engaged  seed  eating.  They  generally  appear  in  October  in 
northern  Indiana,   but   sometimes   are   not   noted   until   November. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  957 

That  month  they  spread  over  the  State.  From  then  they  are  com- 
mon until  they  leave  in  the  early  spring.  In  that  migration  they 
precede  the  Juncos,  sometimes  leaving  the  southern  part  of  the  State 
early  in  March,  and  most  always  disappearing  from  our  limits  before 
the  middle  of  April.  I  have  known  them  to  arrive  at  Brookville 
in  the  fall  as  early  as  October  10,  but  usually  they  are  much  later. 
The  following  are  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrival:  Chicago, 
111.,  October  5,  1895,  October  20,  1894;  Sedan,  Ind.,  October  20  one 
year,  November  4,  1894;  Greensburg,  November  26,  1896;  Bicknell, 
November  1,  1895,  November  8,  1896;  Lafayette,  November  3,  1894, 
November  12,  1895.  In  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  State, 
in  severe  winters,  at  least,  most  of  them  move  farther  south,  but 
some  remain,  and  it  is  truly  a  winter  resident  throughout  the  State. 
They  utter  a  chip  when  they  come  to  us  in  the  fall,  and  when  many 
are  busily  feeding  together,  all  chipping  at  once,  the  result  is  a  low 
twittering  that  plainly  tells  to  the  watcher  along  its  border  of  the 
lively  birds  hidden  within  the  weed  patch.  In  winter,  when  the 
ground  is  covered  with  snow,  they  often  come  in  companies  about 
barn  yards,  poultry  yards,  and  even  into  door  yards.  Toward  the  end 
of  their  stay^  they  begin  to  sing,  often  ascending  a  high  bush,  or 
even  a  tree,  from  which  a  fine  musical  selection  is  rendered.  With 
this  period  of  song,  they  begin  to  gather  into  large  flocks,  which  give 
forth  a  full  chorus  some  warm  April  morning.  I  have  known  them 
to  begin  singing  March  3  (1893),  and  to  be  in  large  flocks  in  full  song 
March  31  (1896). 

Examinations  made  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture show  that  in  winter  it  feeds  entirely  upon  the  seeds  of  weeds, 
and  probably  each  bird  consumes  about  one-fourth  of  an  ounce  a 
day.  Upon  this  basis,  counting  ten  Tree  Sparrows  to  an  acre,  it  has 
been  estimated  they  destroy  during  a  season's  stay  in  the  State  of 
Iowa  alone,  1,750,000  pounds,  which  equal  875  tons  of  weed  seed 
(Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  54,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  p.  28). 

The  following  indicate  the  earliest  and  latest  dates  at  which  the 
last  birds  were  noted  in  spring  at  the  places  named:  Brookville, 
March  3,  1893,  April  11,  1881;  Greensburg,  February  22,  1895;  Bick- 
nell, March  10,  1895,  April  8,  1896;  Lafayette,  March  8,  1894,  March 
28,  1896;  Sedan,  April  4,  1895,  April  17,  1893;  Chicago,  111.,  March 
22,  1886. 


958  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

*219.     (560).    Spizella  socialis  (Wils). 

Chipping  Sparrow- 
Synonyms,  Chippy,  Chip  Bird,  Hair  Bird. 

Adult. — Bill,  black;  crown,  bright  rufous;  forehead,  black,  divided 
by  a  short  grayish  streak;  stripe  over  eye,  whitish;  streak  through 
and  behind  eye,  black;  back,  brownish,  streaked  with  black;  ear 
coverts  and  sides  of  neck,  ash-gray;  rump,  grayish-blue;  wings  with 
two  light  cross  bars.  Below,  whitish,  unspotted,  washed  with  ashy 
on  sides  and  across  breast;  wings  and  tail,  edged  with  lighter,  not 
white.  Immature. — Bill,  dull  reddish-brown;  crown,  colored  like  the 
back;  breast  and  sides  with  dusky  streaks;  otherwise  similar.  The 
grayish-blue  rump  and  more  dusky  upper  mandible  serve  to  dis- 
tinguish this  bird. 

Length,  5.00-5.85;  wing,  2.55-2.90;  tail,  2.20-2.60. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Mexico  north  to  Newfoundland  and 
Great  Slave  Lake.  Breeds  from  Gulf  States,  north.  Winters  from 
Indian  Territory,  south. 

Nest,  of  rootlets  and  fine  grass,  lined  with  horsehair;  in  bush,  vine 
or  tree,  generally  under  ten  feet  up.  Eggs,  3-4;  pale  bluish-green, 
dotted,  speckled  oy  scrawled  with  dark  brown;  .69  by  .50. 

The  Chipping  Sparrow  is  familiarly  known  as  the  "Chippy,"  or 
"Chip  Bird."  It  comes  about  our  doors,  upon  our  porches,  and  even, 
at  times,  into  our  houses,  picking  up  crumbs  that  have  fallen.  Where 
cats  and  other  enemies  do  not  persecute  them,  they  are  very  familiar, 
building  their  nests  in  the  shrubbery,  vines  and  smaller  evergreens. 
From  its  habit  of  using  horsehair,  preferably  black,  in  its  nest,  it  is 
sometimes  called  "Hair  Bird."  While  sometimes  they  are  with  us, 
in  southern  Indiana,  from  earh^  March  until  past  the  middle  of 
November,  rarely  into  December,  I  have  no  knowledge  of  their  re- 
maining over  winter.  The  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  its  spring 
appearance  and  fall  departure  in  the  localities  noted  are:  Bicknell, 
March  9,  1897,  March  23,  1895,  departed  October  27,  1895,  November 
19,  1896;  Greensburg,  March  1,  1895,  April  5,  1894,  departed  October 
17,  1896,  December  15,  1894;  Brookville,  March  10,  1888,  April  8, 
1881,  departed  October  24,  1886;  Lafayette,  March  19,  1894,  April 
1,  1895,  departed  November  3,  1894;  Sedan,  March  30,  1897,  April 
8,  1895,  departed  October  31,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  3,  1888, 
April  8,  1897;  Chicago,  111.,  April  1,  1894,  April  14,  1897,  departed 
October  3,  1895. 

In  the  spring  the  first  to.  arrive  are  single  birds,  and  these  are  suc- 
ceeded in  a  few  days,  or,  if  very  early,  in  a  week  or  two,  by  flocks 
of  their  fellows,  which  may  be  seen  trooping  through  the  orchards 


Birds  of  Indiana.  959 

and  fields.  Usually  the  last  to  arrive  are  the  ones  that  breed  with 
us.  They  at  once  make  themselves  at  home  upon  our  lawns,  and 
announce  their  arrival  by  the  same  old  song  we  heard  last  year. 
When  the  migrants  arrive  very  early  in  the  Whitewater  Valley,  they 
do  not  at  once  begin  singing.  They  usually  begin  mating  the  first 
ten  days  of  April.  The  earliest  date  I  have  is  March  27,  1882.  I 
found  them  building  at  Brookville,  April  15,  1889.  April  29,  1896, 
Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  noted  a  nest,  with  four  fresh  eggs,  at  Greens- 
burg.  He  found  a  nest,  with  young  recently  hatched,  May  9,  1896, 
and  I  found  one  with  young  of  the  same  age.  May  9,  1887.  Through 
May  and  June  their  nests  may  be  commonly  found.  Sometimes  they 
rear  a  second  brood.  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  notes  a  nest  with  eggs  taken 
in  Michigan,  August  4,  1893  (Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  114).  Its  common 
note  is  a  sharp  tchip,  and  its  song  a  rapid  repetition  of  tchips,  by 
which  it  may  readily  be  distinguished.  No  other  bird  that  frequents 
similar  situations  has  a  song  anything  like  it.  The  songs  dwindle  in 
July  and  are  seldom  heard  the  latter  part  of  that  month,  and  rarely 
until  near  the  middle  of  August.  In  1897  I  heard  one  singing,  July  24, 
and  after  that  noted  but  two  more  songs,  one  August  12,  and  another 
August  14.  Mr.  Bicknell  (The  Auk,  Vol.  II.,  April,  1885,  p.  145) 
speaks  of  a  later  song  period,  the  latter  part  of  September  and  early 
in  October.     I  have  never  noticed  it. 

Prof.  F.  E.  L.  Beal  has  shown  that  about  one-third  of  the  food 
of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  Field  Sparrow  and  Song  Sparrow  consists 
of  insects,  comprising  many  injurious  beetles,  such  as  snout  beetles, 
or  weevils,  and  leaf  beetles,  many  grasshoppers,  which  form  one- 
eighth  of  the  food  of  the  present  species;  many  wasps  and  bugs.  On 
the  whole,  their  insect  food  is  mainly  injurious  species.  They  are, 
therefore,  beneficial  as  insect  eaters,  as  well  as  destroyers  of  grass  and 
weed  seed  (Farmers'  Bull.  No.  54,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  pp.  26,  27). 

In  September,  they  begin  to  collect  in  flocks  and  frequent  weedy 
places,  where  they  are  found  in  company  with  other  birds,  principally 
•Field  Sparrows. 

220.     (561).    Spizella  pallida  (Swains.). 

Clay-colored  Sparrow. 
Synonyms,  Shattuck,  Ashy-nape. 

Adult. — Bill,  reddish,  dusky  towards  tip;  crown,  grayish-brown, 
streaked  with  black,  divided  by  a  distinct  stripe  of  pale  ashy;  stripe 
over  eye,  white;  ear  coverts,  light  brownish,  edged  with  dusky;  nape, 
ashy;  back,  brownish,  not  so  rufous  as  S.  socialis;  striped  with  black; 


960  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

rump,  grayish-brown.  Below,  white,  the  breast  and  sides  tinged  with 
grayish-brown;  an  indistinct  brownish  stripe  on  each  side  of  throat. 
Immature. — More  rusty  above;  streaked  with  dusky  below. 

Length,  5.00-5.75;  wing,  2.20-2.50;  tail,  2.30-2.60. 

Remarks. — This  Sparrow  is  smaller  than  S.  socialis,  and  has  not 
the  bluish  rump. 

Eange. — Interior  of  North  America,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan, 
and  from  the  base  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  east  to  Indiana  and  Mich- 
igan. Breeds  from  northern  Nebraska  and  northern  Illinois,  north. 
Winters  from  central  Texas  west  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  south  to 
Oaxaca. 

Nest,  of  grass,  lined  with  hair;  in  bush,  or  on  ground.  Eggs,  3-5; 
similar  to  those  of  8.  socialis. 

Bare  migrant;  possibly  locally  rare  summer  resident.  Prof,  W.  S. 
Blatchley  shot  a  bird  of  this  species  from  a  flock  of  Sparrows  near 
Terre  Haute,  September  27,  1890.  This  is  the  only  record  of  its 
occurrence  in  this  State.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  notes  that  specimens 
have  been  taken  near  Chicago,  and  that  'it  is  a  rare  summer  resident 
about  the  borders  of  prairies  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIII.,  Dec, 
1876,  p.  108).  Prof.  A.  J.  Cook  (Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  114)  notes  its 
occurrence  in  Michigan,  notably  in  "Covert's  Birds  of  Washtenaw 
County,"  and  Mr.-  L.  Whitney  Watkins  took  several  specimens  from 
about  forty  seen  at  Manchester,  Mich.,  September  3,  1894.  It  has 
not  yet  been  reported  from  Ohio.  This  is  one  of  the  birds  of  the 
interior  plains  of  America,  extending  eastward  to  the  old  prairie  lim- 
its. Mr.  E.  E.  Thompson  says  it  has  a  singular  lisping  song,  which  he 
describes  as  follows:  "The  bird  mounts  some  perch,  and,  with  head 
thrown  back  and  with  gaping  beak,  utters  a  sound  like  a  fly  in  a 
newspaper — 'scree-scree-scree' — sometimes  giving  but  one  note,  and 
at  other  times,  in  the  height  of  the  season  especially,  repeating  the 
dulcet  note  five  or  six  times"  (Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  A^ol.  XIIL,  pp. 
601,  602). 

"This  species  is  readily  distinguishable  from  the  other  American 
Spizellas,  except  8.  hreweri,  in  the  dark  streaks  and  medium  ashy 
stripe  on  the  crown,  the  paler  tints,  the  dark  line  on  the  side  of  the 
chin,  etc.".(B.  B.  and  K.,  History  N.  A.  Birds). 

Prof.  E.  H.  King  examined  the  stomachs  of  13  and  found  they 
contained  6  beetles,  12  hemiptera,  principally  plant  lice;  1  grasshop- 
per, 1  larva,  and  other  insects;  7  had  eaten  small  seeds  (Geol.  of  Wis., 
L,  p.  540). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  961 


*221.     (463).    Spizella  pusiUa  (Wils). 

Field  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Bill,  light  reddish-brown;  crown,  rufous,  faintly  marked 
with  grayish;  line  over  the  eye,  nape  and  sides  of  head,  grayish, 
the  latter  tinged  with  ashy;  faint  rufous  streak  behind  the  eye;  back, 
rufous,  feathers  with  black  centers  and  ashy  edgings;  wings  crossed 
by  two  whitish  bars;  rump,  brownish-ashy.  Below,  white,  unmarked, 
but  washed  with  pale  brown-  on  breast  and  sides.  Young. — First 
plumage  streaked  below. 

Length,  5.10-6.00;  wing,  2.45-3.70;  tail,  2.50-2.80. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Gulf  States  and  Texas, 
north  to  Manitoba  and  Quebec.  Breeds  from  South  Carolina  and 
Kentucky,  north.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois,  southern  Indiana 
and  Virginia,  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground  or  in  low  bush;  of  rootlets  and  grass,  and  lined 
with  hair  or  fine  grass.  Sggs,  3-5;  greenish-white,  variously  marked 
with  rufous;  .68  by  .51. 

The  Field  Sparrow  is  much  more  numerous  than  the  Chipping 
Sparrow,  but  is  not  such  a  social  bird.  It  is  not  found  about  our 
homes  as  closely  as  the  "Chippy,"  but  keeps  a  little  farther  away.  In 
the  back  orchard,  in  old  fields  and  pastures,  especially  if  more  or 
less  overgrown  by  bushes,  it  makes  its  home. 

Occasionally,  at  least,  it  winters  in  the  Wabash  Valley,  from  Knox 
County,  southward.  Prof.  J.  A.  Balmer  reported  it  wintering  at  Vin- 
cennes  the  winter  of  1887-8.  Elsewhere  it  is  a  common  summer 
resident,  arriving,  some  years,  very  early  and  remaining  quite  late. 
The  earliest  and  latest  date  at  which  it  has  been  first  seen  at  the 
following  places  is  given:  Brookville,  February  25,  1892,  April  12, 
1894;  Spearsville,  March  9,  1897;  Lafayette,  March  28,  1897,  April 
10,  1895;  Sedan,  March  30,  1897,  April  6,  1894;  Laporte,  April  12, 
1896,  April  13,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  April  3,  1886,  April  17,  1897; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  5,  1893,  April  26,  1897. 

Late  in  March  it  adds  to  soft  pastures  and  greening  grass  the 
charm  of  a  delightful  song.  Its  voice  is  clear  and  its  song  distinct 
and  far  reaching,  as  well  as  sweet  and  plaintive.  There  is  no  bird  in 
the  old  pastures  that  can  equal.it,  as  from  fenoe  or  bush  or  old  weed 
stalk  it  carols  to  the  wind  a  song  that  is  borne  to  a  surprisingly  long 
distance.  I  have  been  upon  a  hill  over  a  hundred  feet  above  a  Field 
Sparrow  that  was  singing  five  hundred  feet  away,  and  the  wind, 
coming  my  way,  brought   to   me    distinctly,  but   faintly,    its   April 

61— Geol. 


962 


Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


song.  Its  song  comes  with  the  blooming  of  the  violet,  innocence  and 
the  Virginia  cowslip.  John  Burroughs  says:  "Its  song  is  like  the 
words,  fe-o,  fe-o,  fc-o,  few,  few,  few,  fee,  fee,  fee,  uttered  at  first 
high  and  leisurely,  but  running  very  rapidly  toward  the  close,  which 
is  low  and  soft/'  The  song  continues  practically  through  the  sum- 
mer. Some  singers  drop  out,  but  many  are  still  singing  the  first  of 
August,  and  not  a  few  a  week  or  two  later.     August  10,  1897,  I 


Field  Sparrow. 
(BeaL— Farmers'  Bulletin,  54.    United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  p.  27.) 

heard  several  singing  as  well  as  they  did  in  April.  September  14,  I 
found  one  trying  his  best  to  sound  the  notes,  but  his  effort  was  very 
imperfect. 

I  have  observed  them  mating  as  early  as  March  20  (1897).  They 
are  usually  found  nesting  in  May,  June  and  sometimes  July.  Earliest 
nests  noted  at  Brookville,  May  7,  1883,  May  11,  1881.  Two  or  three 
broods  are  reared.  August  28,  1896,  I  found  a  nest  and  eggs  near 
Brookville.  I  have  referred- to  their  food  habits  under  the  last  spe- 
cies. Prof.  F.  H.  King,  in  addition,  notes  that  7  he  examined  at€ 
a  caterpillar,  2  grasshoppers,  a  heteropterous  insect,  a  harvestman,  a 
spider;  4  had  eaten  small  weed  seeds  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  539). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  963 

In  September  they  begin  to  collect  into  flocks,  and  are  found  in 
great  numbers  among  the  weeds  and  brier  patches.  The  latter  part 
of  that  month  they  mostly  leave  northern  Indiana,  and  .through  Octo- 
ber all  disappear  from  our  northern  counties,  and  most  of  those  frt>m 
farther  south.  There,  however,  some  remain  well  into  November, 
even  when  they  do  not  winter.  The  latest  fall  records  I  have  are 
Chicago,  111.,  September  30,  1895;  Lafayette,  Ind.,  October  13,  1896; 
Brookville,  November  11,  1886. 


132.    Gbnus  JUNCO  Wagler. 

o^- Sides  grayish.  J.  hy emails  (Linn.).     222 

a^.  Sides  brownish.  J.  hyemalis  shufeldti  Coale.     223 

222.     (567).    Junco  hyemalis  (Linn.). 

Slate-colored  Junco. 

Adult  Male. — Upper  parts,  throat  and  breast,  blackish  or  slate- 
gray;  in  winter  washed  with  brownish  above;  belly,  abruptly  white; 
two  outer  tail  feathers  and  part  of  third,  on  each  side,  white;  bill, 
flesh  color.  Adult  Female. — ^Similar,  but  upper  parts  browner  and 
throat  and  breast  paler.  Young. — First  plumage,  streaked  above  and 
below  with  black. 

Length,  6.00-7.00;  wing,  3.15-3.65;  tail,  3.00-3.29. 

Eange. — North  America,  mostly  east  of  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
breeding  on  the  higher  Alleghany  Mountains  from  Virginia,  from  the 
mountains  of  southern  New  England  and  northern  Minnesota  to 
Alaska.  In  winter,  south  over  the  eastern  United  States  to  Gulf 
States.     Straggling  westward  to  Arizona  and  California. 

Nest,  on  or  near  the  ground;  of  grass,  moss  and  rootlets,  lined  with 
finer  material.  Eggs,  3-5;  whitish,  speckled  with  reddish-brown;  .76  by 
.58. 

The  Slate-colored  Junco  over  most  of  Indiana  is  known  as  the 
Snowbird.  In  some  localities,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Snowflake, 
or  Snow  Bunting,  which  is  termed  "White  Snowbird,^'  it  is  called 
Black  Snowbird. 

From  the  middle  to  the  last  of  September  they  begin  to  appear 
in  northern  Indiana,  arriving  first  about  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan. In  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  a  few  are  seen  from  the 
1st  to  the  20th  of  October.  Their  presence  is  usually  announced  by 
a  sharp  tchip,  followed  by  a  rapid  chipping  as  it  flies.  Then  the 
dark,    slate  colored    body    and  the  conspicuous    white    feathers    on 


964  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

either  side  of  the  tail  render  identification  easy.  From  the  extreme 
northwestern  part  of  the  State  the  greater  part  of  the  Juncos  dis- 
appear with  the  coming  of  severe  weather,  and  return  from  the  south 
in  February  or  March.  They  frequent  all  kinds  of  places.  When 
they  first  come,  thickets  and  fence  rows  are  preferred.  But  while 
they  are  with  us  they  frequent  stubble  and  brier-patch,  upland  and 
riverside,  heavy  wood  and  swampy  thicket,  and,  when  the  weather  is 
severe  and  snow  covers  the  ground,  the  barn  yard  and  door  yard. 
Often  they  are  associated  in  flocks  with  the  Tree  Sparrows.  The 
earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrival  and  of  latest  departure  from 
the  localities  named  are  given:  Chicago,  111.,  arrived  September  16, 
1896,  departed  in  spring  April  30,  1895;  Sedan,  Ind.,  arrived  Septem- 
ber 30,  1894,  departed  April  15,  1896;  Lafayette,  arrived  September 
22,  1894,  October  12,  1895,  departed  April  18,  1895,  May  2,  1893; 
Bicknell,  arrived  October  2,  1895,  October  4,  1896,  departed  April 
16,  1896,  April  22,  1895;  Brookville,  October  6,  1887,  October  19, 
1895,  departed  April  11,  1883,  April  26,  1892  and  1897;  Trafalgar, 
September  25,  1897.  Some  years  individuals  remain  in  this  latitude 
quite  late.  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes  notes  taking  one  June  9,  one  mile 
from  the  Ohio  River,  near  Elizabethtown,  Hardin  County,  111. ,  (Bull. 
N.  0.  Club,  July,  1881,  p.  180).  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton  notes  that  he 
has  seen  it  in  July,  in  Portage  County,  0.,  and  says  it  is  "resident 
throughout  the  year  in  northeastern  Ohio"  (Birds  of  0.,  p.  332). 
It  is  a  common  summer  resident  in  Michigan,  north  of  Traverse  City. 
It  has  been  noted  at  Locke,  July  8,  1879;  Grand  Rapids,  July  13, 
1878  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  115).  From  Indiana,  however,  I 
have  no  records  after  early  May.  They  begin  to  think  of  mating 
before  they  leave  us.  Sometimes,  during  a  spell  of  warm  weather, 
near  the  middle  of  March,  we  begin  to  hear  their  love  songs.  The 
first  heard  at  Brookville  in  1896  was  April  11,  but  this  year  (1897) 
I  heard  the  first  song  March  18.  It  came  from  a  Junco  in  an  apple 
tree  in  my  yard.  When  singing,  the  bird  gets  among  the  thickest 
of  the  branches  of  an  apple,  cedar  or  other  tree.  It  is  very  difficult 
to  see  there.  When  singing,  it  makes  little  or  no  movement,  remain- 
ing for  quite  a  while  in  the  same  place,  and  when  its  head  is  turned 
away  from  the  observer  the  ventriloquial  effect  is  such  that  the  singer 
is  hard  to  locate.  The  Junco  utters  a  pleasant,  little  vibratory  song, 
usually  consisting  of  four  notes,  all  in  the  same  key.  Often  there  are 
but  three  notes,  and  occasionally  it  utters  five  or  six.  The  song  is 
repeated  every  three  to  five  seconds  for  as  much  as  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  at  a  time.  It  resembles  tive-ti-ti-tee,  and  suggests  to  me  the 
rattling  of  a  note  over  a  cog  wheel,  going  at  an  unvarying  rate  of 


Birds  of  Indiana.  965 

speed.  The  food  of  the  Juneo  is  substantially  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Tree  Sparrow.  Both  are  valuable  as  destroyers  of  the  seeds  of  nox- 
ious plants. 


223.     (5676).    Junco  hyemalis  shufeldti  Coale 

Shufeldt's  Junco. 

Similar  to  J.  hyemalis,  but  with  the  head  dull  black,  the  back 
browner,  and  the  sides  brownish-vinaceous. 

Wing,  3.05-3.14;  tail,  2.75-2.89;  tarsus,  .72-.74;  bill,  .40-.43. 

Kange. — Eocky  Mountain  region,  west  to  California,  south  to 
Arizona,  Texas  and  northern  Mexico.  Accidental  in  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Michigan,  Massachusetts,  Maryland,  etc. 

Accidental  winter  visitor.  There  is  only  one  record  known  of  the 
occurrence  of  this  western  form  in  Indiana.  A  specimen  was  killed 
by  Mr.  Kalph  S.  Wickersham  in  the  yard  of  Mr.  Thomas  Cory,  in 
West  Lafayette,  January  20,  1891.  It  was  shot  for  food  for  a  captive 
Barn  Owl,  Strix  pratincola,  but  observing  it  differed  from  the  ordi- 
nary Junco,  it  was  forwarded  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  at 
Washington,  where  it  was  identified  as  this  form.  For  the  informa- 
tion, and,  finally,  for  the  specimen,  I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Erastus 
Test,  and  to  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  had  a 
specimen  in  his  collection,  taken  at  Waukegan,  111.  (The  Auk,  Oct., 
1887,  p.  331). 

13;?.    Genus  PEUC^A  Audubon. 

*224.     (575a).    Peucaea  aestivalis  bachmanii  (Aud.). 

Bachman's  Sparrow. 

Adult. — Above,  rufous,  streaked  with  gray,  and  sometimes  spotted 
on  the  back  with  black;  buff  stripe  over  eye;  dusky  stripe  on*  each  side 
of  chin;  below,  grayish-buff,  whitening  on  the  belly;  edge  of  wing, 
yellow. 

Length,  5.30-6.25;  wing,  2.25-2.60;  tail,  2.38-2.95. 

Eange. — Mississippi  Valley,  north  to  southern  Illinois  and  central 
Indiana  (Warren  County),  west  to  north  Texas,  east  to  east  Ten- 
nessee, Georgia  and  North  Carolina.     Breeds  throughout  its  range. 

Nest,  on  ground;  of  grass,  usually  domed  and  cylindrical.  Eggs, 
3-4;  white;  .74  by  .60. 

Summer  resident  in  the  southwestern  quarter  of  the  State,  usually 
not  common. 


966  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Bachman's  Sparrow  was  first  reported  from  the  lower  Wabash 
Valley  by  Mr.  Eobert  Ridgwa}^,  who  noted  it  early  in  June,  1871, 
about  half  way  between  Mt.  Carmel  and  Olney,  111.  August  11,  1871, 
he  found  it  rather  rare  at  Mt.  Carmel.  In  July  and  August,  1875, 
Messrs.  E.  W.  Nelson  and  F.  T.  Jencks  took  several  specimens  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Carmel  and  on  Fox  Prairie,  in  Richland  County, 
about  thirty-five  miles  to  the  noHhward  of  Mt.  Carmel  (Ridgway,. 
Birds  of  111.,  I.,  pp.  281,  282).  April  26,  1881,  Mr.  Ridgway  found  it 
near  Wheatland,  Knox  County,  Ind.,  and  nearly  ten  years  later  in- 
formed me  it  was  not  uncommon  in  all  parts  of  Knox  County  that 
he  had  visited.  April  24,  1884,  Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley  took  two 
Bachman's  Sparrows  from  a  brush  pile  in  Monroe  County.  That  was 
its  first  record  there.  It  appeared  regularly  thereafter  between 
April  6  (1885)  and  April  29  (1886).  In  1886  two  sets  of  eggs  were 
found  and,  perhaps,  a  half  dozen  birds  taken  (Evermann).  It  was 
first  noted  in  Putnam  County  by  Mr.  Alexander  Black,  April  18, 
1891,  and  has  appeared  regularly  there  since,  between  April  7  and 
18.  It  is  tolerably  common  there  now  (1897).  May  15,  1893,  Mr. 
Jesse  Earlle  took  a  nest  and  four  eggs,  but  slightly  incubated,  near 
Greeneastle.  He  flushed  the  parent  from  the  nest  and  shot  her. 
The  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground,  at  the  edge  of  a  little  patch  of 
woods,  in  a  blue  grass  pasture.  It  was  composed  of  grass,  and  re- 
minded him  of  the  nest  of  a  Meadow  Lark.  It  was  not  arched  over. 
The  eggs  were  pure  white.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  first  observed  it  in 
Brown  County,  in  1894.  He  took  its  nest  and  four  eggs  near  Spears- 
ville,  in  the  southern  part  of  that  county.  May  22,  1894.  He  ob- 
served it  April  1,  1895,  and  April  7,  1897.  He  found  it  July  30, 
1897,  in  Parke  County,  and  last  saw  it  September  10,  1897,  in  Ver- 
million County.  He  writes  he  did  not  see  it  north  of  southern  War- 
ren County.  In  Kentucky,  the  late  Mr.  C.  W.  Beckham  found  it  in 
Nelson  County,  April  28,  1877  (Ky.  Geol.  Surv.,  Birds  of  Nelson  Co., 
p.  28).  Mr.  Ridgway  says  it  frequents  weedy  fields,  in  which  scat- 
tered dead  trees  are  standing.  Mr.  Nelson  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol. 
IX.,  p.  38)  says  it  was  "found  about  the  fences  or  brush  piles  in 
half  cleared  fields.  They  were  shy,  and  quite  difficult  to  secure, 
from  their  habit  of  diving  into  the  nearest  shelter  when  alarmed,  or 
skulking.  Wren-like,  along  the  fences,  dodging  from   rail   to  rail." 

Their  song  has  been  said  by  more  than  one  to  recall  the  effort  of 
the  Field  Sparrow.  Mr.  Ridgway  says  it  resembles  the  syllables 
tJie-e-e-e-e-e-e-thut,  lut,  lut,  Jut,  the  first  being  a  rich,  silvery  trill, 
pitched  in  a  high  musical  key,  the  other  syllables  also  metallic,  but 
abrupt,  and  lower  in  tone.     They  sing  throughout  the  day,  and  even 


Birds  of  Indiana.  967 

when  the  day  is  gone  and  darkness  reigns,  they  sing  on.  Mr.  Beck- 
ham mentions  the  ventriloquial  effect  of  their  voices.  When  sur- 
prised, the  birds,  instead  of  flying,  run  or  glide  through  the  grass, 
like  a  mouse  or  snake,  and  utter  a  sound  more  like  the  hissing  of 
a  snake  than  the  scolding  of  a  bird.  It  is  said  not  to  be  difficult 
to  mistake  the  escaping  bird  for  a  gliding  snake.  The  theory  has 
been  advanced  that  Bachman's  Sparrow  imitates,  as  far  as  possible, 
the  movements  and  hiss  of  a  snake,  as  a  means  of  protecting  its  nest 
(Nehrling,  N.  A.  Birds,  XII.,  pp.  149-151). 

134.    Genus  MELOSPIZA  Baird. 

1 .  Breast  and  sides  distinctly  streaked  at  all  ages. 
b^.  Maxillary  stripe  and  breast  white,  the  latter  heavily  streaked. 

M.  fasciata  (Gmel.).     225 
6-.  Maxillary  stripe  and  breast  buff,  the  latter  lightly  streaked. 

M.  lincolni  (Aud.).     226 
a^.  Breast  and  sides  unstreaked,  except  in  young  (first  plumage). 

M.  georgiana  (Lath.).     227 

*225.     (581).    Melospiza  fasciata  (Gmel.). 

Song  Sparrow. 

Maxillary  stripe,  throat  and  other  lower  parts,  white;  sides  and 
crissum,  washed  with  broAvnish;  they  and  sides  of  throat  streaked  with 
dark  brown  and  black;  breast  with  broad  wedge-shaped  streaks  of 
black  and  brown,  which  often  unite  to  form  a  large  spot  in  the 
center;  crown,  rufous,  divided  in  the  middle  by  dark  gray  streak; 
each  feather  streaked  with  black;  line  over  eye,  light  gray;  stripe  back 
of  eye,  and  one  on  each  side  of  maxillary  stripe,  rufous  brown;  other 
upper  parts,  rusty-grayish,  streaked  with  brown  and  black;  tail  feath- 
ers, rufous  brown  above,  the  middle  feathers  blackish  along  their 
shafts,  and  often  with  obsolete  wave  markings. 

Length,  6.00-6.75;  wing,  2.45-2.80;  tail,  2.58-3.02. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  base  of  Rocky  Moun- 
tains; north  to  Manitoba  and  Nova  Scotia.  Breeds  from  Virginia, 
northern  Kentucky,  southeastern  Indiana  and  northern  Illinois, 
northward.     Winters  from  Indiana  and  Massachusetts,  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground  or  in  bush;  of  grass,  leaves  and  bark  strips,  lined 
with  grass  and  hairs.  Eggs,  4-5;  light  greenish  or  bluish-white, 
marked  with  brown;  .79  by  .59. 

The  Song  Sparrow  is  a  resident  throughout  the  State.  In  the 
northern  portion,  most  of  them  leave  during  the  severest  part  of  the 
winter.     This  is  more  noticeable  late  years,  since  so  many  of  the 


968  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

thickets  have  been  cut  away.  In  the  extreme  sonthwestem  part  of 
the  State,  they  are  rare  in  summer,  as  they  are  in  Nelson  County, 
Ky.  (Beckham),  and  in  southern  Illinois  (Ridgway).  The  last  named 
gentleman  says:  "While  the  Song  Sparrow  breeds  in  the  extreme 
northern  part  of  Illinois,  it  is  known  in  the  southern  portions  only 
as  a  winter  resident,  *  *  *  abundant,  but  very  retiring,  inhab- 
iting almost  solely  the  bushy  swamps  in  the  bottom  lands,  and  un- 
known as  a  song  Mrd."  He  also  notes  that  it  breeds  at  Paris,  Edgar 
County,  111.  (Birds  of  111.,  I.,  pp.  283,  284).  In  Indiana  it  breeds, 
and  its  songs  are  heard  through  summer,  at  least,  as  far  south  as  Jef- 
ferson and  Knox  counties.  It  has  been  reported  as  breeding  in  Dear- 
bom,  Brown,  Monroe,  Putnam,  Vigo,  SuUivaa  aad  Ejiox  counties.  In 
Franklin  County,  I  have  found  it  begins  singing  early,  sometimes  by 
February  and  keeps  at  it  all  through  spring,  summer  and  fall.  I  some- 
times wonder  if  its  song  is  not  sung  on  bright  days  every  month  in  the 
year. 

I  heard  one  singing  October  5,  1897.  The  migrants  return  to 
northern  Indiana  in  February  and  March.  The  following  are  early  and 
late  dates  on  which  the  first  returned:  Sedan,  February  9,  1894, 
March  8,  1897;  Laporte,  March  1,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  March 
4,  1889,  March  10,  1897;  Chicago,  111.,  March  10,  1894,  March  23, 
1896.     Everywhere  they  are  most  numerous  during  the  migrations. 

I  have  found  them  mating  at  Brookville  as  early  as  February  27 
(1886),  aad  have  found  nest  and  eggs  April  28,  1883.  Mr.  J.  0. 
Snyder  reports  nest  and  eggs  at  Waterloo,  April  28,  1885.  Two 
broods  are  reared  in  a  year.  Nests  have  been  found  as  late  as  July 
23,  1893,  and  August  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  115).  The  Song 
Sparrow  frequents  thickets  along  streams  and  in  low  ground  gen- 
erally, also  gardens,  small  fruit  farms,  and  bushes  and  hedges  along 
highways.  It  is  a  well-known  bird,  and  its  song,  although  not  so 
attractive  as  that  of  the  Field  Sparrow,  or  so  pleasing  as  that  of  the 
Vesper  Sparrow,  exceeds  that  of  most  of  our  common  birds.  It  is  the 
best  singer  about  our  gardens.  Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer  said  it  sounded  to 
him  like  sh'nide-sh'nide-sh'nide-sh'nide-ze  ze  ze  ze  ze  ze,  the  first  four 
syllables  slow,  the  rest  in  quicker  time.  As  has  been  noted  under  the 
Chipping  Sparrow,  its  food  has  been  found  to  be  about  one-third  in- 
sects and  the  great  bulk  of  the  remainder  is  grass  and  weed  seeds. 
Prof.  F.  H.  King  examined  52  specimens,  of  which  29  ate  more  or  less 
seeds;  1  ate  2  kernels  of  wheat.  The  total  insect  food  was  11  lepidop- 
tera,  25  beetles,  5  grasshoppers,  4  grasshoppers'  eggs,  2  dragonflies, 
1  cricket,  1  spider,  1  millipede,  4  dipterous  insects,  1  heteropterous 
insect  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  538).  Brewer  says  they  eat  caterpillars 
and  other  larvae.    The  canker  worm  is  a  favorite  article  of  food. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  969 

226.     (583).    Melospiza  lincolnii  (Atid.). 

Lincoln's  Sparrow. 

Synonym,  Lincoln's  Finch. 

Maxillary  stripe,  breast,  sides  and  crissum,  buff;  other  lower  parts, 
whitish;  breast  and  sides,  with  narrow  black  streaks;  black  stripe  on 
each  side  of  throat  and  one  above  maxillary  stripe.  Crown,  chestnut, 
each  feather  with  a  black  streak,  divided  by  middle  stripe  of  ashy; 
stripe  over  eye,  ashy;  rest  of  upper  parts,  brownish-gray,  streaked  with 
black  and  grayish;  tail,  grayish-brown,  feathers  darker  along  the 
shafts;  wings  edged  with  light  rufous  and  whitish. 

Length,  5.25-6.00;  wing,  2.30-2.50;  tail,  2.40-2.70. 

Remark. — The  buff  breast  easily  determines  this  Sparrow. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Guatemala  to  Labrador  and  Alaska. 
Rare  east  of  the  Alleghanies.  Breeds  from  northern  Illinois  and 
northern  New  York  north;  also  south,  along  the  higher  Rocky  Moun- 
tains almost  to  Mexico.    Winters  from  southern  Illinois  south. 

Nest,  of  grass;  on  or  near  ground.  Eggs,  3  to  5;  pale  greenish, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  several  shades  of  reddish-brown,  more 
prominent  at  the  larger  end;  .78  by  .58. 

In  Indiana  this  Sparrow  is  a  regular  but  rare  migrant  over  most 
of  the  State.  It  is  generally  found  in  May  and  October,  and  passes 
farther  north  to  breed.  In  the  lower  Wabash  Valley  it  is  more  numer- 
ous. The  spring  of  1881  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  found  them  very 
abundant  in  Knox  County.  In  1888  they  arrived  at  Terre  Haute, 
April  17,  and  departed  May  5.  At  Brookville,  in  1886,  it  was  first 
noted  April  24;  in  1880,  May  11;  in  Starke  County,  May  11,  1884, 
May  11,  1890;  Lake  County,  May  16,  1880.  It  has  also  been  taken  in 
Carroll  and  Monroe  counties.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says  they  occur  in 
Cook  County,  111.,  and  vicinity  between  May  8  and  20  and  September 
20  and  October  5.  Dr.  Oibbs  reports  it  from  Michigan  (Kalamazoo?) 
October  9;  1879  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  116).  It  was  taken  at 
Brookville,  Ind.,  October  2,  1879.  When  found  in  May,  often  two  or 
three  are  together.  Possibly  they  are  then  paired.  Mr.  J.  0.  Parker, 
Jr.,  collected  a  young  male  of  this  species  on  the  east  shore  of  Caluiriet 
Lake,  Cook  County,  111.,  July  16,  1896.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in 
Hamilton  County,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Racine,  Wis.,  and  may  do  so  about  the 
lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan. 

In  many  respects  its  habits  resemble  those  of  the  Swamp  Sparrow. 
Generally  it  is  found  throughout  the  migrations  in  similar  places; 
among  bushes,  drift  and  reeds  about  watercourses  and  bodies  of  water. 


970  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

It  also  is  found  along  bushy  ravines,  in  woodsj  among  bushes  and 
about  brush  piles  in  swampy  ground.  One  specimen  was  taken  in  a 
cloverfield  near  Brookville  by  Mr.  E.  E.  Quick.  It  is  an  inconspicuous 
species  and  doubtless  is  generally  overlooked.  It  is  shy  and  retiring, 
preferring  at  all  times  to  move  under  cover  and  to  fly  when  hidden 
from  view  by  an  intervening  object.  The  first  specimens  reported 
from  Franklin  County  were  two  taken  near  Brookville  by  Dr.  F.  W. 
Langdon  and  Mr.  J.  W.  Shorten,  May  10,  1879.  Dr.  Langdon  $ays  of 
them:  "The  birds  were  found  in  a  damp,  wooded  ravine  traversed 
by  a  small  stream,  one  of  them  hopping  about  on  a  mass  of  drift  in 
search  of  small  aquatic  insects  and  larvae,  with  which  its  stomach  was 
found  to  be  filled''  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  July,  1880,  p.  124). 
Its  food  is  insects,  fruit  and  seeds. 


"^227.     (584).    Melospiza  georgiana  (Lath.). 

Swamp  Sparrow. 

Adult  in  Summer. — Breast,  sides  of  head,  nape  and  stripe  over  eye, 
gray;  sides,  pale  grayish-brown,  indistinctly  streaked;  belly,  white; 
erown,  light  chestnut;  forehead,  black,  ashy  stripe  dividing  both  ift 
the  middle;  black  stripe  behind  the  eye;  back,  brownish-gray;  upper 
parts,  striped  with  black,  and  on  the  back  also  with  brown,  ashy  and 
whitish;  wings  and  tail  feathers,  edged  with  rufous,  the  latter  dark 
along  the  shafts;  tertials  and  larger  wing-coverts,  black- tipped,  more 
or  less  edged  with  whitish.  Adult  in  Winter  and  Immature. — Crown 
and  upper  parts,  more  blacldsh;  more  or  less  streaked  on  breast. 

Length,  5.25-6.00;  wing,  2.30-2.50;  tail,  2.40-2.70. 

Eaxge. — Eastern  North  America.  Breeds  from  northern  Indiana 
?]orth  to  Labrador  and  Manitoba.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois 
south  to  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Nest,  in  wet  meadow  or  swampy  thicket;  on  ground  or  in  tussock 
of  grass;  composed  of  plant  stems,  lined  with  fine  grass.  'Eggs,  4  to 
5;  greenish-white  to  light  green,  clouded  and  spotted  with  various 
shades  of  brown;  .78  by  .56. 

Regular  migrant  over  most  of  the  State;  in  the  extreme  northern 
part  it  is,  in  some  localities,  an  abundant  summer  resident,  breeding 
in  great  numbers,  even  outnumbering  the  Song  Sparrows.  In  the 
lower  Wabash  Valley  some  may  remain  through  the  winter.  It  is  re- 
ported as  wintering  in  southern  Illinois.  There,  Mr.  Eidgway  says, 
it  congregates  in  immense  numbers — perhaps  exceeding  those  of  any 
other  species  in  the  sheltered  swamps  of  the  bottom  lands.    By  reason 


Birds  of  Indiana.  971 

of  its  frequenting  the  thickets  of  low  lands  and  swampy  places  gen- 
erally— localities  usually  but  little  visited  by  most  persons — it  is  not 
often  observed.  It  was  noted  at  Bloomington,  March  5,  1895,  where 
it  remained  until  April  19.  The  following  dates  give  extremes  of  first 
appearance  in  spring:  Brookville,  i^pril  11,  1884,  April  25,  1885; 
Lafayette,  March  6,  1894,  April  27,  1897;  Laporte,  April  2,  1894; 
Terre  Haute,  March  28,  1888;  Richmond,  April  16,  1897;  Waterloo, 
March  17,  1894,  April  11,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  March  28,  1895,  April 
1,  1897.  They  usually  have  all  passed  by  the  latter  part  of  April,  but 
were  reported  from  Terre  Haute  May  1,  1890;  Richmond,  May  10, 
1897;  and  several  were  seen  at  English  Lake,  May  10,  1891. 

In  the  fall  they  are  observed  leaving  their  summer  homes  early  in 
October,  and  at  that  time  begin  to  appear  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State.  They  were  reported  from  Cook  County,  111.,  October  6,  1893, 
and  October  12,  1895,  and  were  noted  at  Brookville,  Ind.,  October 
5,  1897.  They  have  not  been  reported  as  breeding  south  of  the  north- 
ern tier  of  counties.  They  are  known  to  breed  commonly  in  Cook 
Count}^,  111.,  and  in  Lake  County,  Ind.,  and  tolerably  commonly  in 
Dekalb  County.  There  it  sings  its  song,  but  during  the  migrations 
it  is  songless.  Beginning  in  May,  it  continues  singing,  with  a  slight 
interruption  in  August  or  September,  until  October.  Its  fall  song  is 
pronounced  its  best.  Mr.  Nehrling  says  its  song  resembles  the  syl- 
lables, chee--cliee-chee-chee-ze-ze-ze-ze-ze-ze,  and  declares  that  while  it 
resembles  somewhat  the  melody  of  the  Field  Sparrow,  it  is  louder  and 
more  varied.  He  says:  "Its  food  consists  of  small  caterpillars,  beetles, 
worms  and  such  insects  as  are  usually  found  near  water.  During 
fall  and  winter  they  eat  largely  of  the  seeds  of  weeds  and  grasses^^ 
(N.  A.  Birds,  Pt.  XIL,  pp.  161,  162).  Prof.  King  examined  25  speci- 
mens: 13  ate  seeds  of  grasses,  sedges,  etc.;  1,  an  ichneumon  fly;  1,  a 
chalcidian  (?);  1,  a  moth;  6,  13  beetles;  2,  2  hemiptera;  2,  2  grasshop- 
pers; 1,  6  snails,  and  5,  13  larv^  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  537). 

135.    Genus  PASSERELLA  Swaixson. 

228.    (585).    Passerella  iliaca  (Merr.). 

Fox  Sparrow. 
Synonym,  Fox-colored  Sparrow. 
Above,  bluish-ashy,  more  or  less  marked  with  rufous  and  rufous- 
brown;  bright  rufous  on  upper  tail-coverts  and  tail;  wings,  edged 
with  rufous,  with  two  narrow  white  cross  bars.  Below,  white;  sides 
heavily  streaked  with  brown;  breast  and  other  forward  parts,  marked 
with  triangular  spots  and  pointed  streaks  of  black  and  rufous;  bill, 
yellow  below;  darker  above. 


972  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  6.20-7.50;  wing,  3.30-3.70;  tail,  2.80-3.15. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  the  Gnlf  States  to  Alaska 
and  the  Arctic  Coast.  Breeds  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  and  Manitoba  north.  Winters  from  southern  Indiana  and  Vir- 
ginia south. 

Nest,  on  ground  or  in  bush,  or  low  tree;  of  grass,  rootlets  and  moss, 
lined  with  hair  and  feathers.  Eggs,  4  to  5;  pale  bluish,  evenly  speckled 
or  heavily  blotched  with  umber  or  vinaceous-brown;  .80  by  .63. 


Bill  of  Fox  Sparrow. 

This  large,  trim,  fox-colored  Sparrow  appears  to  be  an  aristocrat 
among  his  fellows.  They  are  common  migrants  during  March  and 
April,  and  October  and  November.  Mild  ^dnters  some  are  winter  resi- 
dents in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  State,  and  others  remain 
all  but  a  few  weeks  in  the  lower  T\Tiitewater  Valley  and,  perhaps, 
farther  north.  The  winter  of  1888-9  they  remained  all  winter  at 
Vincennes  (Balmer).  Mild  winters  they  remain  most  of  the  winter  in 
Putnam  County  (Clearwaters).  The  extreme  records  of  first  arrival 
are:  Brookville,  February  16,  1881,  April  1,  1885;  Spears ville,  March 
6,  1894,  and  1897,  March  13,  1895;  Bicknell,  March  7,  1897,  April 
5,  1896;  Lafayette,  March  6,  1894,  March  28,  1896;  Wabash,  March 
11,  1894;  Sedan,  March  30,  1897,  April  18,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  March 
18,  1893,  April  1,  1897,  Most  have  passed  north  before  the  last  of 
April  and  are  rarely  found  in  early  May.  Bloomington,  April  20, 
1895;  Spearsville,  April  19,  1895;  Laporte,  May  1,  1896;  Richmond, 
May  4,  1897,  are  extremely  late  dates.  They  are  retiring  birds,  fre- 
quenting thickets,  brier  patches  a.nd  brush  piles,  where  they  are  asso- 
ciated with  Towhees  and  Cardinals.  Like  the  former,  they  spend 
much  time  upon  the  ground  scratching  among  the  leaves.  They  are 
on  good  terms  with  the  Juncos,  and  when  they  visit  their  homes  as- 
sociate with  them.  They  pass  northward  ahead  of  the  Juncos  and  go 
farther  north  to  breed.  With  us  the  Fox  Sparrow  utters  a  sharp 
tche'p.  It  is  said  to  have  a  clear,  loud,  melodious  voice,  and  to  sing 
a  sweet  song,  which  I  have  never  heard,  but  hope  to  some  spring,  as 
they  should  occasionally  give  us  a  foretaste  of  the  musical  treat  that 


Birds  of  Indiana.  973 

is  wasted — humanly  speaking — on  the  uninhabited  Hudson  Bay 
region.  In  autumn  they  begin  to  reach  northern  Indiana  late  in 
September.  Five  were  reported  from  Lebanon,  September  28,  1894. 
They  were  noted  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  30,  1896,  October  27, 
1883;  Lafayette,  Ind.,  October  17,  1895,  November  3,  1894;  Bicknell, 
November  20,  1896;  Greensburg,  November  30,  1894.  Prof.  F.  H. 
King  examined  three  specimens,  one  of  which  had  eaten  50  chinch 
bugs;  the  other  two,  small  seeds. 


136.    Gknus  PIPILO  Vikillot. 

*229.     (587).    Pipilo  erythrophthalmus  (Linn.). 

Towhee. 

Synonyms,  Chewink,  Towhee  Bunting,  Jewee,  Joree,  Marsh  Robin, 
Ground  Robin. 

Adult  Male. — Black;  belly,  white;  sides,  chestnut;  crissum,  fulvous- 
brown;  primaries  and  inner  secondaries,  with  white  touches  on  the 
outer  webs;  outer  tail  feathers,  with  the  outer  web  and  nearly  the  ter- 
minal half  of  the  inner  web,  white;  the  next  two  or  three,  with  white 
spots,  decreasing  in  size;  bill,  blackish;  feet,  pale  brown;  iris,  red  in 
the  adult,  white  or  creamy  in  the  young  and  generally  in  winter  speci- 
mens. Female. — Eich,  warm  brown,  where  the  male  is  black;  other- 
wise similar.  Young. — Streaked  brown  and  dusky  above;  below,  whit- 
ish, tinged  with  brown  and  streaked  with  dusky. 

Length,  7.50-8.75;  wing,  3.30-3.75;  tail,  3.55-4.10. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  east  of  Texas  and  Dakota;  north 
to  Manitoba  and  Labrador.  Breeds  from  Georgia  and  lower  Missis- 
sippi Valley  north.    Winters  from  Indiana  and  Pennsylvania  south. 

Nest,  on  ground,  or  near  it;  of  leaves  and  shreds  of  bark,  lined  with 
grass  and  leaves.  Eggs,  3-5;  white,  uniformly  and  thickly  speckled 
with  different  shades  of  rufous;  .95  by  .70. 

The  Towhee  is  a  common  resident  in  southern  Indiana  north  at 
least  to  the  latitude  of  Vincennes  and  Brookville,  and  some  winters 
over  the  greater  part  of  the  south  half  of  the  State.  Occasionally,  in 
mild  winters,  a  few  winter  throughout  the  State,  and  even  in  Michigan. 
Over  the  greater  part  of  our  territory,  however,  the  bird  is  best  known 
as  a  common  summer  resident.  It  is  distributed  everywhere  among 
bushes  and  thickets.  At  some  seasons  it  frequents  the  densest  woods; 
at  others,  it  enters  the  larger  towns.  Its  well-known  call,  uttered  by 
both  sexes,  and  variously  interpreted,  has  given  it  a  name  everywhere. 
The  female  does  not  sound  the  final  Jc  in  cTiewinh,  which  is  distinctly 


974  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

given  by  the  male.  The  other  names  refer  to  its  being,  in  some 
places,  a  frequenter  of  marshy  thickets  and  of  spending  much  of  its 
time  upon  the  ground.  There  it  enjoys  turning  over  the  old  stems 
and  fallen  leaves.  It  is  pre-eminently  the  scratching  sparrow.  In 
October,  in  a  river  valley,  among  some  thicket  of  willows,  cottonwoods, 
and  young  sycamores,  where  wild  sunflowers,  horse-weeds  and  poke 
grow  rampant,  the  whole  woven  together  by  the  interlacing  of  wild 
cucumber  vines,  the  number,  and  the  varied,  miscellaneous  company 
of  birds  found  there  is  a  revelation  to  the  one  who  visits  it  for  the 
first  time.  Among  the  babel  of  voices  and  the  flitting  forms  may  be 
observed  Blue  Jays,  White-throated  and  White-crowned  Sparrows, 
Fox  Sparrows,  Swamp  Sparrows,  Song  Sparrows,  Field  Sparrows,  In- 
digo Buntings,  Juncos,  Cardinals,  Hermit  Thrushes,  Chats,  Long- 
billed  Marsh  Wrens,  House  Wrens,  Carolina  Wrens,  Winter  Wrens, 
Tufted  Titmice  and  Downy  Woodpeckers.  In  winter,  when  many  of 
these  are  gone,  whether  we  go  to  the  woods  or  follow  the  fringing 
bushes  of  some  little  run,  the  Towhee  will  be  found,  and  not  alone, 
for  the  Cardinals,  Juncos  and  Tree  Sparrows,  at  least,  will  be  found 
occup34ng  the  same  haunts.  In  spring,  when  the  vegetation  has  fal- 
len, been  broken  down  or  burned  away,  the  old  companions  return 
and  are  more  readily  seen.  The  variations  in  the  time  of  its  occur- 
rence may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  dates:  At  Greencastle  they 
remained  all  the  winter  of  189-4-5,  but  in  1896  were  not  noted  until 
April  4.  They  were  first  seen  in  Lafayette,  March  6,  1894,  March  28, 
1896;  at  Sedan,  March  1,  1894,  March  30,  1896;  Laporte,  March  4, 
1894,  March  28,  1896;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  17,  1889,  March  25, 
1893;  Chicago,  111.,  March  20,  1884,  April  17,  1886.  They  are  rarely 
common  in  the  north  part  of  the  State  before  April  1,  and  about 
Chicago,  HI.,  sometimes  are  not  common  until  April  15  to  25.  Most 
of  them  disappear  from  our  northern  counties  through  September 
and  October.  The  latest  records  I  have  are:  Chicago,  October  12, 
1895;  Sedan,  October  22,  1889;  Lafayette,  October  12,  1894,  1895. 

In  the  lower  Whitewater  A^alley  I  have  found  them  mating  March 
21,  1883;  paired,  March  31,  1885,  and  building,  April  5,  1884.  They 
occasionally  nest  quite  early  and  raise  two,  perhaps  three,  broods. 
Nests  have  been  noted  at  Sedan  with  the  birds  sitting  at  the  extreme 
dates  March  15  and  August  17  (Mrs.  Hine).  In  Lake  County  a  nest 
and  three  fresh  eggs  were  taken  in  July,  1882  (Meyer).  Eggs  were 
found  at  Waterloo,  June  24,  1885  (Snyder).  Mr.  Y.  H.  Bamett  found 
young  in  southern  Vermillion  County,  August  4,  1897. 

The  nuptial  song  is  beautiful  and  striking.  The  male,  from  the  top 
or  some  high  bush  or  high  upon  the  principal  limb  of  an  isolated  tree. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  975 

again  and  again  repeats  its  score.  Finally  it  flirts  its  tail  and  flies 
down  to  some  brush  pile,  within  which  it  disappears,  and  the  call, 
chewink,  comes  from  the  hidden  depths  of  the  heap.  Its  song  sounds 
something  like,  '^look-out,  ier-r-r."  The  first  syllable  has  a  rising  in- 
flection; the  second  is  slurred.  Mr.  E.  E.  Thompson  interprets  it  as, 
chuck-burr,  pill-a-will-a-wiU-a.  They  begin  singing  some  springs  by 
the  middle  of  March,  and  while  most  cease  in  June,  they  may  occasion- 
ally be  heard  well  into  July.  "Of  seventeen  specimens  examined,  five 
had  eaten  small  seeds;  one  raspberries;  one,  seven  moths;  three,  nine 
beetles;  one,  wheat;  one,  oats;  one,  a  wasp;  one,  an  ichneumon;  two, 
three  grasshoppers;  two,  two  cockroaches;  one,  a  walkingstick  (Spec- 
trum femoratum),  and  four  of  its  eggs;  and  one,  a  larva"  (King,  Geol. 
of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  543).  Other  authorities  agree  that  this  species  is  de- 
cidedly insectivorous  and  beneficial. 


137,    Genus  CARDINALIS  Bonaparte. 

*230.     (593).    Cardinalis  cardinalis  (Linn.). 

Cardinal. 
Synonyms,  Cardinal  Gro!?beak,  Redbird,  Virciinia  Cardinal. 

Adult  Male. — With  a  conspicuous  crest;  plumage,  rich  vermillion 
or  rosy-red,  obscured  with  ashy  on  the  back;  throat  and  face,  black; 
bill,  reddish;  feet,  brown.  Adult  Female. — Ashy-brown;  paler  below, 
with  evident  traces  of  red  on  the  crest,  wings,  tail  and  under  parts. 

Length,  7.50-9.25;  wing,  3.55-4.00;  tail,  3.90-4.60. 

Eange. — Eastern  United  States  west  to  Texas  and  Kansas;  north 
to  Iowa,  Indiana  and  southern  New  York.  Casually  or  rarely  to  Maine, 
Ontario,  southern  Michigan  and  Minnesota, 

Nest,  in  bushes  or  vines,  three  to  ten  feet  up;  of  twigs,  bark,  grass 
and  leaves,  lined  with  grass.  JSggs,  3-4;  white,  bluish  or  greenish- 
white,  spotted  with  rufous-brown,  lavender  and  gray;  .99  by  .73. 

The  Cardinal  is  the  most  noticeable  feature  of  our  avian  fauna. 
Whether  we  consider  its  beautiful  dress,  its  cheery  song,  its  good 
habits  or  its  beneficent  deeds,  there  is  nothing  that  cannot  be  admired. 
It  is  resident  throughout  the  State,  being  very  common  in  the  south- 
cm  part,  north  at  least  to  Vermillion  and  Warren  counties,  Green- 
eostle,  Indianapolis,  Connersville  and  Brookville.  Throughout  the 
northern  half  of  the  State  in  some  localities  they  are  quite  rare.  Ther« 
some  winters  they  disappear,  others  they  remain.  They  are  often 
Kiore  numerous  in  spring  and  fall  than  at  other  seasons.  They  are 
very  rare  and  of  irregular  occurrence  in  the  northwest  portion  of  th« 


976  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

State  beyond  the  Wabash  Valley.  It  has  not  been  reported  from  Lake 
County;  is  rare  in  Cook  County,  111.;  Porter  County,  scarce  (Trouslot); 
rare  winter  resident  at  Kouts  (Parker);  Laporte  County,  Michigan 
City,  one  record  (Byrkit).  In  the  northeastern  part  of  the  State  it  is 
more  numerous  and  seems  to  be  increasing  in  numbers  and  extending 
its  range  into  Michigan.  I  have  winter  records  from  the  following 
counties:  Steuben,  Angola,  several  the  winter  of  1896-7  (Mrs.  Sniff); 
Dekalb,  the  following  winters:  1888-9  (Snyder);  1889-90,  1890-91, 
1892-3,  1894-5  (Mrs.  Hine);  Allen  (Stockbridge);  Elkhart  and  Kosci- 
usko (Juday);  Fulton  (Gould).  In  Michigan  it  has  been  taken  in 
Hillsdale,  Lenawee,  Monroe  and  Kent  counties,  and  at  Detroit  (Cook, 
Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  117). 

By  the  first  of  March  the  Cardinal  begins  its  songs.  Both  sexes 
have  the  gift,  but  the  male  is  the  superior  singer.  Mating  follows 
soon  after  the  opening  of  the  season  of  song.  I  observed  the  begin- 
ning of  their  courtship,  March  7,  1887.  Mr.  Eobert  Eidgway  says  one 
that  he  studied  had  six  very  distinct  songs.  He  adds:  "The  diffi- 
culty of  expressing  a  bird^s  notes  by  wDrds  is  well  known,  but  the  fol- 
lowing attempt  may  give  some  idea  of  the  different  songs  of  my  Car- 
dinal: 

I.     Hoit — whoit,  whoit,  whoit  (eleven  times) ;  hoit-whoit,  whoit,  whoit  (eleven 
times). 
II.     Wheti,  wheu,  when,  wheti,  wheu. 

III.  Tchew,  tchew,  tchew,  tchew,  tchew. 

IV.  Bird^ie,  bird^ie,  bird^ie  —  tchew,  tchew,  tchew,  tchew. 
V.     Bird^ie,  bird^ie,  bird^ie,  bird^ie,  bird^ie,  bird^ie. 

VI.  Whoy^it — whoy^'it,  whoy^et,  whoy^et,  chi-chi-chi-chi-chi-chi  (a  jingling  trill 
so  long  continued  that  it  apparently  ended  only  when  the  singer  became 
out  of  breath). 

"The  notes  of  many  Cardinal  Grosbeaks  are  clear  and  tender — far 
sweeter  than  the  mellowest  notes  of  fife  or  flageolet." 

The  above  songs  are  readily  recognized  as  good  interpretations  in 
our  language  of  the  efforts  of  many  individuals  we  have  heard.  In 
some  of  its  notes  there  is  some  resemblance  to  those  of  the  Carolina 
Wren.  Mr.  Nehrling  interprets  its  ordinary  song  as:  "Jehu-jehu- 
jehu-jehu-teti,  teu,  teu,  teu,  trrrrrrrr."  Such  is  the  translation.  To 
know  the  song  one  must  hear  it  and  feel  it.  No  keener  interpreter  of 
Nature  has  caught  its  spirit  than  Hon.  B.  S.  Parker.    He  says: 


Birds  of  Indiana.  977 

''When  golden  pippin  trees  are  white 

Some  mellow,  liquid,  notes  are  heard, 
That  mingle  in  one  brief  delight 

The  thought  of  man,  the  soul  of  bird. 
Sing  on,  my  redbird  !  Strains  that  speak 

A  tenderer  hope  than  words  can  tell ; 
The  boor  who  named  thee  for  thy  beak 

Had  never  felt  the  witching  spell 
Of  wild-bird  music,  such  as  cleaves  , 

The  crust  of  pride  and  wafts  the  soul 
From  ha.te  that  blinds,  and  care  that  grieves 

To  love- taught  art's  divinest  goal." 

— Hoosier  Bards,  p.  14. 

The  song  period  continues  until  the  end  of  August  and  sometimes 
well  into  September  (September  10,  1891).  I  found  the  nest  and 
eggs  April  18,  1888.  Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder  found  a  nest  with  two  fresh 
eggs  at  Waterloo,  May  20,  1883.  They  frequently  build  their  nests 
in  shrubs,  vines  and  young  trees  in  towns.  Several  pairs  build  every 
year  within  the  town  of  Brookville,  sometimes  in  vines  that  drape 
the  walls  and  screen  the  windows  of  residences.  The  spring  of  1897  a 
pair  attempted  to  nest  in  a  yard  adjoining  mine,  but  their  hopes  were 
blighted,  for,  during  a  storm,  a  heavy  wind  blew  the  nest  and  eggs 
from  the  Syringa  bush  where  it  was  built,  and  the  birds  did  not  at- 
tempt to  rebuild.  I  first  saw  the  female  carrying  the  fibrous  bark  of 
a  last  year's  morning  glory  vine  from  my  yard  to  the  nest  May  16. 
These  were  hanging  in  a  cherry  tree,  and  after  much  pulling  she 
would  get  a  bill  full  and  carry  it  to  my  neighbor's  bush.  The  female 
did  all  the  work.  The  male  accompanied  her  every  trip  to  or  from 
the  nest.  While  she  collected  the  nest-material  he  flew  to  the  top  of 
a  chimney,  the  tip  of  the  lightning-rod,  the  topmost  limb  of  an  apple 
or  fir  tree,  sometimes  a  hundred  feet  away,  and  poured  forth  a  lively, 
joyous  song  in  earnest  appreciation  of  the  efforts  of  his  mate.  She 
could  not  start  towards  the  nest  but  he  instantly  darted  to  her  side 
and  escorted  her  all  the  way;  then,  flying  to  the  top  of  the  neighboring 
house,  or  to  a  telephone  wire,  while  the  female  arranged  her  material, 
he  rejoiced  in  whistling  song.  A  gay  beau  is  the  male!  He  is  afraid 
of  soiling  his  bright,  new  coat.  He  carries  the  style  and  is  the  chief 
musician.  He  lets  his  mate  bear  the  burdens  and  encourages  her  by 
his  presence.  Some  men  do  not  as  well.  For  several  years  a  pair 
has  built  in  a  Virginia  creeper  against  the  side  of  another  neighbor's 
house. 

Often  two  broods,  and  sometimes  three,  are  reared  in  a  summer. 
Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  informs  me  that  a  pair  nested  near  that  place 
three  times  in  the  summer  of  1891.  The  female  was  sitting  August 
62— Geol. 


978  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

28.  That  day,  and  for  two  weeks  after,  she  sang  sometimes  a  great 
deal.  July  13,  1896,  I  saw  young  which  had  just  left  the  nest,  and 
August  28,  of  that  year,  I  found  a  nest  containing  three  eggs.  To 
one  who  has  not  visited  the  lower  Ohio  Valley,  including  the  southern 
part  of  the  valleys  of  the  Whitewater  and  the  Wabash,  especially  at 
a  season  when  the  trees  are  leafless,  it  would  be  difficult  to  convey 
any  idea  of  the  numbers  of  Cardinals  that  are  to  be  found  there.  The 
rougher  land,  overgrown  with  second-growth  or  briers,  and  the  waste 
land  along  streams,  afford  an  abundance  of  shelter,  which  will  prob- 
ably remain.  While  the  quantity  of  food — seeds,  wild  fruits  and  in- 
sects, added  to  the  grains  that  are  ungarnered  or  scattered  by  man — 
affords  them  a  good  living,  in  winter  they  come  about  our  homes  and 
feed  upon  the  crumbs  from  the  kitchen  or  pick  up  a  share  of  the 
wastes  from  the  barnyard.  It  is  no  unusual  thing,  at  that  season,  to 
find  from  three  to  six  pairs  frequenting  a  comparatively  small  thicket 
in  a  favorable  locality,  while  almost  every  brier  patch  or  clump  of 
bushes  harbor  a  pair  or  two. 

They  are  easily  tamed  and  in  many  localities  are  much  sought,  for 
cage  birds.  In  localities  where  I  have  been  I  do  not  think  the  prac- 
tice of  trapping  them  or  robbing  the  nests  of  young  birds  is  as  com- 
mon as  it  was  some  years  ago.  It  should  be  discouraged  by  every  one 
and  the  offenders  prosecuted. 


138.    Genus  HABIA  Reichrnbach. 

*231.     (595).    Habia  ludoviciana  (Linn.). 

Bose-breasted  Grosbeak. 

Adult  Male. — Head,  neck  and  back,  glossy  black;  wings  and  tail, 
black,  the  former  barred  with  white,  and  primaries  white  at  the  base, 
the  latter  with  outer  tail  feathers  tipped  with  white  on  inner  web; 
breast  and  under  wing  coverts,  bright  rose-red  or  carmine;  rest  of  un- 
der parts  and  rump,  white;  bill,  large,  pale;  feet,  dark.  Adult  Fe- 
male.— Above,  grayish-brown,  streaked  with  cream-buff  and  blackish; 
Rtripe  through  center  of  crown,  buff,  and  one  over  the  eye,  whitish; 
wing  coverts,  tipped  with  white;  below,  white,  tinged  with  buffy  and 
streaked  with  dusky;  under  wing  coverts,  saffron-yellow.  Imma- 
ture.— Similar  to  female,  but  with  under  wing  coverts  rose-red. 
.  Length,  7.00-8.50;  wing,  3.90-4.15;  tail,  3.25-3.55. 

Range. — ^America,  from  Ecuador  to  Labrador  and  Saskatchewan 
west  to  eastern  Kansas.  Breeds  from  higher  points  of  North  Carolina 
and  central  Indiana,  north.    Winters  from  Cuba  and  Mexico,  south. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


979 


Nest,  in  bush,  or  low  down  in  tree,  of  twigs,  fibres  and  rootlets. 
Eggs,  3-5;  greenish-blue,  thickly  spotted  with  olive-brown  and  rufous- 
brown;  .95  by  .67. 

Throughout  northern  Indiana  this  attractive  bird  is  found,  in  most 
places,  as  a  summer  resident,  increasing  in  numbers  as  one  goes  north- 
ward.   Elsewhere,  it  is  an  irregular  migrant,  some  years  very  common, 


Rose-breasted  Grosbeak. 
(Beal.— Farmer's  Bulletin  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.) 


others,  rare  or  wholly  absent.     In  some  localities,  where  it  was  for- 
merly found  in  some  numbers,  it  is  said  to  be. becoming  scarce. 

It  breeds  commonly  south  to  the  Wabash  River:  Wabash,  Logans- 
port  and  Lafayette.  Farther  south,  at  Terre  Haute,  it  rarely  builds, 
and  it  has  been  reported  nesting  at  Frankfort,  Lebanon  and  Anderson. 
It  is  extremely  unusual  for  it  to  breed  farther  south,  but  it  has  been 
80  reported  from  Bloomington.  Audubon  found  it  nesting  near  Cin- 
cinnati, 0.,  and  Dr.  R.  Haymond  thought  it  might  breed  in  Franklin 
County,  as  he  had  found  it  there  in  early  June  and  in  August.  Dr. 
Wheaton  once  found  a  nest  near  Columbus,  0.  (Birds  of  Ohio,  pp. 
346,  347),  and  Mr.  Otto  Widmann  has  observed  it  nesting  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  where  it  rears  two  broods  in  a  season  (Nehrling,  N.  A.  Birds, 
Pt.  XIII.,  p.  204).  They  nest  on  low  bushes,  tall  shrubs,  in  orchards 
and  forest  trees  even,  at  times  quite  high.  Along  the  Des  Plaines 
River,  in  Illinois,  they  nest  in  thorn  trees  (Parker).  They  prefer  to 
breed  in  the  neighborhood  of  lakes,  streams  and  tamarack  swamps 


980  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

(Mrs.  Hine).  In  northern  Ohio,  they  frequent  the  cranberry  marshes 
and  nest  there  (Wheaton).  The  nest  and  eggs  very  much  resemble 
those  of  a  Scarlet  Taaager. 

.  The  first  nests,  with  full  sets  of  eggs,  are  usually  found  late  in  May; 
May  22,  1897,  Anderson;  May  27,  1893,  Lafayette;  May  30,  some 
years,  Cook  County,  111.  The  breeding  season  continues  through 
June.     The  male  shares  in  incubation. 

In  the  spring,  some  years,  they  come  into  the  State  by  April  25, 
and  arrive  at  their  breeding  grounds,  beyond  the  Wabash  River,  by 
April  27  to  May  1.  Dates  of  early  and  late  first  arrivals  for  the  places 
noted  are  as  follows:  Bloomington,  April  23,  1886,  May  1,  1887; 
Brookville,  April  25,  1885,  May  8,  1897;  Bicknell,  April  25,  1897, 
May  3,  1894;  Spearsville,  April  29,  1894,  May  1,  1895;  Terre  Haute, 
May  1,  1887,  May  9,  1890;  Lafayette,  April  28,  1894,  May  8,  1897; 
Sedan,  April  28,  1896,  May  7,  1889;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  27, 
1888,  May  5,  1889.  The  earliest  arrivals  are  males;  the  females  follow 
later. 

When  with  us,  in  southern  Indiana,  in  spring,  they  frequent  the 
wooded  hillsides  and  uplands,  preferring  the  former.  There  they  are 
often  to  be  seen  feeding  upon  the  buds  of  the  elm,  oak  and  maple, 
and  catching  insects  among  the  topmost  boughs  of  those  trees.  They  do 
not  move  about  much,  but  their  beautiful  notes  attract  one  to  them. 
Often,  in  looking  among  the  greening  tree-top,  one  may  be  seen,  and, 
while  watching  it,  another  and  another  will  move  slightly  until  from 
six  to  a  dozen  are  finally  located. 

Viewed  from  a  distance  through  the  timber,  as  they  fly,  they  may 
readily  be  taken  for  Red-headed  Woodpeckers,  so  sharply  is  the  black 
and  white  of  the  plumage  contrasted. 

All  who  have  heard  the  song  of  the  Rose^breasted  Grosbeak  have 
been  charmed  by  it,  and  all  who  have  known  the  singer,  hold  it  in  the 
highest  regard.  Beauty  of  song  has  made  it  famous  as  a  wild  bird, 
and  it  is  extensively  known  also  as  a  desirable  cage  bird,  but  the 
beauty  of  its  tri-colored  plumage  would  attract  attention  even  had  it 
not  such  a  remarkable  voice.  That  is  not  all;  it  does  beautiful  deeds. 
Few  birds  are  more  beneficial  to  man.  With  the  exception  of  a  few 
peas,  its  vegetable  food  consists  of  the  buds  and  blossoms  of  shade 
and  forest  trees,  and  seeds.  They  eat  many  insects.  The  value  of  its 
services  in  its  breeding  range,  in  destroying  Colorado  potato  beetles, 
can  not  be  overestimated.  Prof.  F.  E.  L.  Beal  tells  of  one  field  that 
was  badly  infested  by  these  destructive  insects.  "The  Grosbeaks  vis- 
ited the  field  every  day,  and  finally  brought  their  fledged  young.  The 
young  birds  stood  in  a  row  on  the  topmost  rail  of  the  fence,  and  were 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  981 

fed  with  the  beetles  which  their  parents  gathered.  When  a  careful 
inspection  was  made,  a  few  days  later,  not  a  beetle,  old  or  young, 
could  be  found;  the  birds  had  swept  them  from  the  field  and  saved 
the  potatoes"  (Farmers'  Bulletin  Xo.  54,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  p.  29). 
"Of  eight  specimens  examined,  six  had  eaten  small  seeds;  two,  seven 
beetles;  and  one,  berries"  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  542).  Prof. 
Forbes  notes  they  eat  canker  worms,  which,  in  some  he  examined, 
formed  66  per  cent,  of  their  food  (Eept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc,  1881,  p. 
204);  also  army  worms  and  other  caterpillars,  wood-boring,  leaf- 
chafing  and  snout  beetles,  and  hymenoptera. 

The  latest  dates  at  which  they  have  been  observed,  in  fall,  are  as 
follows:  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  3,  1894;  Lebanon,  Ind.,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1894;  Lafayette,  September  15,  1894;  Bieknell,  September 
28,  1894;  Sedan,  September  22,  1889;  Warren  County,  September  18, 
1897;  Chicago,  111.,  September  26,  1895;  Brookville,  Ind.,  October  5, 
1887. 

139.    Genus  GUIRACA  Swainson. 

232.    (597).    Guiraca  caerulea  (Linn.). 

Blue  Grosbeak. 

Adult  Male. — Deep  blue,  darker  on  the  back;  chin,  lores  and  tail 
feathers,  black;  wings,  black,  edged  with  blue;  middle  -and  secondary 
wing  coverts,  tipped  with  rufous-brown  or  chestnut.  Adult  Female 
and  Immature. — Yellowish-brown  above;  brownish-yellow  beneath; 
darkest  on  breast;  wings  and  tail,  fuscous;  wing  crossed  by  two  bars  of 
ochraceous-buff;  tail,  faintly  tinged  with  blue. 

Length,  6.35-7.50;  wing,  3.35-3.60;  tail,  2.70-2.90. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Cuba  and  Mexico  to  southern  Ne- 
braska, southern  Indiana  and  South  Carolina.  Casually  to  New  Eng- 
land.   Winters  south  of  the  United  States. 

Nesty  in  bush,  or  low  in  tree,  at  edge  of  wood  or  field,  of  grass, 
lined  with  rootlets  and  hair.    Eggs,  3-4;  pale  bluish-white;  .84  by  .66. 

Of  rare  or  accidental  occurrence  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Kobert  Eidgway  observed  a  specimen  in  Knox  County 
in  the  spring  of  1881.  That  is  the  only  record  of  its  occurrence  in  In- 
diana. Mr.  Eidgway  notes  it  as  rare  in  southern  Illinois,  and  it  has 
been  observed  in  Kentucky.  This  species  is  quite  local  and  inconspic- 
uous. It  frequents  localities  similar  to  those  occupied  by  the  Indigo 
Bunting.  The  song  is  said  to  resemble  that  of  the  Purple  Finch. 
In  summer  they  are  said  to  live  chiefly  upon  insects,  but  through  fall 
and  winter  they  subsist  mainly  upon  wild  fruits  and  seeds. 


982  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


140.    Genus  PASSERIXA  Vieillot. 


*233.    (598).    Passerina  cyanea  (Linn.). 

Indigo  Bunting. 
Synonym,  Indigo  Bird. 

Adult  Male. — Blue;  darker  on  head,  throat  and  breast;  lighter  on 
back;  black  about  base  of  bill;  wing  and  tail  feathers,  black,  with 
bluish  edgings;  bill,  dark  above,  light  below,  with  a  dark  stripe  along 
gonys.  Adult  Female. — Brown  above,  whitish  below,  more  or  less 
streaked  with  brownish;  shoulders,  rump  and  some  of  larger  feathers, 
showing  blue;  wing  and  tail  feathers,  more  or  less  distinctly  edged 
with  bluish.  Immature. — Male,  similar  to  female,  but  showing  more 
or  less  blue,  according  to  age;  young  birds,  streaked  below. 

Length,  4.75-5.75;  wing,  2.60-2.80;  tail,  2.20-2.50. 

Note. — Close  observation  will  show  bluish  edgings  on  wing  and  tail 
feathers,  which  will  determine  the  bird. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Panama  and  Cuba,  east  of  Plains, 
to  Minnesota,  northern  Michigan  and  Nova  Scotia.  Breeds  through- 
out its  United  States  range.  Winters  from  the  coast  of  the  Gulf 
States,  south. 

Nest,  in  crotch  of  bush,  low  down,  of  leaves,  grass  and  bark, 
lined  with  similar  material.  Eggs,  3-5;  white,  tinged  with  blue,  occa- 
sionally speckled  with  reddish-brown;  .73  by  .53. 

The  Indigo  Bunting  is  a  common  summer  resident  throughout  In- 
diana. The  blue  plumage  and  sprightly  song  of  the  male  are  known 
to  every  one  who  has  spent  much  time  about  bushes,  brier  patches 
and  thickets.  They  prefer  the  drier  land  and  are  very  seldom  found, 
in  southern  Indiana  at  least,  about  low  or  swampy  places. 

They  sometimes  appear  on  the  southern  border  of  the  State  by  the 
middle  of  April,  but  other  years,  when  the  season  is  more  forbidding, 
they  are  not  found  until  May  1.  The  following  early  and  late  dates 
of  first  appearance  are  given:  Bloomington,  April  13,  1882,  May  2, 
1895;  Bicknell,  April  22,  1896,  April  30,  1895;  Brookville,  April  22, 
1885,  May  8,  1889;  Vigo  County,  April  18,  1897,  May  8,  1886;  Spears- 
ville,  April  27,  1895,  and  1897,  April  29,  1894;  Greencastle,  April 
24,  1896,  May  1,  1894  and  1895;  Lafayette,  April  27,  1896,  May  10, 
1895;  Sedan,  May  4,  1895,  May  §,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  May  18,  1895, 
May  23,  1896  and  1897. 

The  males  precede  the  females  from  a  day  to  a  week.  Mating  be- 
gins soon  after  the  latter  arrive.  The  beginning  of  pairing  was  noted 
at  Brookville,  May  9,  1887.     Sometimes  they  must  be  mated  when 


Birds  of  Indiana.  983 

they  arrive.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  found  a  nest,  with  two  eggs,  at  Spears- 
ville,  May  14,  1895.  They  may  be  found  nesting  commonly  late  in 
May  and  early  in  June.  Sometimes  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  sum- 
mer. August  18,  1896,  I  found  a  nest  and  eggs  at  Brookville.  Mr. 
J.  0.  Snyder  informs  me  he  has  known  these  birds  to  use  the  same 
nest  two  years  in  succession.  The  males  continue  in  song  well  along 
toward  the  first  of  August.  I  found  one  singing,  August  3,  1897. 
After  they  cease  singing  they  are  less  conspicuous.  They  leave  the 
latter  part  of  August  and  in  September.  The  old  males  go  first.  The 
latest  dates  at  which  they  have  been  seen,  at  the  places  noted  are: 
Manchester,  Mich.,  September  10,  1894;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September 
15,  1895;  Sedan,  Ind.,  September  27,  1894;  Lafayette,  September  21, 
1895;  Trafalgar,  September  26,  1897;  Bicknell,  September  29,  1895; 
Brookville,  October  14,  1896. 

They  are  so  numerous,  frequenting  every  place  where  bushes  grow 
about  the  farm,  even  to  the  small  fruit  garden,  and  can  adapt  them- 
selves to  many  foods,  that  it  is  desirable  that  they  receive  the 
fullest  protection,  for  at  any  time  they  may  prove  of  untold  value  in 
assisting  to  hold  in  check  some  threatened  outbreak  of  injurious  in- 
sects. Prof.  King  found  that,  of  19,  2  ate  caterpillars;  1,  2  beetles; 
1,  a  grasshopper;  1,  raspberries;  1,  elderberries;  and  18  of  them  ate 
seeds  of  various  weeds  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  542).  Prof.  Forbes  found 
that  78  per  cent,  of  the  food  of  some  he  examined  was  canker- worms 
(Rept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc,  1881,  p.  204).  He  also  notes  they  eat  other 
caterpillars,  spring  beetles,  vine  chafers,  snout  beetles  and  hemiptera. 


141.    Gknus  SPIZA  Bonaparte. 

"^^234.     (604)      Spiza  americana  (Gmll). 

Dickcissel. 
Synonyms,  Black-throated  Bunting,  Little  Meadow  Laek. 

Adult  Male. — Top  and  sides  of  head,  sides  and  back  of  neck,  ash; 
forehead,  tinged  A\'ith  yellow;  line  over  eye,  one  on  each  side  of  throat, 
edge  of  wing,  and  breast,  yellow;  a  black  patch  on  throat  and  upper 
breast;  throat,  lores,  belly  and  under  tail  coverts,  white;  wing  covert«, 
chestnut;  back,  with  black  streaks;  wings  and  tail,  fuscous.  Adult 
Female. — Similar,  except  less  yellow  on  the  breast;  black  pateh  on 
throat  replaced  by  spots  or  streaks;  top  of  head,  more  brownish. 
Young. — Similar  to  female,  but  more  buffy. 

Length,  5.75-6.80;  wing,  2.80-3.30;  tail,  2.35-2.90. 


984  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  over  the  eastern  United  States 
to  Massachusetts,  Ontario,  Michigan,  Minnesota  and  North  Dakota. 
Eare  east  of  the  Alleghanies.  Breeds  throughout  its  United  States 
range.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  on  ground  or  in  bush,  of  leaves,  grass,  rootlets  and  weed 
stalks,  lined  with  grasses  and  hair.    Eggs,  3-5;  pale  blue;  .80  by  .60. 

In  most  localities  the  Dickcissel  is  an  abundant  summer  resident. 
However,  it  is  a  recent  introduction  into  our  fauna.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chans- 
ler  says  he  can  remember  when  it  was  rare  in  Knox  County,  where  its 
numbers  now  are  perhaps  exceeded  by  no  other  bird.  It  appeared  in 
Franklin  County  some  time  between  1869  and  1879.  While  it  has  be- 
come abundant  there,  in  the  upland  meadows,  it  is  quite  uncommon  in 
the  valleys  of  streams  and  on  the  rougher  land.  As  is  to  be  supposed, 
it  is  rare  in  the  more  heavily  timbered  portion  of  southern  Indiana. 
In  1886,  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  noted  it  was  becoming  more  com- 
mon in  Carroll  County  each  year.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  first  observed 
them  at  Sedan,  Dekalb  County,  in  1887,  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Feagler,  at 
Waterloo,  in  1894.  They  are  still  rare  there.  In  the  spring  of  1887 
I  found  it  rare  in  the  parts  of  Cook  County,  111.,  that  I  visited.  It  is 
now  said  to  be  locally  common  there.  Dr.  Gi-ibbs  says  (1893)  it  was  not 
known  in  Michigan  twenty  years  ago  (Cook,  Birds  of  Mich.,  p.  118). 
In  1894  Mr.  L.  Whitney  Watkins  notes  that  it  only  appeared  at  Man- 
chester, Mich.,  within  the  last  few  years.  Mr.  T.  L.  Hankinson  noted 
that  it  appeared  for  the  first  time  at  Agricultural  College,  Mich.,  the 
spring  of  1896.  Prof.  E.  E.  Fish,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  informed  me  that 
in  1891  it  was  more  numerous  than  any  other  species  of  bird  about 
Logansport,  Ind. 

Some  early  and  late  dates  of  first  spring  appearances  are  given: 
Brookville,  April  19,  1887,  May  10,  1886;  Bicknell,  April  20,  1894, 
May  13,  1896;  Bloomington,  April  38,  1893,  May  4,  1895;  Green- 
castle,  April  29,  1893,  May  5,  1896;  Lafayette,  April  27,  1896,  May 
13,  1893;  Waterloo,  April  30,  1897,  May  10,  1896;  Plymouth,  Mich., 
May  1,  1895,  May  3,  1891;  Chicago,  111.,  May  4,  1895,  May  16,  1897. 

They  are  associated  in  my  mind  with  the  Grasshopper  Sparrow. 
They  arrive  about  the  same  time,  frequent  similar  places,  the  period 
ef  singing  is  about  the  same,  and  they  depart  together.  In  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State  they  are  often  mated  when  they  arrive.  The 
site  for  a  home  is  at  once  chosen  and  work  upon  the  structure  is 
begun.  The  bird  is  adapting  itself  to  conditions.  In  the  more  open 
regions  it  nests  upon  the  ground,  frequently  in  a  clover  field  or 
meadow.  Other  places,  it  builds  in  clumps  of  weeds  a  little  distance 
off  the  ground.    Dr.  Hoy,  of  Eacine,  Wis.,  never  found  a  nest  in  that 


Birds  of  Indiana.  985 

vicinity  on  the  ground,  and  some  were  elevated  on  bushes  as  much  as 
six  feet.  Prof.  Cook  says,  in  Michigan,  they  usually  nest  on  bushes. 
In  Lake  County,  Ind.,  Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  notes  that  they  nest  upon  the 
ground.  The  same  conditions  that  operate  upon  the  Grasshopper 
Sparrow  act  upon  the  Dickcissel.  The  different  times  of  mowing  the 
clover  and  timothy  crops  and  of  cutting  the  small  grain  result  in 
driving  them  and  the  insects  from  the  land,  as  they  are  left  neither 
shelter  nor  their  usual  food.  ISTotwithstanding  these  discouragements, 
they  continue  common,  and  our  people  are  beginning  to  recognize  in 
them  good  friends. 

Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  has  taken  a  nest  and  four  eggs  in  Wabash 
County  as  early  as  May  18,  1894,  and  Mr.  T.  L.  Hankinson  took  a 
nest  and  four  eggs  at  Agricultural  College,  Mich.,  June  18,  1896. 
Their  song  is  a  peculiar  one,  uttered  from  fence,  bush,  tree  or  tall 
weed,  from  early  morning  till  evening.  It  is  said  to  suggest  the 
syllables  see,  see — Dick,  Dick-cissel,  cissel.  Dr.  Coues  would  interpret 
it:  loohl  hole!  see  me  here!  see!  But  it  comes  to  me  characteristi- 
cally as  five  metallic  sounds — something  like  the  noise  made  by  drop- 
ping six  silver  dollars,  one  upon  the  other,  into  one^s  hand:  clenk, 
clenk,  clenk-clenk-denk.  They  keep  singing  until  late  July  or  early 
August,  and  then  the  song  and  the  singer  vanish  together.  Many  were 
heard  singing  August  3,  1897.  August  6  there  were  but  few,  and 
neither  song  nor  bird  were  noted  after  that  date.  In  1896  they  were 
last  reported  from  Bicknell,  August  26  (Chansler). 

Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes,  in  writing  of  an  orchard  infested  with  canker- 
worms,  says:  "Another  valuable  species  was  the  Black-throated  Bunt- 
ing, Spiza  americana.  This  confined  itself  less  strictly  to  the  (canker) 
worms  for  food  than  the  foregoing  (Cedar  bird),  but  was  much  more 
abundant  and  was  nesting  in  the  orchard.  Eleven  birds  were  exam- 
ined, and  eight  of  them  were  found  to  have  eaten  canker-worms, 
which  made  about  half  the  total  food  of  the  whole  number.  Cater- 
pillars are  usually  eaten  in  May  by  the  Black-throated  Bunting,  in  the 
ratio  of  about  20  per  cent.,  while  they  made  70  per  cent,  of  the  food 
of  those  shot  among  the  canker-worms"  (Kept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc, 
1881,  p.  204).  They  live  largely  upon  grasshoppers  and  other  meadow 
insects,  eating  also  seeds. 


986  Eeport  op  State  Geologist. 


XLL     Family  TANAGRIDiE.     Tanagers. 

a^.  Bill  stout,  tinchlike,  with  a  more  or  less  evident  tooth  near  middle  of  cutting 
edge  of  upper  mandible.  Piranga.     142 

142.    Genus  PIRANGA  Vieillot. 
a^.  Male  scarlet,  wings  and  tail  black  ;  female  not  red,  under  parts  greenish  yellow. 

P.  erythromelas  Vieill.     236 

a^.  Male  vermillion  red;  wings  and  tail  not  black;  female  not  red  ;  bufly  yellow 

below.  P.  rubra  (Linn.).     236 

*235.     (608).    Piranga  erythromelas  Vieillot. 

Scarlet  Tanager. 
Synonym,  Rlack-winged  Redbird. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  body,  coutinuous,  intense  scarlet;  wings 
and  tail,  intense  black;  bill,  greenish;  feet,  blue.  Adult  Female. — 
Olive-green  above,  greenish-yellow  beneath;  under  wing  coverts, 
white;  wings  and  tail,  fuscous.  Immature  Male. — At  first,  similar  to 
female,  but  with  wings  and  tail  black;  later,  with  plumage  spotted 
with  green  and  scarlet. 

Length,  6.50-7.50;  wing,  3.55-3.90;  tail,  2.80-3.25;  bill,  .55-.60. 

Range. — America,  from  Peru  north  over  eastern  United  States  to 
New  Brunswick  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  southern  Illinois  and 
Virginia  north.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  on  a  horizontal  lower  limb  of  tree,  usually  on  the  borders  of 
a  wood;  of  twigs,  bark  and  leaves,  lined  with  rootlets  and  bark  fibres. 
Eggs,  3-5;  greenish-blue  or  bluish-white,  speckled  and  blotched  with 
rufous-brown;  .90  by  .65. 

The  brilliant  red  and  jet-black  plumage  of  the  male  Scarlet  Tana- 
ger  have  made  it  a  well  known  bird  to  those  familiar  with  the  more 
open  woodland.  Its  less  conspicuous  mate  is,  however,  a  stranger. 
They  are  common  summer  residents  throughout  the  State,  arriving 
in  southern  Indiana  late  in  April,  the  migrants  passing  rapidly 
through,  and,  in  from  three  days  to  a  week,  usually  reaching  our 
northern  border.  The  following  are  early  and  late  dates  of  its  first 
arrival:  Brookville,  April  22,  1882,  May  1,  1884,  and  1896;  Bicknell, 
April  18,  1896,  April  24,  1894,  and  1895;  Bloomington,  April  22, 
1896,  May  6,  1882;  Lafayette,  April  25,  1896,  April  30,  1895;  Sedan, 
April  19,  1889,  April  30,  1894;  Laporte,  May  2,.  1893,  May  9,  1896; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  27,  1888,  May  6,  1893;  Chicago,  111.,  May  1, 
1886,  and  1896,  May  11,  1894. 

In  the  Whitewater  Valley  they  frequent  the  wooded  hillsides  and 
uplands,  being  seldom  found  among  the  timber  in  the  river  bottoms. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  987 

In  southern  Illinois,  according  to  Mr.  Ridgway,  they  prefer  the  high 
timber  of  bottom  lands  to  upland  woods.  In  the  northern  part  of  the 
State  the  upland  oak  woods  are  favorite  haunts. 

Mr.  Bicknell  says  their  ordinary  note  is  chip-chirr,  but  quotes  Mr. 
F.  T.  Jencks  as  saying  that,  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  it  has  three  notes 
■ — chip-chir-ree.  He  notes  that  its  song  may  be  heard  until  August 
20  (The  Auk,  Vol.  I.,  1884,  p.  326).  To  me  it  seems  to  utter  a 
chuck-ah  or  chuck-ur,  which  is  one  of  the  characteristic  sounds  of  the 
woodland.  The  Scarlet  Tanager  has  a  song,  too,  which  it  sings  from 
the  top  of  some  tree.  Mr.  Ridgway  says  this  resembles  "somewhat 
that  of  the  Robin  in  its  modulation,  but  is  shriller  in  tone,  more  hur- 
ried, and  enunciated  in  a  peculiar,  wavering  style.^^ 

In  spring,  the  males  are  observed  in  advance  of  the  females,  but 
usually  only  a  few  days  at.  most.  Mating  follows  at  once  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  latter.  I  observed  them  mating.  May  4,  1886.  May 
15,  1897,  one  of  my  sons  found  an  egg  of  this  species  on  the  ground, 
where  it  had  in  some  manner  been  dropped.  I  found  a  nest,  with 
eggs.  May  20,  1886.  The  latter  part  of  May  and  through  early  June 
nests  may  be  found  containing  eggs.  Their  nest  is  a  frequent  recep- 
tacle for  the  Qgg  of  the  Cowbird.  Scarlet  Tanagers  begin  to  be  less 
numerous  in  August,  and  generally  leave  before  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember, However,  specimens  have  been  observed  at  Chicago,  111., 
October  3,  1895;  Brookville,  Ind.,  October  6,  1894;  Zanesville,  Octo- 
ber 22,  1896;  Lebanon,  September  29,  1894.. 

They  live  principally  upon  insects  and  destroy  great  numbers  of 
those  kinds  that  frequent  forest  trees.  Dr.  B.  H.  Warren  examined 
29  specimens  and  found  that,  with  the  exception  of  two,  which  had 
eaten  cherries,  their  food  was  entirely  insects,  largely  beetles  (Birds 
of  Pa.,  2d  Ed.,  p.  251).  Prof.  F.  H.  King  also  examined  29  specimens, 
and  found  their  principal  food  was  as  follows:  26  caterpillars,  47 
beetles,  11  spiders,  7  grasshoppers.  They  also  had  eaten  ants,  ichneu- 
mon flies,  6  diptera,  6  hemipterous  insects,  1  dragon  fly.  Curculios, 
elaters  and  leaf-chafers  formed  a  part  of  the  beetles  eaten  (Geol.  of 
Wis.,  I.,  p.  512). 

"At  least  three  years  seem  to  be  required  for  the  assumption  of  the 
perfect  plumage  of  the  male.  In  the  first  year  the  young  male  is  like 
the  female,  but  has  black  wings  and  tail;  in  the  fall  red  feathers  begin 
to  make  their  appearance,  and  the  following  spring  the  red  predomi- 
nates in  patches''  (B.  B.  and  R.,  Hist.  N.  A.  Birds,  I.,  p.  435).  Occa- 
sionally, also,  the  female  assumes,  in  part  or  wholly,  the  plumage  of 
the  male  (The  Auk^  July,  1891,  pp.  315,  316;  Ibid,  October,  1897, 
pp.  406,  407). 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  correction  in  nomenclature  by  which  the  present  species  be- 
comes P.  erythromelas  instead  of  P.  rubra,  which  is  the  correct  name 
of  the  Summer  Eed  Bird,  has  led  to  much  confusion,  and  many  er- 
roneous records  have  latterly  been  made  by  those  using  the  old  nomen- 
clature. 


*236.     (610).    Piranga  rubra  (Linn.). 

Summer  Tanag-er. 
Synonyms,  Summer  Redbird,  Ked  Bee-bird. 

Adult  Male. — Vermillion-red,  the  wings  and  tail  similar;  other  up- 
per parts,  duller  than  lower;  bill,  yellowish,  darker  above;  feet,  gray. 
Adult  Female.. — Yellowish-olive  above,  light  ochrey-yellow  beneath 
(Ridgway).    Immature. — Like  female. 

Length,  7.45-7.95;  wing,  3.70-3.95;  tail,  2.90-3.15;  bill,  .82-.90, 

Range. — America,  from  Peru  over  eastern  United  States  to  New 
Jersey,  Indiana  and  eastern  Kansas.  Casually  to  Nova  Scotia  and 
Ontario.  Breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range.  Winters  south 
of  United  States. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  similar  to  those  of  P.  erythromelas. 

Over  a  good  portion  of  southern  Indiana  the  Summer  Tanager  is  a 
common  summer  resident.  It  is  not  so  brightly  colored  as  the  last 
species  and  is  less  retiring,  being  often  found  along  highways,  where 
they  pass  through  woods,  and  about  the  edges  of  timber  land.  They 
frequent  the  more  level  upland,  where,  among  the  oak  and  beeches  of 
the  white  clay  land,  they  are  more  abundant  than  the  Scarlet  Tanager 
in  the  same  portion  of  the  State.  They  are  common  as  far  as  Han- 
over, the  bluffs  of  the  Whitewater  near  Brookville,  which  river  they 
rarely  cross,  Bloomington,  and  Terre  Haute.  They  have  been  noted 
at  Greencastle  and  at  Shades  of  Death,  Parke  County.  Mr.  Y.  H.  Bar- 
nett  noted  it  near  Clinton,  Vermillion  County,  August  2,  1897.  Mr. 
Robert  Ridgway  has  noted  its  appearance  at  Wheatland  from  April  18 
to  23.  It  has  first  appeared  at  other  places  noted  at  the  following 
early  and  late  dates:  Bicknell,  April  16,  1896,  April  26,  1894;  Han- 
over, April  21,  1896,  April  27,  1897;  Bloomington,  April  28,  1886, 
May  1,  1893;  Terre  Haute,  April  26,  1890,  April  28,  1888;  Brookville, 
April  26,  1897,  May  11,  1880.  In  the  fall,  they  leave  late  in  Septem- 
ber and  early  in  October.  The  latest  dates  noted  are  Brookville, 
September  24,  1894;  Bicknell,  October  4,  1896;  Wheatland,  October 
10,  1882. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  989 

The  call  note  is  different  from  that  of  the  Scarlet  Tanager,  sound- 
ing, as  it  comes  through  the  woods,  like  per-chuch-urr.  Mr.  Ridgway 
says  its  ordinary  notes  are  pa-chip-it-tut-tut-tut,  or,  as  Wilson  ex- 
presses it,  chicky-chuck-chuck.  The  song  resembles,  in  its  general 
character,  that  of  the  Scarlet  Tanager,  but  is  far  louder,  better  sus- 
tained and  more  musical.  It  equals  in  strength  that  of  the  Eobin, 
but  is  uttered  more  hurriedly,  is  more  \\dry,  and  much  more  con- 
tinued. The  male  does  not  acquire  his  full  plumage  for  several  years. 
Therefore,  the  plumage  is  often  strangely  marked  with  red  and  yel- 
low. Females  are  sometimes  found  showing  red  markings.  "One, 
shot  at  Wheatland,  Ind.,  May  21,  1881,  had  the  plumage  more 
than  one-half  red,  the  red  color  being  of  greater  extent,  in  fact,  than 
on  the  male,  which  was  killed  by  the  same  shot.  The  tint  of  red  is 
very  peculiar,  being  of  dull  Chinese  orange,  instead  of  pure,  rosy  Ver- 
million, as  in  the  male.  *  *  *  The  food  of  this  bird  consists,  to 
a  great  extent,  of  hornets,  wasps,  and  bees,  on  which  account  it  is  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent  known  to  the  farmers  as  the  ^Red  Bee-bird'  " 
(Ridgway,  Birds  of  111.,  I.,  pp.  217,  218).  These  and  other  insects 
constitute  its  summer  food,  but  with  the  ripening  of  wild  fruits  and 
seeds  in  the  fall,  they  become  quite  a  factor  in  its  bill  of  fare. 

To  most  of  us  this  bird  was  formerly  known  as  P.  cestiva  (Gm.), 
and  to  the  last  species  was  given  the  name  P.  rubra  (Linn.).  It  was 
found  that  Linn^us'  name,  rubra,  applied  to  this  species,  and,  in  at- 
tempting to  correct  an  error,  much  trouble  has  been  caused  to  those 
who  knew  them  by  the  old  names,  and,  in  regions  where  both  are 
found,  confusion  of  data  will  result. 


XLII      Family  HIRUNDINID^      Swallows. 

a^.  Nostrils  opening  directly  upward  and  with  very  little  membrane  bordering 
edge. 
6^.  Wing  5.00  or  more;  tail  forked  ;  male  glossy  black.  Progne.     143 

6^.  Wing  less  than  5.00;  tail  nearly  even. 

c^.  Plumage  of  upper  parts  lustrous  blue-black,  marked  with  various  shades 
of  chestnut;  edge  of  ou'er  quill  without  recurved  hooks. 

Petrochelidon.     144 
c^.  Plumage  of  upper  parts  pale  grayish  brown  ;  edge  of  outer  quill  with  stifT 
recurved  hooks  (obscure  in  female).  Stelgidopteryx.     148 

a^.  Nostrils  opening  laterally,  covered  more  or  less  by  a  membrane  or  scale. 

d^.  Tail  forked  for  more  than  half  its  length  ;  tail  feathers  with  white  spots. 

Chelidon.     145 
d"^.  Tail  forked  for  less  than  half  its  length. 

e^.  No  feathers  on  lower  part  of  tarsus;  plumage  lustrous  above. 

Tachycineta.     146 

e"^.  Small  tuft  of  feathers  on  lower  part  of  tarsus;  plumage  of  upper  parts 

dark  gray.  Clivicola.     147 


990  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

143.    Genus  PROGNE  Boie. 

*237.     ((:)11).    Progne  subis  (Linn  ). 

Purple  Martin. 

Adult  Male. — Lustrous  blue-black.  Adult  Female  and  Young. — 
Much  duller  above;  more  or  less  white  below,  streaked  with  gray. 

Length,  7.25-8.50;. wing,  5.65-6.20;  tail,  3.00-3.40. 

EaisTGE. — America,  from  Argentine  Eepublic  and  Bolivia  north  over 
eastern  United  States  to  Manitoba,  Ontario  and  Newfoundland. 
Breeds  throughout  its  range.    Winters  from  Mexico,  south. 

Nest,  of  grass,  straw,  string,  paper,  etc.,  lined  with  feathers;  in 
boxes  provided  for  them.    Eggs,  4-5;  pure  glossy-white;  .97  by  .72. 

The  Purple  Martin  is  a  well  known  summer  resident  in  most  locali- 
ties. Some  places,  however,  it  is  not  found,  though  common  a  few 
miles  away.  In  many  localities  its  numbers  are  much  less  than  for- 
merly, while  in  a  few  places  it  is  noted  as  becoming  more  common. 
None  of  our  native  birds  have  suffered  more  from  the  English  Spar- 
row than  this.  Their  houses,  homes  in  box  cornices,  and  other  nest- 
ing sites,  have  been  occupied  by  the  irrepressible  little  foreigner.  The 
Martins  fought  bravely  for  their  homes,  but  in  many  cases  gave  up  the 
battle.  •  In  southeastern  Indiana  they  are  notably  few  in  numbers, 
compared  with  those  that  summered  there  before  the  Sparrows  came. 
This  is  true  about  all  the  cities  and  larger  towns,  not  of  this  State 
only,  but  of  the  eastern  United  States  generally.  At  Lafayette,  I 
am  informed,  they  were  more  common  in  1896  than  usual.  In  De- 
kalb County  it  is  rare  (Mrs.  Hine),  and  is  not  found  at  Waterloo 
(Snyder)  or  at  Kedkey  (Hathaway).  I  suspect,  from  the  fact  that 
they  regularly  return  each  spring,  they  will  adapt  themselves  to  cir- 
cumstances and  once  more  become  numerous.  This  could  be  helped 
by  our  having  boxes  prepared  that  could  be  put  up  about  the  time 
they  appear  or  at  a  moment's  notice  when  they  arrive.  These  sites 
would  not  then  be  occupied  by  Sparrows  in  advance,  and,  with  a  little 
watchfulne.ss  upon  our  part  the  Martins  would  probably  be  secure  in 
their  occupancy  of  them.  They  would  be  further  encouraged  by 
keeping  their  houses  closed  each  year  until  the  time  of  their  arrival. 

The  early  and  late  records  of  first  arrival  are:  Spearsville,  March 
21,  1894,  March  29,  1897;  Brookville,  March  27,  1882,  April  16, 
1894;  Bloomington,  March  28,  1886,  April  17,  1895;  Bicknell,  April 
6,  1894,  April  12,  1895;  Greencastle,  April  2,  1893,  April  12,  1894; 
Lafayette,  March  23,  1897,  April  30,  1893;  Richmond,  March  25, 
1897;  Muncie,  April  3,  1897,  April  28,  1893;  Dekalb  County,  April  5, 
1896,  April  17,  1894;  Laporte,  April  4,  1893,  April  14,  1894;  Peters- 


Birds  of  Indiaxa.  991 

burg,  Mich.,  April  26,  1888,  May  1,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  March  31, 
1885,  May  5,  1896.  The  males  often  arrive  first  and  are  followed  later 
by  the  females. 

Mating  begins  early  in  April,  or  at  once  upon  arrival,  if  they  are 
late.  In  1896,  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  noted  that  they  began  to  build 
at  Greensburg  April  25.  May  9  the  nest  was  completed  and  the  first 
egg  was  laid.  Evidently  an  egg  was  deposited  each  day,  for  on  May 
13  the  nest  contained  four  eggs,  and  the  bird  had  begun  to  sit.  The 
young  are  usually  able  to  leave  the  nest  toward  the  last  of  June.  I 
observed  them  learning  to  fly  in  1886,  from  June  28  until  July  9. 
After  the  young  are  able  to  fly,  neither  the  old  nor  young  return  to 
the  nesting  site  to  roost. 

Mr.  Otto  Widmann  tells  us,  as  night  falls  they  collect  in  colonies  in 
willow  thickets,  where  they  roost,  and  scatter  again  as  the  day  breaks. 
Their  cheery  songs  are  heard  well  into  July — July  21,  1897.  Mr. 
Widmann  noted  them  singing  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  as  late  as  August  12. 
Their  ordinary  call  is  heard  as  long  as  they  remain.  They  were  last 
observed,  at  Lafayette,  August  31,  1896,  and  September  19,  1895;  at 
Bicknell,  August  18,  1896,  August  30,  1894;  Vermillion  County,  Au- 
gust 14,  1897;  Brookville,  August  31,  1883.  Often  they  mostly  dis- 
appear late  in  July  or  early  in  August,  and  usually  but  few  are  seen 
after  the  middle  of  the  latter  month. 

The  Martin  is  a  general  favorite,  yet  it  destroys  many  bees,  tiger 
beetles  and  other  beneficial  insects.  Therefore  it  should  eat  a  great 
quantity  of  injurious  insects  to  balance  the  destruction  of  those  bene- 
ficial kinds.  Prof.  King  informs  us  that  five  ate  14  bees,  8  tiger 
beetles,  2  butterflies,  9  breeze  flies,  6  dragon  flies,  3  mollusks  (Geol.  of 
Wis.,  I.,  p.  24).  They  have  also  been  known  to  capture  squash  beetles. 

The  Purple  Martin  migrates  from  tropical  America,  both  north  and 
south,  breeding  in  the  Argentine  Republic  as  naturally  as  it  does 
with  us.  Prof.  F.  Sumichrast  reported  it  a  resident  of  the  Alpine 
region  of  Mexico. 

144.    Genus  PETROCHELIDON  Cabanis. 

*238.     (612).    Petrochelidon  lunifrons  (Say.). 

Cliff  Swallow. 
Synonyms,  Eave  Swallow,  Square-tailed  Barn  Swallow,  Mud  Dauber. 

Adult. — Lustrous  steel-blue;  forehead,  whitish  or  brown;  rump,  ru- 
fous; chin,  throat  and  sides  of  head,  chestnut;  a  steel-blue  spot  on  the 
throat;  breast,  sides  and  generally  a  ring  around  the  neck,  rusty-gray, 
whitening  on  the  belly.  Immature. — Duller;  throat,  black,  possibly 
with  whitish  markinsrs. 


992  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  5.00-6.00;  wing,  4.05-4.56;  tail,  2.00-2.20. 

Kange. — America,  from  Paraguay  to  Labrador,  Alaska  and  the 
Arctic  Ocean.  Breeds  from  Mexico  (Mazatlan),  north.  Winters 
south  of  the  United  States. 

Nest,  a  bottle  or  gourd-shaped  structure  of  mud,  attached  to  cliffs 
or  under  the  eaves  of  buildings,  lined  with  feathers  and  bits  of  straw. 
Eggs,  3-5;  white,  spotted  with  olive  or  rufous-brown;  .81  by  .55. 

One  of  the  pleasant  recollections  of  my  boyhood  is  of  visits  to  the 
country  where  the  large  barns  were  elaborately  decorated  beneath  the 
eaves,  sometimes  in  a  double  row,  with  the  curious,  bottle-shaped  nests 
of  the  Eave  Swallow.  I  should  think  from  one  to  two  hundred  nests 
could  be  found  on  a  single  barn,  and  many  bams  harbored  large  col- 
onies. Now  they  are  much  less  common  in  Franklin  County.  In 
southern  Indiana  they  prefer  the  uplands  for  building  sites,  usually 
nesting  in  colonies.  Sometimes,  however,  one,  or  a  few  pairs,  are 
found  nesting  by  themselves.  They  usually  return  year  after  year 
to  the  same  building,  but  occasionally  change  the  site  of  a  colony, 
deserting  an  old  locality  and  seeking  a  new  one.  They  now  rarely 
build  along  our  rivers,  though  I  can  remember  when  some  barns  there 
were  quarters  for  large  numbers.  That  would  seem  to  be  the  natural 
place  for  their  homes  because  of  the  ease  with  which  mud  can  be  ob- 
tained. But  the  sand  in  the  mud  is  a  discouraging  feature  that  is  re- 
sponsible for  so  few  nesting  there.  I  know  of  two  instances  in  which 
a  colony  of  these  birds  came  to  a  bam  near  the  river  and  began  to 
construct  nests.  When  they  were  almost  completed  they  crumbled 
and  fell.  Again  and  again  they  tried  to  build,  but  each  time  the  nests 
fell  when  they  began  to  dry.  At  last,  despairing  of  succeeding,  they 
left  the  locality  never  to  return.  I  know  of  but  one  instance  of  their 
building  in  a  town.  Some  j^ears  ago  I  found  a  few  pairs  nesting  about 
a  bam  near  the  canal  at  Metamora,  Ind.  Before  the  days  when  men 
built  barns  these  birds  built  along  cliffs.  In  some  parts  of  the  United 
States  such  sites  are  still  occupied.  Mr.  Angus  Gaines  informs  me 
they  yet  breed  against  a  bluff  in  Knox  County.  In  the  days  gone  by 
the  thoughtless  farmer,  with  his  long  pole;  the  mischievous  urchin  and 
the  prowling  cat  were  their  most  persistent  enemies.  Later  man  intro- 
duced the  English  Sparrow,  which  in  many  localities  has  succeeded  in 
driving  the  "mud  daubers'^  away.  Each  year  reports  are  made  of  ad- 
ditional localities  from  which  they  have  been  driven.  In  1891  they 
and  the  Bam  Swallows  were  driven  from  our  bam  by  English  Spar- 
rows (S.  T.  Sterling,  Camden).  In  1895  none  appeared  at  Bicknell; 
seldom  nests  any  more  (E.  J.  Chansler).  Decreasing  in  numbers  with- 
in the  la-st  year,  1897  (Prof.  Glenn  Culbertson,  Hanover).    Are  being 


Birds  of  Indiana.  993 

driven  off  by  English  Sparrows  (A.  H.  Kendrick,  Ellsworth,  1897). 
Not  so  common  as  formerly;  has  been  driven  off  by  English  Sparrows 
(Wabasli,  Ulrey  and  Wallace). 

The  impression  once  held  was  that  these  birds  had  but  recently 
extended  their  range  to  the  eastern  Fnited  States.  It  is  known,  how- 
ever, that  they  were  found  in  New  York,  New  Hampshire,  New  Bruns- 
wick and  Vermont  about  the  time  the  species  was  described  by  Say. 
In  1819  Audubon  noted  them  at  Newport,  Ky.  Information  concern- 
ing their  occurrence  in  this  State  prior  to  1850  is  almost  wanting. 
Dr.  Haymond  says:  "These  Swallows  first  built  their  nests  in  this 
county  (Franklin)  in  1849.  Previous  to  that  time  they  were  occasion- 
ally seen  as  migrants^'  (Proc.  Phila.  Acad.  Sci.,  1856,  p.  287).  In 
the  early  days  when  they  built  about  cliffs  they  were  unknown,  save 
during  migration,  away  from  the  vicinity  of  such  places.  Their  ex- 
tension over  the  State,  and  over  the  country  generally,  came  with  the 
provision  by  man  of  suitable  nesting  sites. 

Mr.  Geo.  L.  Toppan  informs  me  that  he  found  two  nests  among  a 
colony  of  these  birds,  each  of  which  was  of  the  usual  gourd  shape,  and 
contained  an  egg  of  the  Cowbird.  It  seems  impossible  that  these  in- 
trusive eggs  could  be  deposited  in  such  nests  except  the  parent  Cow- 
bird  placed  them  there  with  her  bill. 

The  Cliff  Swallow  some  years  arrives  by  April  10;  others,  is  nearly 
a  month  later.  Early  and  late  dates  of  first  arrival  are:  Brookville, 
April  12,  1881,  April  26,  1897;  Bloomington,  April  18,  1884,  May  2, 
1893;  Hanover,  April  10,  1897,  x\pril  24,  1896;  Delphi,  April  7,  1894; 
Vigo  County,  April  15,  1896,  April  26,  1897;  Dekalb  County,  April 
10,  1897,  May  4,  1890;  Michigan  City,  April  12,  1890;  Petersburg, 
Mich.,  April  26,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  April  13,  1886,  May  9,  1897. 
Sometimes  not  only  the  early  arrivals,  but  late  ones  as  well,  perish 
from  severe  weather.  During  the  very  unseasonable  weather  of  May 
20  and  21,  1883,  many  died.  After  breeding  they  leave  the  vicinity 
of  our  homes,  but  later  in  the  season,  generally  in  August,  are  seen 
again  as  they  make  their  way  southward.  The  latest  fall  dates  at  hand 
are:  Bicknell,  August  25,  1896,  September  5,  1894;  Franklin  County, 
September  3,  1897;  Sedan,  October  5,  1887.  They  feed  upon  insects, 
among  which  have  been  identified  ichneumon  flies,  flies,  leap-hoppers, 
beetles,  bugs,  ants,  wasps  and  grasshoppers. 


68 — Geol. 


994  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

145.    Genus  CHELIDON  Forster. 

^239.     (t)13).    Chelidon  erythrogaster  (Bodd.). 

Barn  Swallow. 
Synonym,  Forkfd-tailed  Barn  Swallow. 

Adult. — Above,  lustrous  steel-blue;  below,  rufous  or  pale  chestnut 
of  varying  shade;  forehead,  chin  and  throat,  deep  chestnut;  breast, 
with  an  imperfect  steel-blue  collar;  tail,  with  white  spots  on  the  inner 
web  of  all  the  feathers,  except  the  inner  pair;  tail,  deeply  forked. 
Immature. — Less  lustrous  above;  paler  below. 

Length,  5.75-7.75;  wing,  4.60-4.90;  tail,  3.70-4.10. 

Range.— America,  from  southern  Brazil  north  to  Greenland  and 
Alaska.    Breeds  from  Mexico  north.    Winters  in  tropical  America. 

Nest,  bowl-shaped;  of  mud  and  straw,  lined  with  feathers,  fastened 
by  one  side  to  timbers  in  a  bam  or  to  walls  of  a  cave.  Eggs,  3-5; 
white,  spotted  with  olive  and  rufous-brown;  .77  b}^  .54. 

The  Bam  Swallow  is  an  abundant  summer  resident.  It  is  not 
found  in  colonies  as  is  the  preceding  species,  but  frequents  bams, 
outhouses  and  old  l)uildings  in  country  and  also  in  towns.  There  it 
builds  inside  buildings,  usually  a  single  pair  occupying  a  building. 
Formerly  it,  too,  nested  in  caves  and  in  sheltered  places  against  cliffs, 
but  has  adapted  its  life  to  the  changed  conditions. 

Some  years  they  arrive  in  southern  Indiana  before  March  is  over, 
but  that  is  unusual.  Earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrival  are: 
Brookville,  March  30,  1884,  and  1887,  April  23,  1893;  Bicknell,  March 
31,  1897,  April  19,  1894:  Spearsville,  April  5,  1897,  April  19,  1895; 
Edwards,  April  2,  1897;  Camden,  April  20,  1896,  May  2,  1894;  Sedan, 
April  17,  1896,  April  29,  1895;  Laporte,  April  10,  1893,  April  14, 
1896;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  11,  1889,  April  18,  1888.  As  with 
some  of  the  other  Swallows,  they  may  be  found  along  quiet  stretches  of 
river  or  about  ponds  and  other  bodies  of  water  quite  early.  These  are, 
doubtless,  migrants.  Often  the  summer  residents  do  not  appear  about 
their  breeding  places  until  after  May  1.  Thus  one  station  near  a  pond 
or  lake  will  report  migrants  almost  a  month  ahead  of  another  but  a  few 
miles  from  water.  They,  too,  are  destroyed  by  storms.  That  of  May 
20  and  21,  1883,  killed  many.  I  found  them  maring  April  21,  1881, 
and  May  13  of  that  year  found  the  nest  with  eggs.  They  often  rear 
two  broods  and  occasionally^ three.  Before  leaving,  in  August,  they 
sometimes  collect  in  considerable  flocks.  Usually  they  depart  by  Au- 
gust 20,  but  sometimes  after  all  appear  to  have  gono.  migrants  from 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


995 


farther  north  appear  in  numbers.  The  following  are  the  latest  dates 
at  which  they  were  seen:  Plymouth,  Mich.,  August  29,  1894,  Septem- 
ber 4,  1886;  Sedan,  Ind.,  August  24,  1889;  Lafayette,  September  6, 
1894;  Vermillion  County,  August  31,  1897;  Brookville,  September  1, 
1885,  September  2,  1887;  Bicknell,  September  29,  1896. 


Barn  Swallow. 
(Beal.— FarineB.'s  Bulletin  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  ) 

Prof.  King  found  11  had  eaten  14  small  moths,  40  flies  (among 
them  33  tipulids),  6  beetles  and  1  dragon  fly.  Prof.  Forbes^  investiga- 
tions show  similar  results.  Many  people  have  learned  to  prize  these 
well-known  birds,  and  still  many  others  have  not.  Their  value  is 
great,  for  their  service  to  mankind  is  great,  and  they  are  almost  unob- 
jectionable. The  dollars  they  save  in  their  warfare  against  insects 
entitle  them  to  our  thought  as  to  means  for  their  protection  and  en- 
couragement. Openings  should  be  left  in  the  gables  and  high  up  on 
the  sides  of  barns  and  other  buildings  and  shelves  or  other  projections 
provided  on  the  outside  that  they  may  be  attracted  to  our  homes  and 
farms. 


996  Report  of  State  Geologist. 


146.    Genus  TACHYCINETA  Cabanis. 

*240.     (614).    Tachycineta  bicolor  (Vieill.). 

Tree  Swallow. 
Synonym,  White-bellied  Swallow. 

Adult. — Above,  lustrous  green  or  steel-blue;  below,  pure  white. 
Immature. — Less  glossy. 

Length,  5.00-6.25;  wing,  4.50-4.80;  tail,  2.30-2.50. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Guatemala  to  Labrador,  Great  Slave 
Lake  and  Alaska.  Breeds  from  Virginia,  southern  Indiana  and  Colo- 
rado north.    Winters  from  South  Carolina  south. 

Nest,  in  a  hole  in  tree  or  stub;  of  leaves  and  grass  lined  with  feathers. 
Eggs,  3-7;  white;  .75  by  .52. 

The  Tree  Swallow  is  generally  a  migrant  southward,  but  in  the 
lower  Wabash  Valley  and  in  northern  Indiana  it  is  a  summer  resident 
locally  in  suitable  places.  In  some  localities  it  is  rare  and  in  others 
very  abundant.  It  doubtless  formerly  bred  where  the  conditions  were 
favorable  throughout  the  State.  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  recalls  having  seen 
Swallows  years  ago  in  Franklin  County,  occupying  holes  in  trees,  in 
summer,  which  he  now  is  satisfied  were  this  species.  They  were  also 
seen  there  as  late  as  June  2,  1884.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  informs  me 
that  when  he  lived  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  some  years  ago,  this  Swallow 
"was  one  of  the  most  abundant  summer  residents,  decidedly  the  most 
numerous  of  the  family,  breeding  in  very  large  colonies  in  sloughs 
connected  with  the  river,  their  nests  being  invariably  built  in  aban- 
doned Woodpeckers'  holes  in  dead  stumps  and  trees.  They  were  con- 
fined to  the  bottom  lands.  It  was  particularly  numerous  immediately 
above  the  dam  at  the  Grand  Rapids,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  above 
Mt.  Carmel,  where  a  great  number  of  large  trees  had  been  killed  by 
raising  the  water  level  following  the  completion  of  the  dam.  I  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  it  does  not  still  breed  there  wherever  there  are 
suitable  places." 

It  breeds  along  the  Kankakee  River,  where  it  is  reported  from 
English  Lake  (Deane)  and  Porter  County  (Parker).  Also  in  Dekalb 
County  (Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine,  Snyder).  This  species  winters  in  num- 
bers regularly  along  the  Gulf  Coast.  It  is  the  first  Swallow  to  arrive 
at  its  breeding  grounds  in  the  spring,  often  appearing  before  the  ice 
is  out  of  the  rivers  and  lakes,  and  the  last  to  leave  in  the  fall.  How- 
ever, where  it  is  only  known  as  a  migrant  its  appearance  is  very  irregu- 
lar and  it  is  usually  rare,  appearing  nearly  always  later  than  it  does  at 


Birds  of  Indiana.  997 

its  summer  home  farther  north.  They  have  been  first  noted  at  Brook- 
ville,  April  1,  1889,  and  xVpril  25,  1892;  English  Lake,  March  18, 
1894,  abundant;  Laporte,  March  19,  1894,  May  1,  1896;  Chicago,  111., 
March  22,  1884,  April  14,  1894.  In  the  fall  most  of  them  leave  by 
early  September,  but  sometimes  they  remain  later.  They  are  recorded 
from  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  3,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  September 
28,  1894;  Bicknell,  Ind.,  September  4,  1895.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr., 
notes  tliem  at  Chicago,  111.,  as  late  as  October  18. 


Tree  Swallow. 

From  its  habit  of  building  in  holes  in  trees,  being  the  only  species 
that  selects  such  sites,  it  is  called  "Tree  Swallow."  It  has  clung 
closely  to  its  original  nesting  habit.  Yet,  occasionally,  it  is  known 
to  appropriate  a  Martin  box,  or  to  build  under  the  eaves,  or  in  some 
other  favorable  place  about  a  building.  We  may  expect  them  event- 
ually to  change  their  nesting  habit.  They  prefer  to  nest  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  water,  but  do  not  always  do  so. 

Fourteen  specimens  examined  had  eaten  63  beetles,  a  number  of 
which  were  weevils;  33  small  dragon  flies,  22  winged  aphid^e,  or  plant 
lice;  10  diptera,  including  ants  and  craneflies;  5  hymenoptera,  2  grass- 
hoppers and  one  spider  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  pp.  515,  516).  The 
habit  of  this  species,  as  well  as  of  the  two  Swallows  last  mentioned, 
of  skimming  the  grain  fields  shows  the  insects  infesting  such  places 
constitutes  much  of  their  food. 


147.    Genus  CLIVICOLA  Forster. 

*241.     (16).    Clivicola  riparia  (Linn). 

Bank  Swallow. 

AduU.-^AhoYey  lustreless  gray,  with  a  band  of  same  across  the 
breast;  reniaining  under  parts,  white;  sniaU  tuft  of  feathers  above  the 
hind  toe.    Immature. — Tinged  more  or  less  with  rusty  or  whitish. 

Length,  4.75-5.50;  wing,  3.70-4.25;  tail,  2.10-2.25. 


998  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Range. — America,  from  Brazil  to  Ijabrador  and  Alaska.  Breeda 
locally  from  southern  United  States  north.  Winters  from  coast  of 
Gulf  States  south. 

Nest,  in  hole  which  it  excavates  in  a  steep  bank.  Generally  nest  in 
colonies.    Eggs,  4-7;  pure  white;  .71  by  .50. 

Abundant  summer  resident,  breeding  in  colonies  wherever  there 
are  steep  banks  along  streams  or  about  ponds  in  which  they  can  exca- 
vate holes  for  their  nests.  In  more  level  localities  they  sometimes 
dig  holes  in  railroad  and  other  embankments,  where  they  are  built 
of  sand.  Where  desirable  nesting  sites  are  lacking,  the  Swallows  are 
wanting  and  are  only  seen  during  migrations. 

Late  in  March  or  early  in  April,  some  years,  they  may  be  found 
about  water  or  near  a  sandy  or  loamy  bluff.  Other  years  they  are 
about  three  weeks  later  in  arriving.  Five  of  them  arrived  at  Lafayette, 
March  20,  1897,  and  in  1896  the  first  were  seen  April  25.  The  first  ar- 
rived at  Brookville,  April  3,  1884,  April  27,  1893;  at  Bloomington, 
April  6,  1884;  Greencastle,  April  13,  1893,  April  27,  1896;  Edwards, 
April  18,  1896,  April  21,  1897.  At  Chicago  they  arrived  from  April 
20  to  May  10  (Parker).  Mr.  D.  C.  Ridgley  found  them  building  a 
nest  near  Delphi,  April  28,  1894.  They  have  been  noted  breeding 
near  Chicago,  111.,  June  17,  1894.  The  nests  are  placed  at  the  end  of 
galleries  dug  in  the  banks.  Sometimes  these  excavations  branch  or 
have  lateral  passages,  and  in  these  two,  or  even  more,  pairs  build  nests. 

When  the  young  are  old  enough  to  leave  the  nest,  they  and  the 
parents  may  be  observed  sitting  on  bushes  or  the  limbs  of  brush  along 
the  stream.  A  favorite  site  is.  a  telegraph  wire.  Where  such  are 
available,  a  little  later,  they  may  be  found  thickly  strung  along  the 
wire  associated  with  other  kinds  of  Swallows.  These  Swallows  have 
continued  to  nest  in  their  old  way.  All  other  species  found  in  the 
eastern  United  States  have  changed  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  Their 
white  underparts,  marked  with  a  dark  band  across  the  breast,  dis- 
tinguish them  when  on  the  wing  from  the  Rough-winged  Swallow 
which  occupies  similar  locations.  They  leave  through  the  month  of 
August,  being  rarely  found  in  September.  Observed  abundantly  at 
Chicago,  111.,  August  4,  1896;  Brookville,  Ind.,  September,  1885,  Sep- 
tember 1,  1886;  Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  reported  them  from  Brookville,  Oc- 
tober 18,  1880.  Its  food  consists  of  small  flying  insects,  which  it  cap- 
tures while  skimming  the  water  or  flying  low  over  the  meadows  and 
grain  fields. 


Birds  of  Indiaxa.  999 

148.    Gkxus  STELGIDOPTERriJX  Baird. 

"^242.     (617).    Stelgidopteryx  serripennis  (And.). 

Rough-winged  Swallow. 
Synonym,  Bank  Swallow. 

Adult. — Above,  lustreless  brownish-gray;  quills  and  tail  feathers, 
dusky-brown;  below,  light  gray,  whitish  on  belly  and  crissum;  the 
edge  of  the  wing  supplied  with  small  hooks,  which  are  rough  to  the 
touch;  no  tuft  of  feathers  above  the  hind  toe.  Immature. — With  more 
or  less  of  rufous  tinge;  lacking  small  hooks  on  the  edge  of  wing. 

Length,  4.75-5,50;  wing,  3.70-4.25;  tail,  2.10-2.25. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Panama  to  Connecticut,  southern 
Ontario,  Michigan,  southern  Montana  and  British  Columbia.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range.  Winters  from  South  Carolina  and  Mexico 
south. 

Nest,  in  a  burrow  which  it  excavates  in  a  steep  bank,  in  openings 
in  walls,  in  cavities  about  bridges  and  buildings  and  in  old  buildings; 
of  grass  or  feathers.    Eggs,  4-8;  white;  .75  by  .53. 

The  Eough-winged  Swallow  is  a  summer  resident  throughout  the 
State,  frequenting  principally  such  places  as  the  Bank  Swallow  loves. 
It  is,  however,  not  so  numerous  as  that  well-known  species.  In  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  it  is  rare,  and  in  many  localities  wanting. 
Because  of  the  general  lack  of  metallic  lustre  to  the  upper  plumage, 
they  are  not  usually  distinguished.  But  this  species  may  be  known 
by  its  grayish  throat  and  breast.  While  they  breed  together,  excavat- 
ing burrows  in  the  same  bank,  I  have  observed  that  the  single  holes 
away  from  the  colony  contained  nests  of  the  present  species.  They 
also  nest  in  open  joints  in  masonry,  the  foundations  of  buildings, 
mortises,  holes  in  the  sides  of  buildings  and  even  within  buildings, 
where  the  nest  is  placed  on  a  beam.  Dr.  Rufus  Haymond  was  one  of 
the  first  to  call  attention  to  the  Rough-winged  Swallow  beginning  to 
change  its  nesting  habits  (Field  and  Forest,  Yol.  I.,  1876,  p.  88;  also, 

E.  Coues,  Bulletin  ]S^utt.  Om.  Club,  Yol.  I.,  1876,  p.  96,  and  American 
Naturalist,  Yol.  X.,  1876,  pp.  492,  493).  The  Bank  Swallow  has  never 
attempted  to  find  a  better  nesting  site  than  a  sandy  bank. 

I  have  found  them  mating  as  early  as  April  25,  1881.  Prof.  B.  W. 
Evermann  found  nests  nearly  completed  at  Gosport,  May  8,  1886.   Dr. 

F.  W.  Langdon  says:  "Of  a  dozen  or  more  nests  of  this  species,  taken 
at  Madisonville,  0.,  May  20-21,  1879,  those  from  inland  situations 
(along  creeks  and  bridges)  were  complete  in  number  (5  to  7)  and  well 


1000  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

advanced  in  incubation;  while  those  from  river  banks  were,  with  one 
or  two  exceptions,  incomple'te,  containing  onl}^  from  one  to  four  eggs, 
which  in  all  cases  were  fresh  (Joum.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  December, 
1881,  p.  338).  Under  the  article  on  Belted  Kingfisher,  I  have  given  Dr. 
Langdon's  account  of  a  burrow  of  each  of  these  birds  that  was  oc- 
cupied by  Humble  Bees. 

The  times  of  their  migrations  correspond  with  those  of  the  Bank 
Swallow  and,  unfortunately,  but  few  persons  have  distinguished  them 
to  note  their  movements  carefully.  They  first  arrived  at  Brookville, 
April  3,  1888,  April  27,  1895;  Terre  Haute,  April  15,  1888,  April  19, 
1890;  Greensburg,  April  27,  1895,  April  28,  1894;  Irvington,  April  11, 
1889;  Bloomington,  May  1,  1886;  Chicago,  111.,  May  9,  1896.  In  addi- 
tion, they  have  been  reported  from  Carroll  County  (Evermann);  La- 
fayette, nests  (Dr.  E.  Test);  Knox  County  (Ridgway);  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty (Hubbard);  Lake  County  (Coale);  Wabash  County,  rare  (Ulrey  and 
Wallace).  Their  general  habits  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Bank  Swal- 
low, and  they  are  of  the  same  utility  as  insect-catchers. 


XLIIL     Family   AMPELIDiE.     Waxwings,  Etc. 

a^.  Plumage  cinnamon-drab;  black  stripe  across  forhead  and  through  eye;  second- 
aries often  tipped  with  red  wax-like  appendages.  Ampelis.     149 

Subfamily  AMPELIN.E.     Waxwings 

149.    Gbnus  AMPELIS  Linn^us. 

a^  Wing  over  4.00.  A.  garrulus  Linn.     243 

a2.  Wing  under  4.00.  A.  cedrorum  (Vieill.  K     244 

243.     (618).    Ampelis  garrulus  Linn. 

Bohemian  Waxwing". 

Adult. — With  a  conspicuous  crest;  forehead,  stripe  through  the  eye, 
chin  and  upper  throat,  black;  general  color,  brownish-ashy,  tinged 
with  reddish  on  the  front  of  crown;  rump,  upper  tail-coverts  and  sec- 
ondaries, ashy;  stripe  on  side  of  throat,  and  two  short  bands  on  wing, 
white;  tips  of  outer  web  of  most  of  the  primaries,  white  or  yellow; 
secondaries,  with  red  wax-like  tips;  primaries,  black;  tail,  blackish  to- 
ward the  end,  but  tipped  with  yellow;  lower  tail-coverts,  cinnamon- 
rufous. 

Length,  7.40-8.75;  wing,  4:.40-4.60;  tail,  2.75-2.90. 

Range. — Northern  portions  of  northern  hemisphere  in  America; 
south  in  winter,  irregularly  to  Pennsylvania,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Kansas, 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


1001 


Colorado,  Arizona  and  California.    Breeds  north  of  the  United  States. 

Nest,  in  trees;  of  twigs  and  rootlets.  Eggs,  similar  to  those  of 
Ampelis  cedroruni,  but  larger;  .96  by  .68. 

This  large  Wax  wing  is  an  irregular  mnter  visitor  to  northern  In- 
diana and  casually  farther  south.  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley, 
of  Lebanon,  Ind.,  that  about  forty  years  ago  (1856),  when  he  was  liv- 


Bohemian  Waxwings.    Reduced. 

ing  in  Indianapolis,  one  spring  he  took  nineteen  Bohemian  Waxwings 
in  one  day  near  that  city.  They  were  in  a  flock  and  were  flying  for- 
ward and  backward  over  White  Eiver,  catching  insects  after  the  man- 
ner of  Flycatchers. 

Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says  they  were  unusually  numerous  in  Cook 
County,  111.,  the  winter  of  1875-6,  remaining  in  that  vicinity  until 
March  15,  1876  (Bulletin  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  YIII.,  1876,  p.  103).  It 
w^as  noted  in  northern  Ohio  in  March,  1840;  July  17,  1845;  1860 
(Wheaton,  Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  295). 

The  winter  of  1879-80  they  appeared  in  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan in  numbers.  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes  reported  them  from  Villa  Ridge, 
Pulaski  County,  111.,  December  18,  1879  (Bulletin  ISTutt.  Om.  Club, 


1002  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Vol.  v.,  p.  118).  Dr.  J.  L.  Hancock  infomis  me  that  March  1,  1880, 
he  shot  two  from  a  flock  of  eight  that  were  feeding  on  mountain  ash 
berries  in  Chicago,  111.  March  30,  1880,  over  one  hundred  of  these 
birds  were  killed  at  Whiting,  Lake  County,  Ind.,  and  taken  to  a 
Chicago  taxidermist.  They  were  seen  by  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale.  Specimens 
from  that  lot  are  in  the  collections  of  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale,  Mr.  Geo. 
L.  Toppan  and  my  own.  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge,  in  1889,  informed  me 
that  "About  ten  years  ago"  (perhaps  the  winter  of  1879-80)  "three 
specimens  were  shot  near  Fort  Wayne.  Two  of  these  are  in  the  col- 
lection of  Prof.  H.  Duemling,  at  Fort  Wayne  and  the  third  in  my 
own."  Mr.  Stockbridge  has  very  kindly  placed  his  specimen  in  my  col- 
lection. Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  is  certain  he  saw  a  flock  of  a  half 
dozen  in  the  cedar  trees  in  his  father's  yard,  in  Carroll  County,  several 
years  ago  (The  Auk,  January,  1889,  p.  26).  Messrs.  Ulrey  and  Wal- 
lace say  there  is  a  specimen  in  the  collection  of  Mt.  M.  L.  Galbreath, 
at  Collamer,  that  was  taken  near  the  Wabash  County  line  (Proc.  Ind. 
Acad.  Sci.,  1895,  p.  155).  They  are  larger  than  the  Cedar  Birds,  but 
resemble  them  in  appearance  and  habits. 

Mr.  F.  ^I.  Woodruff,  of  Chicago,  111.,  writes  me  that  several  Bohe- 
mian Waxwings  were  killed  January  1,  1896,  from  a  flock  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  at  Lake  Forest,  111.  Two  days  later  another  one  was  taken  near 
the  same  place. 


*244.     (619)     Ampelis  cedrorum  (Vikill.). 

Cedar  Waxwing. 
Synonyms,  Ledar  Bird,  Cherry  Bird. 

Adult. — Conspicuously  crested;  forehead,  chin  and  stripe  through 
the  eye,  black,  the  latter  bordered  above  and  the  black  forehead 
behind  with  white;  lower  eyelid  and  stripe  on  each  side  of  the  throat, 
white;  general  color,  grayish-brown;  tail-coverts  and  w^ngs,  ashy;  tail, 
blackish  toward  the  end  and  tipped  with  yellow;  secondaries,  and 
sometimes  the  tail  feathers,  with  red,  wax-like  tips;  belly,  yellowish; 
lower  tail-coverts,  white.  Immature. — More  grayish,  with  indistinct 
whitish  streaks;  chin,  not  black;  belly,  dingy  whitish;  no  red.  waxen 
tips. 

Length,  6.50-7.50;  wing,  3.60-3.90;  tail,  2.30-2.60. 

Range. — Xorth  America,  Honduras  and  Jamaica  to  Labrador  and 
fur  countries.  Breeds  from  Florida,  South  Carolina,  Virginia,  Ken- 
tucky and  Arizona  north.  Winters  from  Dakota,  Minnesota,  Michigan 
and  Ontario  south. 


BiKDS    OF    IXDIAXA. 


1003 


Nest,  in  tree,  five  to  tvventA^-five  feet  up,  or  bush,  in  orchard,  lawn, 
grove,  etc.;  of  twigs,  bark,  leaves,  etc.,  lined  with  grass  and  hair.  Eggs, 
3-5;  bluish-gray,  or  stone-color,  more  or  less  distinctly  spotted  with 
black  and  dark-brown;  .87  by  .61. 

Except  during  the  breeding  season,  the  Cedar  Waxwings  are  gre- 
garious, wandering  about  the  country  in  flocks,  usually  of  six  to  twen- 
ty-five, sometimes  of  a  hundred  or  more.  They  roam  at  will,  being 
abundant  or  scarce  in  a  locality  as  food  is  plentiful  or  scanty.  They 
are  resident  throughout  the  State,  but  vary  in  numbers,  being  gener- 
ally most  numerous  northward  in  summer,  from  early  May  until 
October,  and  southward  in  winter  and  during  the  migrations. 


Cedar  Bird. 


They  are  late  breeders,  nesting  through  June,  July  and  August. 
They  share  this  late  nesting  season  with  the  American  Groldfincli. 
Cedar  Waxwings  are  known  as  Cherry  Birds  from  their  frequent  visits 
to  the  early  cherry  trees,  and  after  the  early  cherries  are  gone  they 
begin  to  think  about  nesting.  The  nest  is  usually  placed  in  small 
trees,  bushes  and  shrubs.  They  build  in  the  fruit  trees  in  our  orchards 
and  yards  and  in  the  shade  trees  along  the  streets  of  our  towns. 

Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer  informs  me  of  taking  its  nest  and  five  eggs  in 
Lake  County  as  early  as  June  1.  Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder  took  a  nest  and 
four  eggs  in  Dekalb  County,  June  27,  1885.  I  found  young  at  Brook- 
ville  unable  to  fly  July  8,  1897,  and  a  few  weeks  later — July  30 — 
found  another  set  of  young  barely  able  to  fly.  Eev.  J.  F.  Clearwaters 
took  a  nest  containing  four  fresh  eggs  near  Michigan  City,  August 


1004  Kepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

14,  1891.  It  was  built  in  a  huckleberry  bush,  six  feet  up.  Its  outside 
diameter  was  5.50  inches;  inside,  5.00  inches;  inside  depth,  2.00  inches. 
It  was  composed  of  grass  and  small  twigs,  lined  with  grapevine  bark, 
"old  man"  moss  and  lichens.  In  fall  and  winter  wild  fruit,  berries  and 
seeds  form  much  of  their  food.  In  winter  nothing  attracts  them  so 
much  as  the  hackberry  (Celtis  occidentaUs).  Some  years,  early  in 
spring,  they  are  found  living  upon  redbuds.  Prof.  F.  E.  L.  Beal  re- 
ports that  of  152  stomachs  examined,  animal  matter  constituted  13 
per  cent,  and  vegetable  matter  87  per  cent,  of  the  food.  Except  a  few 
snails,  all  the  animal  food  was  insects,  most  of  which  were  noxious. 
Of  the  vegetable  food,  74  per  cent,  was  wild  fruit  or  seeds,  and  13  per 
cent,  cultivated  fruit,  including  raspberries  and  blackberries,  which 
may  or  may  not  have  been  cultivated  kinds.  The  Cedar  Waxwing  is 
shown  to  feed  its  young  almost  exclusivel}^  upon  insects.  Of  cherries 
it  eats  only  the  early  kinds,  and  them  not  so  extensively  as  has  been 
supposed.  From  the  fact  that  its  food  is  so  varied,  it  possesses  the 
power  to  become  a  valuable  bird  in  an  emergency  which  may  be  caused 
at  any  time  by  an  insect  outbreak.  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes  has  shown 
that  in  an  orchard  infested  with  canker-worms,  the  most  useful  bird 
was  the  Cedar  Bird,  about  30  of  which  had  apparently  taken  up  their 
residence  in  the  orchard  and  were  feeding  entirely  on  the  worms. 
The  number  in  each  stomach,  determined  by  actual  count,  ranged 
from  70  to  101,  and  it  was  usually  nearly  100.  These  30  birds  were, 
therefore,  eating  the  pests  at  the  rate  of  3,000  a  day,  or  90,000  for  the 
month  during  which  the  caterpillar  is  exposed  to  their  attacks  (Eept. 
Mich.  Hort.  Soc,  1881,  p.  204).    , 

They  have  a  peculiar,  lisping  note,  uttered  in  a  monotone  varying 
in  pitch.  As  they  sit  among  the  branches  of  an  Early  Richmond 
cherry  tree  in  early  June,  the  note  seems  to  be  inhaled,  and  reminds 
me  of  a  small  boy  who,  when  eating  juicy  fruit,  makes  a  noise  by  in- 
halation in  endeavoring  to  prevent  the  loss  of  the  juice  and  then  ex- 
claims, "How  good!"  As  the  birds  start  to  fly,  each  repeats  the  note 
three  or  four  times.  These  notes  develop  into  a  song  as  the  summer 
comes  on;  a  lisping  and  peculiar  song  that  tells  that  the  flocks  are 
resolving  into  pairs  as  the  duties  of  the  season  press  upon  them. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1005 

XLIV.     Family  LANIID^.     Shrikes. 

a^.  Color  above  ashy  to  ashy-blue;  black  stripes  on  sides  of  head.      Lanius.     150 

150.    Genus  LANIUS  Likn-eus. 

a'.  Wing  more  than  4.25  ;  feathers  at  base  of  upper  mandible  not  black. 

L.  borealis  Vieill.     245 
a^.  Wing  under  4.25;  feathers  at  base  of  upper  mandible  black. 

6^.  Above  deep  lead  color;  the  upper  tail  coverts  varying  from  near  the  color 
of  back  to  nearly  pure  white.  L.  ludovicianus  (Linn.).     246. 

245.     (621).    Lanius  borealis  Vieill. 

Northern  Shrike. 
Synonym,  Butcher  Bird. 

Adult. — Above,  bluish-gray,  white  on  scapulars,  upper  tail-coverts, 
forehead  and  over  eyes;  wings,  black;  secondaries  and  short  primaries, 
tipped  with  white  and  white  patch  at  base  of  the  primaries;  ear-cov- 
erts, black;  lores,  grayish-black,  the  latter  not  meeting  across  forehead 
next  to  bill;  a  white  crescent  on  lower  eyelid;  tail,  black,  the  outer  web 
of  the  outside  feathers  and  the  tips  of  some  of  the  others,  white;  be- 
low, white,  with  wavy  blackish  cross  bars;  bill  and  feet,  black.  Im- 
mature.— Similar,  but  more  brownish  or  buffy. 

Length.— 9.25-10.75;  wing,  4.35-4.60;  tail,  4.50-4.75. 

Range. — Northern  North  America.  Breeds  from  Hudson  Bay 
north  to  Arctic  Coast.  South  in  winter  to  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Kan- 
sas, Colorado,  Arizona  and  northern  California. 

Nest,  of  sticks,  twigs,  weeds,  bark,  grass  and  feathers;  in  low  tree 
or  bush.  Eggs,  4-6;  dull  white,  thickly  spotted  with  light-brown  and 
lavender;  1.10  by  .80. 

In  southern  Indiana  the  Northern  Shrike  is  usually  an  irregular, 
rare  winter  visitor,  though  occasionally  it  is  found  in  some  numbers. 
Northward  it  is  a  tolerably  common  winter  resident.  It  arrives  from 
November  1  to  15,  and  remains  an  indefinite  time,  its  length  per- 
haps determined  by  the  food  supply.  It  sometimes  leaves  in  Jan- 
uary or  Februar}'  and  occasionally  remains  until  the  middle  of 
March.  The  spring  dates  are  very  uncertain.  The  Loggerhead  Shrike 
is  an  early  migrant  and  is  often  mistaken  for  this  species.  While 
some  rare  and  obscure  birds  are  carefully  noted,  and  concerning 
them  we  have  good  reports;  of  other  birds  that  are  quite  conspicuous, 
we  lack  accurate  information.  It  would  be  of  value  to  have  observa- 
tions that  shall  distinguish  between  the  Shrikes  and  give  full  infor- 
mation concerning  the  standing  of  each.  The  winter  of  1880-81  this 
species  was  quite  common  at  Brookville.  The  winter  of  1885-6  it  was 
numerous  about  Chicago,  111. 


1006  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Shrikes  are  commonh^  known  as  Butcher  Birds.  They  live  upon 
animal  food;  small  birds,  small  mammals  and  insects  being  their  mala 
subsistence.  Their  life  is  one  of  continual  warfare;  a-preying  upon 
others.    While  their  bill  is  that  of  a  rapacious  bird,  their  feet  are  weak, 


Northern  Shrike.    (Reduced.) 

and  they  cannot  hold  their  prey.  For  this  reason  they  usually  resort 
to  thorn  trees,  where  their  victims  are  impaled  upon  thorns,  some- 
times making  quite  an  array  of  small  birds,  beetles  and  other  food, 
reminding  one  of  a  butcher^s  rack  jelled  with  meat.  They  are  very 
bold  when  pursuing  their  prey.  I  once  watched  a  Shrike  chase  a 
Junco  in  and  out  among  the  trees,  and  about  the  buildings  of  my 
back  yard,  coming  very  close  to  me  several  times,  until  finally  its  per- 
sistence was  rewarded  by  catching  the  frightened  bird,  which  it  car- 
ried off  to  a  neighboring  tree.  It  paid  no  attention  to  me.  They 
have  been  known  to  kill  pet  birds  in  cages  when  they  were  exposed 
in  the  open  air  and  to  dash  themselves  against  a  window  in  the  at- 
tempt to  seize  a  bird  that  was  in  plain  view  through  the  glass.  When 
food  becomes  scarce  in  the  country  they  have  been  known  to  go  to  the 
cities  and  live  principally  upon  English  Sparrows.  They  in  turn  are 
sometimes  preyed  upon.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler  informed  me  of  one  at 
Bicknell,  ISTovember  25,  1894,  that  barely  escaped  capture  by  a  Spar- 
row Hawk. 

The  !N'orthem  Shrike  has  been  reported  breeding  in  Indiana.  That 
is  a  mistake.  Its  breeding  ground  is  far  to  the  north.  The  other 
species  must  have  been  mistaken  for  it. 


*246.     (622).    Lanius  ludovicianus  Linn. 

Loggerhead  Shrike. 
Synonym,  Butcher  Bird. 

Adult. — Similar  to  L.  horealis,  but  smaller;  lores  and  ear-coverts, 
deep  black,  the  latter  meeting  across  the  forehead  next  the  bill;  upper 
tail-coverts  and  rump,  sometimes  white;  below,  white;  sides,  sometimes 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  1007 

grayish.  Immature. — Tinged  with  brownish  and  huffy,  marked  with 
fine,  wavy,  dark  crossbars;  wings  marked  with  huffy;  black  on  sides  of 
head,  dusky. 

Length,  8.50-9.50;  wing,  3.75-4.10;  tail,  3.65-4.25. 

Eange. — Eastern  United  States  w^est  to  the  Plains;  from  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  north  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  ISTew  Jersey  and  in  the  in- 
terior to  the  Great  Lakes,  Ontario  and,  east,  along  the  south  side  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  Eiver  to  Maine.  Winters  from  Missouri,  southern 
Illinois  and  southern  Indiana  south. 

Nest,  low  in  tree  or  in  bush,  usually  a  thorn;  of  twigs,  bark,  grass 
and  string.  Eggs,  4-7;  dull  white,  thickly  spotted  with  light-brown 
and  lavender;  .97  by  .73. 

Summer  resident,  most  numerous  in  central  and  northern  Indiana, 
although  in  some  localities  elsewhere  it  is  common.  Eesident  some 
winters,  at  least,  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley.  A  specimen  was  taken 
at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  January  5,  1886  (Eidgway,  Orn.  of  111.,  I.,  p.  195). 

In  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  the  specimens  seem  upon  first 
notice  to  be  the  White-rumped  Shrike  (Lanius  ludovicia'nus  excubi- 
toroides  (Swains.),  but  comparison  of  a  series  of  birds  shows  that  while 
many  are  light  in  color  they  fall  between  the  two  forms  most  nearly 
approaching  the  present  spedies.  The  specimens  from  southern  In- 
diana and  into  the  middle  of  the  State  are  darker  and  show  at  once 
to  be  this  species.  Few  Shrikes  breed  south  of  the  central  part  of  the 
State.  They  frequent  the  more  open,  level  land,  making  their  head- 
quarters along  hedges,  about  thorn,  trees,  in  which  they  build  nests 
and  especially  prefemng  a  telegraph  line  near  such  places.  There  it 
may  be  seen,  a  conspicuous  bird  in  black,  blue-gray  and  white,  sitting 
high  up,  or  far  out,  on  some  prominent  limb  or  on  a  pole  or  wire, 
waiting  for  its  food  to  pass  by.  Insects,  and  the  smaller  birds,  mam- 
mals and  reptiles  fall  prey  to  it,  and  like  the  Northern  Shrike  it  im- 
pales them  upon  thorns. 

They  usually  appear  as  migrants  in  March.  Early  and  late  first 
appearances  extending  over  a  number  of  years  are  as  follows:  Tan- 
gier, March  7,  1896,  March  21,  1895;  Spearsville,  March  13,  1894, 
March  28,  1895;  Brookville,  March  17,  1887,  April  16,  1893;  Greens- 
burg,  March  21,  1896,  March  24,  1895;  Irvington,  March  14,  1889; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  March  11,  1893,  April  25,  1897;  Chicago,  111., 
March  13,  1886,  April  17,  1897. 

As  the  woods  are  cleared  away  and  hedges  are  planted,  or  thorn 
trees  grow,  these  birds  are  appearing  in  new  neighborhoods,  and  most 
everywhere  in  the  more  level  portion  of  the  State  an  increase  in  num- 
bers is  noted.  They  sometimes  breed  in  April.  Mr.  E.  J.  Chansler 
found  a  nest  containing  six  eggs  at  Bicknell,  in  April,  1897.     Mr. 


1008  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Roy  Hathaway  took  a  nest  containing  six  well  incubated  eggs  at  Red 
Key,  April  28,  1895.  The  nest  was  on  the  limb  of  an  apple  tree  in 
an  old  orchard,  twenty  feet  up.  It  was  composed  of  sticks,  straws, 
grasses,  weed  stems,  rags,  twine,  pieces  of  cornstalks;  lined  with 
chicken  feathers.  It  was  also  used  by  the  pair  in  1894.  Messrs.  L. 
A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  nearly  fully  fledged  young  at  Lafayette,  May 
15,  1890.  They  note  some  six  or  seven  pairs  breeding  within  three 
or  four  square  miles  adjoining  that  city  that  same  spring.  Prof.  B. 
W.  Evermann  notes  a  set  of  six  eggs  taken  at  Pittsburg,  May  10,  1884. 
Near  Richmond,  a  set  of  eggs  was  taken  June  22,  1888  (H.  N".  Mc- 
Coy), and  another,  containing  fresh  eggs,  June  6,  1890  (L.  A.  and  C. 
D.  Test). 

Mr.  L.  T.  Meyer,  in  remarking  that  they  are  prolific  layers,  says 
in  the  spring  of  1886,  in  Lake  County,  the  first  laying  of  one  of  these 
birds  was  accidentally  broken.  It  built  another  nest  near  by,  and 
some  boys  broke  the  eggs.  The  third  time  it  built  in  an  orchard, 
and  reared  its  young  by  the  last  of  July.  Early  in  August  they  begin 
to  wander  away  from  their  breeding  places,  and  frequently  disappear 
from  well  known  haunts  in  September.  They  have  usually  left  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  in  October  and  most  of  the  southern  por- 
tion by  November  1  to  15. 

XLV.     Family  VIREONID^.     Vireos. 

a^.  Wings  not  shorter  tlian  tail ;  outer  toe  longer  than  inner.  Vireo.     151 

151.    Genus  VIREO  Vieillot. 

a^.  Wing  bars  wanting;  no  conspicuous  ring  around  eye.     Subgenus  Vireosylva 
Bonaparte. 
b^.  Primaries  apparently  9,  first  obsolete, 
c^  Wing  over  3.00  ;  beneath  white.  V.  olivaceus  (Linn.).     247 

c^.  Wing  under  3.00;  below  mostly  sulphur  yellow. 

V.  philadelphicus  (Cass.).     248 
62.  Primaries  evidently  10;  first  well  developed,   one-half  inch  or  more  long; 
wing  less  than  :-?.00  ;  below  whitish  ;  sides  buffy. 

V.  gilvus  (Vieill.).     249 
a^.  Wing  bars  conspicuous  ;  ring  around  eye  distinct. 

c?^.  Wing  one-fourth  or  more  longer  than  tail ;  first  primary  very  small,  or 
apparently  wanting;  not  one-fourth  length  of  second.     Subgenus  Lani- 
viREO  Baird. 
e^.  Throat,  breast,  and  ring  around  eye  yellow. 

V.  flavifpons  (Vieill.).     260 
e^.  Throat,  breast,  and  ring  around  eye  white. 

V.  solitarius  (Wils.).     251 
d^.  Wing  short  and  rounded,  not  one-fourth  longer  than  tail ;  first  primary 
two-fifths  or  more  the  length  of  second.     Subgenus  Vireo. 
f^.  White  below;  sides  yellow;  ring  around  eye  yellow. 

V.  noveboracensis  (Gmel.).     262 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1009 

Subgenus  Vibkosylva  Bonaparte. 

*247.     (624).    Vireo  olivaceus  (Linn.). 

Red-eyed  Vireo. 

Adult. — Above,  olive-groen;  head,  slate-gray;  a  distinct  white  stripe 
over  the  eye,  bordered  above  by  a  dusky  line;  wings,  not  barred; 
below,  white,  sides  of  body  lightly  washed  with  olive;  axillars  and 
crissum,  faintly  tinged  with  yellow;  iris,  red. 

Length,  5.50-6.50;  wing,  3.10-3.30;  tail,  3.15-3.30. 

Note. — The  larger  size,  dark  stripe  on  each  side  of  crown,  and  red 
eyes  distinguish  this  species. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  and  Trinidad  over  eastern  North 
America  to  Labrador,  the  Mackenzie  Valley  and  British  Columbia. 
Accidental  in  Grreenland.  Breeds  from  Culf  States  north.  Winters 
from  Florida  south. 

Nest,  pensile,  fastened  by  rim  to  a  small  horizontal  fork,  five  to 
forty  feet  up;  a  light,  thin  structure  of  bark  shreds,  hornets^  nest, 
grass  and  vegetable  fibre,  closely  felted.  Eggs,  3-5;  white,  with  a 
few  fine  black  and  umber  dots  at  the  large  end;  .85  by  .56. 

The  Eed-eyed  Vireo  is  one  of  the  most  common  birds  of  the  wood- 
land. Especially  is  this  true  during  the  spring  migrations,  when 
many  a  one  has,  by  reason  of  its  inquisitiveness,  fallen  a  victim  to  the 
collector's  gun,  and  many  another  has  revealed  its  identity  by  its 
inquiring  tones,  just  in  time  to  save  its  life.  N'o  bird  in  the  woods 
is  a  greater  nuisance  to  the  collector  than  this  Vireo.  With  the 
utmost  care  to  avoid  killing  what  he  does  not  want,  some  are  certain 
to  get  in  the  way  of  the  load. 

Any  spring  morning  after  mid- April  that  is  bright  and  balmy,  or 
lowering  and  warm,  the  visitor  to  the  woods  may  expect  to  hear  a 
bird's  voice  coming  from  the  branches  above.  It  seems  to  say,  "See 
it?  See  it?  Who  are  j^ou?  Cheer  up."-  It  is  the  Eed-eyed  Vireo. 
He  would  know  his  caller  and  give  some  of  his  life  of  cheer  to  him 
and  to  all  who  come  within  these  quiet  forest  aisles.  There  the 
sounds  of  man's  busy  world  are  shut  out  and  Nature  rules,  as  in  pri- 
meval days,  over  all  who  submit  themselves  to  her  sway.  The  Eed- 
eyed  Vireo's  song  is  clear,  musical  and  sweet.  Its  notes  and  actions 
are  so  inquisitive  that  one  is  disposed  to  regard  it  as  an  animated 
interrogation  point. 

The  earliest  record  for  the  State  is  Grreencastle,  April  16,  1896. 
In  1894  it  was  not  seen  there  until  May  2.  The  following  are  other 
early  and  late  dates  when  it  was  first  seen:  Brookville,  April  17,  1896, 

64— Geol. 


1010 


Ki:i'oiiT  OF  State  Ueulogj^t. 


May  5,  1895;  Bicknell,  April  18,  1896,  April  27,  189i;  Bloomington, 
April  23,  1886,  May  1,  1893;  Lafayette,  April  24,  1897,  April  27, 
1895;  Sedan,  April  21,  1896,  May  5,  1889;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April 
28,  1888,  May  10,  1893;  Chicago,  111.,  May  6,  1895,  May  9,  1896  and 
1897.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  notes  it  as  sometimes  appearing  there 
by  May  1.  I  have  observed  them  mating  by  May  7  (1886),  and  late 
that  month  and  in  Jnne  the  nest  may  be  fonnd,  suspended  from  the 
fork  of  a  horizontal  limb  of  a  beech,  maple  or  other  long-limbed  tree, 
usually  from  five  to  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.     It  is  a  beau- 


Details  of  structure  of  Red-eyed  Vireo.    Natural  size. 


tiful,  cup-shaped  structure,  built  of  various-  kinds  of  fibres  and  felted 
together  with  all  sorts  of  material,  chief  of  which  seems  to  be  leaves 
and  hornets^  nests.  To  the  outside  is  glued  mosses,  lichens  and  vari- 
ous other  decorations.  Sometimes  two  broods  are  said  to  be  reared. 
They  usually  leave  through  September,  but  sing  almost  as  long  as 
they  remain.  I  found  them  in  full  song  September  10,  1897.  The 
latest  dates  at  which  they  have  been  noted  in  fall  are  Brookville, 
September  21,  1885;  Bicknell,  September  26,  1896;  Lafayette,  Sep- 
tember 29,  1894;  Sedan,  October  1,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  September 
26,  1895;  Warren  County,  September  25,  1897;  Trafalgar,  October 
12,  1897.  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  reports  it  from  Lebanon,  Ind.,  as  late 
as  October  23,  1894.  It  is  one  of  a  family  of  very  beneficial  birds. 
Prof.  King  examined  49  of  these  birds  and  found  the  principal  food 
was  56  larvae,  principally  caterpillars;  30  insect  eggs;  67  chinch  bugs; 
32  beetles,  and  6  grasshoppers.  But  14  had  eaten  vegetable  food, 
which  was  probably  all  wild  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  pp.  521,  522). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1011 

^^248.     ('26)     Vireo  philadelphicus  (Cass.). 

Philadelphia  Vireo. 
Synonyms,  Philadelphia  Vireo,  Brotherly  Love  Vireo 

Adult. — Above,  olive-oreen,  the  top  of  head  gray  or  olive-gray; 
a  white  stripe  over  eye,  but  no  dusky  line  above  it.  Below,  greenish- 
yellow;  iris,  dark-brown.  Immature. — Browner  above.  The  exten- 
sive yellow  below  and  the  absence  of  the  dusky  line  above  the  stripe 
over  the  eye  serve  to  distinguish  this  species. 


Details  of  structure  of  Philadelphia  Vireo.    Natural  size. 

Length,  4.75-5.40;  wing,  2.50-2.75;  tail,  1.90-2.20. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  to  Assiniboia  and 
Hudson  Bay.  Breeds  from  eastern  Nebraska,  central  Indiana,  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine,  north.'    Winters  in  Central  America. 

Nest,  pensile,  suspended  from  forked  Umb,  eight  to  ten  feet  from 
ground;  of  fine  grass  and  birch  bark.  Eggs,  4;  no  apparent  difference 
from  those  of  V.  olivaceus  (Seaton,  The  Auk,  Vol.  IL,  1885,  p.  305). 

The  Philadelphia  Vireo  is  generally  a  rare  migrant,  but  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  State,  near  Lake  Michigan,  it  is  sometimes 
rather  common.  It  is  also  a  rare  summer  resident.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nel- 
son found  two  pairs  of  these  birds  in  a  dense  willow  thicket,  bordering 
Mazon  Creek,  in  Illinois,  about-  sixty  miles  south  of  Chicago,  the  first 
of  July,  1874  (Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIII.,  1876,  p.  102).  Mr.  H.  K. 
Coale  took  a  single  specimen  in  Starke  County,  Ind.,  June  8,  1884. 
Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  says  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident  in  Carroll 
and  Monroe  counties.  In  Franklin  County  it  is  very  rare.  Mr. 
Eolla  Rockafellar  took  two  specimens  at  Brookville,  April  30,  1887, 
and  I  took  it  there  in  May,  1882,  May  9,  1887,  and  May  23,  1883. 
It  was  observed  at  Spearsville,  May  4  and  5,  1897  (Barnett);  Green- 
castle,  May  7,  three,  and  May  11,  1892  (Earlle);  Lake  County,  May 
16,  1877  and  1880  (Coale);  Cook  County,  111.,  May  15,  1886  (Parker); 
May  19,  1877  (Coale);  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  4,  1897  (Trombley). 
In  the  fall  I  found  them  at  Brookville,  September  21,  1885.  They 
were  noted  at  Cincinnati,  0.,  September  18,  1877,  September  17, 


1012  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

1878  (Dury  and  Freeman);  Lake  County,  Ind.,  September  25,  1875 
(Coale);  Chicago,  111.,  September  15,  1895  (Parker).  This  species 
has  the  size  and  general  appearance  at  a  little  distance  of  the  Warbling 
Vireo.  No  doubt  it  is  often  passed  by  because  it  is  thought  to  be 
that  bird.  In  the  spring  it  is  generally  found,  with  us,  in  the  denser 
woodland,  where  the  Warbling  Vireo  never  goes;  but  in  the  fall,  in 
the  trees,  and  among  the  bushes  along  streams,  both  species  are  some- 
times seen. 

Mr.  William  Brewster  says  its  song  is  nearly  identical  with  that 
of  the  Eed-eyed  Vireo.  "The  notes  are  generally  pitched  a  little 
higher  in  the  scale,  while  many  of  the  utterances  are  feebler,  and  the 
whole  strain  is  a  trifle  more  disconnected."  According  to  Dr.  Jona- 
than Dwight,  Jr.,  the  speed  at  which  the  Eed-eyed  Vireo  utters  its 
song  is  approximately  twice  that  of  the  Philadelphia.  Their  food  is 
principally  insects. 


*249.     (627).    Vireo  gilvus  (Vieill.). 

Warbling  Vireo. 
Synonym,  Warbling  Greenlet.^ 

Adult. — Above,  olive-gray,  brighter  on  the  rump,  sometimes  grayer 
on  the  head,  wings  and  tail^  with  more  or  less  distinct  olive  edgings; 
whitish  stripe  over  the  eye.  Below,  white,  breast  sometimes  tinged 
with  greenish  or  buffy;  sides  slightly  washed  with  olive;  first  primary 
very  short,  from  a  half  inch  to  a.n  inch  long. 

Length,  5.00-5.50;  wing,  2.65-2.95;  tail,  2.10-2.40. 

Note. — The  short  first  primary  and  the  absence  of  the  yellow  lower 
parts  serve  to  distinguish  this  species. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Mexico  (Oaxaca)  north  to 
Manitoba  and  Hudson  Bay.  Breeds  throughout  its  United  States 
range.    Winters  south  of  the  United  States. 

Nest  and  eggs  similar  to  those  of  V.  olivaceus,  but  usually  placed 
higher.     JEggs,  .74  by  .55. 

The  Warbling  Vireo  is  the  first  of  that  family  to  arrive  in  southern 
Indiana,  preceding  the  Red-eyed  a  few  days.  It  is  first  observed  among 
the  elms,  cottonwoods  and  sycamores  along  streams,  which  are  choice 
places  for  it  at  all  times.  A  little  later  it  appears  in  orchards  and  lawns, 
and  even  frequents  the  well-shaded  streets  of  towns.  Its  presence  is  an- 
nounced by  a  beautiful  song  that  comes  froiji  the  top  of  some  tall 
Cottonwood,  while  the  author  often  is  invisible.  Soon,  however,  an 
insect  tempts  him,  and  with  a  quick  movement  he  collects  it  and 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1013 

sings  another  song.  Thus  it  is  during  its  whole  stay  with  us.  It 
sings  and  works,  morning,  evening  and  mid-day,  through  the  whole 
long  summer.  It  is  said  it  even  sings  when  on  its  nest.  It  is  a  model 
of  industry  and  cheerfulness.  Its  whole  life  while  with  us  is  spent 
doing  good  among  the  fruit  and  shade  trees. 

The  earliest  spring  record  is  from  Bicknell,  where  it  w^as  taken 
April  12,  1896,  and  the  latest  date  of  first  arrival  there  is 
April  21,  1897.  Other  places  their  arrival  has  been  observed  as  fol- 
lows: Brookville,  April  13,  1897,  April  29,  1882;  Eichmond,  April 
22,  1897;  Lafayette,  April  28,  1896,  May  6,  1895;  Sedan,  April  17, 


Details  of  structure  of  Warbling  Vireo.    Natural  size. 

1896,  May  4,  1889;  Angola,  April  27,  1896;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April 
21,  1889,  April  30,  1897.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker  informs  me  they  usually 
arrive  at  Chicago,  111.,  May  1  to  10.  I  found  them  mating  at  Brook- 
ville, April  20,  1896,  and  nesting  May  21,  1881.  Messrs.  L.  A.  and 
C.  D.  Test  found  a  nest  containing  three  eggs  near  Lafayette,  July  7, 
1892.  Tt  was  built  in  a  wnllow,  fourteen  feet  up,  and  out  over  the 
water.  They  usually  leave  late  in  August  and  early  in  September. 
They  sing  as  long  as  they  st^y.  Very  late  migrants  are  reported,  as 
follows:  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  15,  1894;  Sedan,  Ind.,  Septem- 
ber 18,  1892;  Bicknell,  September  12,  1894;  Brookville,  September 
21,  1887. 

Prof.  King  found  that  16  Warbling  Vireos  had  eaten  34  caterpillars, 
5  beetles,  3  bugs,  5  flies,  and  1  grasshopper  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  521). 
In  an  orchard  infested  with  canker-worms  Prof.  Forbes  found  that 
35  per  cent,  of  their  food  was  canker-worms  (Kept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc, 
1881,  p.  204). 

Subgenus  Lanivireo  Baird. 

*250.     (628).    Vireo  flavifrons  Vieill. 

Yellow-throated  Vireo. 
Synonym,  Yellow-throated  Greenlet. 
Above, bright  olive-green;  rump, upper  tail  coverts  and  wing  coverts, 
ashy;  wings  and  tail,  blackish,  with  two  white  bars  crossing  the  for- 
mer; line  from  nostrils  to  the  eye  and  ring  around  the  eye,  yellow. 
Below,  throat  and  breast,  yellow;  other  under  parts,  white. 


1014  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Length,  5.00-5.85;  wing,  3.00-3.20;  tail,  2.00-2.30. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  and  Cuba  north  over  eastern 
United  States  to  Newfoundland,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  north.     Winters  from  Florida,  south. 

Nest,  pensile;  in  fork  of  twig,  three  to  thirty  feet  up;  of  fine  bark, 
grass  and  spiders'  webs,  outside  beautifully  decorated  with  lichens. 
Eggs,  3-5;  white,  with  spots  of  chestnut-brown,  umber  and  black, 
chiefly  at  the  larger  end;  .79  by  .58. 


Details  of  structure  of  Yellow-throated  Vireo.    Natural  size. 

Common  migrant.  Summer  resident  in  some  numbers  northward^ 
and  more  rarely  southward.  Breeds.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  reports 
it  breeding  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  where  he  says  it  frequents  the 
luxuriant  forests  of  the  bottom  lands.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  found  a 
nest  in  an.  elm  on  the  bank  of  a  creek  in  Brown  County,  May  16, 
1897.  In  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  State  it  frequents  wooded 
hillsides  especially,  where  there  is  a  considerable  undergrowth. 
While  it  may  breed  there,  I  have  no  knowledge  that  it  does.  I  found 
them  paired  at  Brookville,  May  4,  1886.  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  notes 
that  a  few  remain  and  breed  about  Cincinnati,  0.,  and  Mr.  A.  M. 
Hadley  reports  it  breeding  near  Richmond,  Ind.  Messrs.  L.  A.  and 
CD.  Test  report  it  breeding  at  Lafayette,  and  from  there  northward 
it  appears  to  nest  more  numerously. 

Dates  of  earliest  and  latest  first  anival  are  as  follows.:  Bloom- 
ington,  April  17,  1886,  April  20,  1896;  Brookville,  April  19,  1881, 
May  7,  1885;  Spearsville,  April  19,  1894,  April  24,  1895;  Richmond, 
April  22,  1897;  Greencastle,  April  25,  1895;  Lafayette,  April  26,  1897, 
April  28,  1895;  Chicago,  111.,  April  21,  1895;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April 
27,  1888,  May  5,  1889. 

It  has  a  "fine  and  peculiar  song,  commencing  always  with  a  clear 
and  mellow  queery,  queery."  It  is  quite  different  from  that  of  either 
the  Red-eyed  or  the  Warbling  Vireo.  It  has  an  alarm  note  that 
reminds  me  of  that  of  a  wren.  I  have  only  heard  its  song  in  the 
spring,  though  it  is  said  to  sing  sometimes  until  early  September. 


Birds  or  Indiana.  1015 

To  me  it  seems  the  most  sluggish  of  the  Vireos.  They  begin  their  fall 
migration  early  in  September,  sometimes  as  early  as  the  first  of  that 
month.  Some  years  they  are  passing  into  October.  The  following 
are  the  latest  dates  I  have:  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  10,  1894; 
Chicago,  111.,  September  21,  1896;  Lafayette,  Ind.,  September  2,  1896; 
Bieknell,  September  18,  1894;  Brookville,  October  13,  1887. 

Of  31  specimens  examined,  7  had  eaten  caterpillars,  among  them 
geometers;  7,  beetles,  among  them  weevils  and  buprestis;  3,  grass- 
hoppers; 2,  moths;  2,  heteropterons  insects,  among  them  leaf-hoppers; 
3,  dipterous  insects  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  523).  While  they  are 
with  us,  practically  their  whole  food  is  insects. 


251.     (629).    Vireo  solitarius  (Wils.). 

Blue-headed  Vireo. 
Synonyms,  Solitary  Vireo,  Solitary  Greenlet. 


Details  of  structure  of  Blue-headed  Vireo.    Natural  size. 

x\bove,  top  and  sides  of  head  and  nape,  bluish-ash;  back  and  upper 
tail  coverts,  olive-green;  wings  and  tail,  blackish,  edged  with  olive- 
green,  the  former  crossed  with  two  whitish  bars;  line  from  nostril  to 
eye  and  ring  around  eye,  white.  Below,  white;  sides,  greenish- 
yellow. 

Length,  5.00-6.00;  wing,  2.90-3.00;  tail,  2.10-2.20. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Guatemala  and  Cuba  north 
to  Hudson  Bay  and  Mackenzie  River  (Ft.  Simpson).  Breeds  from 
Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania  and  Michigan,  north.  Winters  from 
Florida,  south. 

I^est,  pensile;  in  bush,  five  to  eight  feet  up;  of  bark  and  fibres, 
outside  often  decorated  with  lichens.  Eggs,  3-4;  white,  wreathed 
with  chestnut  or  black  spots  about  the  larger  end;  .79  by  .55. 

The  Blue-headed  Vireo  is  a  regular  migrant;  some  years  it  is  com- 
mon, others  rare.  In  the  WTiitewater  Valley  they  frequent  the 
wooded  hillsides  and  upland  woods,  where  they  seem  to  prefer  the 
undergrowth  rather  than  the  trees.     In  southern  Indiana  they  are 


1016  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

found  from  April  23  to  May  7,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
from  April  29  to  May  14,  and  occasionally  to  May  26.  In  the  fall 
they  first  appear  northward  September  1,  and  sometimes  linger  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  until  October  10.  The  earliest  and  latest 
dates  of  first  appearance  in  spring  are  as  follows:  Brookville,  April 
23,  1892,  May  7,  1885;  Richmond,  April  26,  1897;  Bloomington,  April 
28,  1895,  May  9,  1892;  Carroll  County,  May  10,  1884;  Lafayette,  May 
14,  1892;  Sedan,  May  11,  1888;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  29,  1888, 
April  30,  1897;  Chicago,  111.,  May  1,  1896,  May  23,  1896,  May  26, 
1894.  They  were  last  noted  in  fall  at  Sedan,  September  22,  1889; 
in  Lake  County,  September  18,  1888;  Chicago,  111.,  September  17, 
1896;  Brookville,  Ind.,  October  5,  1886;  Greencastle,  October  10, 
1890.  I  have  no  knowledge  of  its  breeding  in  Indiana.  During  the 
migrations,  I  have  found  thejn  quiet  and  shy.  They  are,  however, 
more  active  than  the  Yellow-throated  Vireo.  I  have  never  heard  its 
song,  though  it  is  said  to  sing  during  the  migrations.  Dr.  T.  M. 
Brewer  says  its  song  is  "a  prolonged  and  very  peculiar  ditty,  repeated 
at  frequent  intervals,  and  always  identical.  It  begins  with  a  pleasant 
warble,  of  a  graduallj'^  ascending  scale,  which  at  a  sudden  pitch  sud- 
denly breaks  down  into  a  falsetto  note.  The  song  then  rises  again 
in  a  single  high  note  and  ceases.^^ 

"One  specimen  of  three  examined  had  eaten  two  caterpillars,  one  bee- 
tle and  a  hymenopterous  insect''  (King,  Oeol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  523).  The 
spring  of  1897  I. took  some  lice  from  a  specimen  of  V.  solitarius  and 
sent  them  to  Prof.  Herbert  Osborn,  Ames,  Iowa.  He  informs  me  that 
they  are  a  species  of  Vocopliorus,  belonging  to  the  communis  group. 
This  is  the  first  record  he  had  of  it  from  a.  Vireo. 

Subgenus  Vireo  Vieillot. 

*262.     (681).    Vireo  noveboracensis  (Gmel). 

White-eyed  Vireo. 

Adult. — Above,  bright  olive-green,  including  crown;  rump, 
brighter;  a  slight  ashy  gloss  on  the  certdx;  below,  white>  the  sides 
of  the  breast  and  belly,  the  axillars  and  crissum,  bright  yellow;  a 
bright  3^ellow  line  from  nostrils  to  and  around  eye;  lores,  dusky;  two 
broad,  yellowish  wing  bars;  inner  secondaries  widely  edged  with  the 
same;  bill  and  feet,  blackish  plumbeous;  eyes,  white. 

Length,  4.50-5.00;  wing,  2.35-2.50;  tail,  1.90-2.10. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Rocky  Mountains,  Hon- 
duras to  Minnesota  and  New  England.  Breeds  throughout  its  United 
States  range  and  in  the  Bermudas.    Winters  from  Florida  southward. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


1017 


Nest,  in  thickets,  second-growth  and  swampy  places  along  streanis; 
oblong,  bag-shaped,  depending  from  a  horizontal  forked  twig  of  tree 
or  bush  near  ground  (1  to  4  feet,  rarely  8  feet);  composed  of  moss, 
cocoons,  bark,  grass,  lichens;  lined  with  fine  strips  of  bark.  Eggs, 
3-5;  white,  speckled  with  reddish-brown  and  dark  purple;  .72  by  .54. 


Details  of  structure  of  White- eyed  Vireo.    Natural  size. 


The  White-eyed  Vireo  is  a  summer  resident  throughout  most  of 
Indiana.  It  is  common  in  suitable  localities  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  State,  generally  northward  it  is  more  rare,  and  in  the  north- 
western part,  particularly  about  Lake  Michigan,  it  seems  to  be  want- 
ing. It  frequents  thickets,  brier  patches,  undergrowth  in  more  open 
woods  and  the  tangle  about  ravines  in  the  rougher  part  of  the  State. 
It  is  seldom  found  far  from  water,  and  appears  to  be  most  often 
noticed  about  the  edges  of  the  denser  growths,  where  it  makes  its 
home.  While  the  greater  number  of  persons  do  not  know  it,  and  it 
would  be  a  strange  bird  to  them,  it  is  probable  that  those  who  are  ac- 
quainted with  it  overestimate  its  numbers.  They  are  often  heard, 
but  many  birds  whose  voices  we  seldom  hear  are  more  numerous. 
They  are  irregular  in  their  distribution,  and  every  copse  where  they 
are  found  shelters  one  pair,  and  only  one.  When  the  bird  discovers 
an  intruder  it  comes  to  meet  him.  First  flying  to  some  opening 
where  it  can  get  a  good  look  at  him  unperceived,  it  next  makes  itself 
known  by  a  sharp  "click,"  which  is  surprising  in  its  suddenness.  This 
is  followed  by  a  peculiar.  Jerky  song,  uttered  with  an  alternating 
emphasis  and  repeated  over  and  over  again,  as  the  fidgety  little  green 
bird  is  alternately  seen  and  heard  among  the  bushes  close  by  the  path. 
Mr.  Eidgway  says  the  boys  in  southern  Illinois  have  interpreted  its 
song  as  "chick'ty-beaver,  lim'ber,  stick,"  with  special  emphasis  on  the 
first  syllable  of  each  word.  In  Bermuda  the  natives  say  its  notes  are 
"ginger  beer,  quick!"  Its  song  is  heard  in  the  morning  and  at  mid- 
day; it  sounds  on  bright  and  dark  days  alike,  and  continues,  with 
sometimes  a  slight  interruption  in  midsummer,  from  the  day  of  its 


1018  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

arrival  in  the  spring,  through  humid  periods  and  droughts,  to  the  time 
of  its  departure.  September  14,  1897,  it  was  heard  singing  as  plainly 
as  in  June.  In  early  springs  they  are  usually  distributed  to  our  north- 
em  limits  before  the  first  of  May,  and  more  tardy  seasons  they  are 
sometimes  two  weeks  later.  At  Brookville  their  first  appearance  was 
noted  April  21,  1896,  May  11,  1882;  at  Bieknell,  April  19,  1896, 
April  25,  1895;  Spearsville,  April  25,  1895,  May  4,  1897;  Greencastle, 
April  27,  1892,  May  2,  1894;  Lafayette,  April  28,  1894,  May  11,  1897; 
Waterloo,  April  25,  1897.  I  found  them  paired  May  2,  1884.  Their 
nests  vary  in  material  according  to  location.  Almost  any  available 
kind  of  material  that  can  be  worked  in  is  used.  Even  fragments  of 
newspapers  are  frequently  worked  in.  For  that  reason  Wilson  called 
this  bird  the  'Tolitician."  They  are  built  at  the  ends  of  horizontal 
forked  twigs,  from  which  they  hang  as  purse-like  structures  to  receive 
the  most  valuable  possessions  of  their  makers.  Mr.  Nehrling  says: 
"The  average  length  of  the  nest  is  4.50  inches,  the  width  at  the  rim 
2.25  inches  and  somewhat  wider  toward  the  middle.  The  interior 
is  about  2.00  inches  deep,  the  opening  1.75  inches  wide.  At  the  time 
when  the  female  begins  to  lay,  the  nest  looks  rugged  and  unfinished, 
and  small  branches  of  lichens  hang  down  from  it.  The  work  is  com- 
pleted by  the  male,  which  labors  assiduously  to  embellish  and  orna- 
ment the  exterior." 

They  have  been  noted  in  the  fall  at  Brookville,  September  20,  1886; 
in  Warren  County,  September  12,  1897;  at  Sedan,  September  27, 
1889. 

Like  the  other  members  of  its  family,  its  food  while  with  us  is 
principally  insects,  notably  in  its  season,  the  larvae  of  the  canker- 
worm.  When  in  the  south  in  winter  it  supplements  its  insect  diet 
with  palmetto  berries  and  other  wild  fruit. 

XL VI.     Family  MNIOTILTID^      Wood  warblers. 

a'.  Bill  depressed,  broader  than  deep  at  base  ;  rictal  bristles  distinct ;  hill  notched 
at  tip  ;  length  5.50  or  less. 
b^.  Lower  parts  yellow;  throat  sometimes  more  or  less  black.     Sylvania.     162 
b'^.  Lower  parts  without  yellow  in  onr  species.  Setophaga.     163 

a^.  Bill  not  depressed,  without  distinct  hook  or  notch  at  tip;  rictal  bristles,  if 
present,  scarcely  reaching  beyond  the  nostrils, 
c^.  Size  small;  length  less  than  6.50  ;  bill  slender,  nearly  cylindrical. 

d^ .  Hind  toe  with  claw  as  long  as  naked  portion  of  tarsus  in  front;  color 

black  and  white;  no  yellow.  Mniotilta.     152 

d'^.  Hind  toe  with  claw  much  shorter  than  naked  portion  of  tarsus  in  front. 

e^.  Middle  toe  with  claw  jnnch  shorter  than  naked  portion  of  tarsus  in 

front;  or  wings  barred  with  white  {Dendroica  dominica);  or  outer  tail 

feathers  shortest  (Geothlypis  trichas). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1019 

f^.  Gape  without  apparent  bristles;  bills  very  acute. 

Helminthophila.     156 
/2.  Gape  with  distinct  bristles. 
g^.  Tail  blotched  with  white,  or  inner  webs  of  tail  feathers  brigh 
yellow. 
h'^.  Back  blue  with  gold  spot;  throat  and  legs  yellow;  bill  acute, 
notch  wanting.  Compsothlypis.     157 

A^.  Coloration  otheiwise;  bill  not  acute,  plainly  notched. 

Dendroica.     158 
q'^.  Tail  without  white  or  yellow. 

i^.  Length  5.50  or  more;  white  beneath  with  dark  streaks. 

Seiurus.     159 
i^.  Length  less  than  5.  0 ;  yellow  beneath,  not  streaked. 

Geotiilypis.     160 

e'^.  Middle  toe  with  claw  about  eqtial  to  naked  portion  of  tarsus  in  front. 

/^.  Tail  feathers  partly  white;    head  and  lower  parts  bright 

yellow.  Protonotaria.     153 

j2.  Tail  feathers  without  white. 

k'^.  Bill  much  compressed  ;  culmen  straight,  with  a  ridge  at 
base;  top  of  head  pale  brown.  Helinaia.     154 

k'^.  Bill  not  much  compressed,  culmen  gently  curved,  base 
not  ridged  ;  top  of  head  buff  with  two  black  stripes. 

Helmitherus.     155 

c^.  Size  large,  more  than  7.00;  bill  stout,  much  compres  ed,  without  notch  or 

bristles;  tail  longer  than  wing.  Ictekia.     161 

152.    Genus  MNIOTILTA  Vieillot. 

*253.     (636).    Mniotnta  varia  (Linn.). 

Black  and  White  Warbler. 
Synonyms,  Black  and  White  Creeper,  Black  and  White  Creeping  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Entire!}^  black  and  white  in  streaks,  except  on  the 
belly,  inner  webs  of  tail  feathers  with  more  or  less  white;  black  on  top 
of  head,  in  front,  below  and  behind  eye;  a  white  stripe  through  the 
middle  of  crown;  one  over  the  eye  and  one  on  each  side  of  throat; 
throat,  black;  wing,  with  two  white  bars.  Female  and  Immature. — 
Duller,  and  throat  white. 

Length,  4.55-5.50;  wing,  2.60-2.90;  tail,  1.95-2.25. 

Range. — America,  from  Colombia  and  Venezuela  over  Eastern 
United  States  to  Mackenzie  Valley  (Ft.  Simpson).  Breeds  from  Gulf 
States  northward.     Winters  from  Florida  and  Gulf  Coast  southward. 

Nest,  on  ground  against  a  bush  or  tree,  or  under  a  root,  stone  or 
bush;  composed  of  leaves,  grasses,  strips  of  rotten  wood;  lined  with 
hair,  moss,  rootlets  or  fine  grrass.  I^ggs,  5,  rarely  4;  white  or  creamy- 
white,  speckled  and  spotted  with  chestnut,  bay,  hazel,  cinnamon, 
rufous  or  lavender-gray,  most  abundant  near  large  end,  where  often 
arranged  in  wreath;  .69  by  .54. 


1020  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

First  to  arrive  among  the  warblers  of  the  woodland  is  the  Black  and 
White  Warbler.  While  the  Myrtle  Warbler  may  be  found  along  the 
willow  thickets  some  years  before  it  comes,  and  the  attractive  song  of 
the  Sycamore  Warbler  sound  from  the  tall,  white  trees  above,  they 
are  not  in  the  woods.  There,  particularly  in  the  drier  woodland,  the 
well-known  song  of  this  symphony  in  black  and  white  is  borne  to 
one^s  ears,  but  it  requires  sharp  eyes  to  distinguish  its  form  among 
the  lights  and  shadows  of  the  corrugated  bark  of  the  tree  trunks. 
Persistence  will  be  rewarded,  and  this  warbler  will  reveal  himself,  a 
creeper  with  motion  and  habits  that  remind  one  much  of  a  Nuthatch. 
The  early  arrivals  are  males.  If  they  are  very  early  the  females  may 
not  come  for  ten  days  or  more.     Then  both  are  very  common  niost 


Head  of  Black  and  White  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

years  until  early  or  late  May,  depending  uj)on  whether  the  observer  is 
located  north  or  south.  A  few  always  breed  throughout  the  State. 
Then,  in  August,  the  migrants  begin  to  return,  and  they  are  again 
common  until  late  September  and  occasionally  well  into  October.  The 
first  arrival  at  Brookville  in  1882  was  April  3d,  in  1893,  May  5.  Other 
early  and  .late  spring  dates  of  first  arrival  are:  Bloomington,  April  7, 
1893;  Richmond,  April  17,  1897;  Oreensburg,  April  18,  1896,  April 
27,  1895;  Lafayette,  April  18,  1896,  May  6,  1894;  Sedan,  April  16, 
1896,  May  6,  1889;  Chicago,  April  17,  1886,  May  9,  1894.  I  have 
observed  them  mating  at  Brookville,  April  30,  1894.  Its  call  is  a 
sharp  chip-— a  regular' Warbler's  call.  The  song  is  diligently  poured 
forth  at  all  hours  of  the  day  during  migration.  It  sounds  something 
like,  "easy-easy-easy-easy-easy,"  the  word  repeated  four  to  six  times 
in  a  drawling  monotone.  It  varies,  however,  in  volume,  being  at 
times  uttered  very  low  and  again  sounding  loud  and  distinct,  carrying 
plainly  a  long  distance. 

The  song  season  continues  well  into  June.  Mr.  Bicknell  says  they 
sing  again  for  a  short  season  in  mid- August.  Nests  with  eggs  may 
be  found  on  the  orraund  in  retired  woodland  late  in  May  and  in  June. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1021 

They  are  usually  cleveiiy  hid  and  quite  difficult  to  find.  Messrs.  L. 
A.  and  C.  D.  Test  took  a  nest  with  6  eggs  at  Lafayette,  April  30,  1897. 

Migrants  usually  hegin  to  return  late  in  August.  The  following 
dates  note  .the  first  appearance:  Chicago,  August  27,  1895;  Lafayette, 
August  28,  1897;  Greensburg,  August  30,  1894.  The  latest  fall  dates 
are  as  follows:  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  10,  1894;  Chicago,  111., 
September  26,  1893;  Lafayette,  September  12,  1896;  Greensburg, 
September  3,  1894;  Lake  County,  Tnd.,  September  11,  1881;  Warren 
County,  September  16,  1897;  Brookville,  September  6,  1896. 

A  very  late  date  is  October  12,  1878,  when  Messrs.  Dury  and  Free- 
man took  it  at  Cincinnati.  As  an  index  to  their  food  while  here,  I 
give  the  following:  Of  seventeen  specimens  examined,  three  ate  5 
ants;  2,  21  caterpillars,  20  of  which  were  small,  measuring  worms; 
3,  4  moths;  3,  5  diptera;  6,  16  beetles;  2,  7  heteroptera;  1,  a  caddis 
fly,  and  1,  a  small  snail  (Physa).  Two  had  eaten  101  insect  eggs, 
which  were  probably  contained  in  insects  eaten  by  the  birds  (King, 
Geol.  of  Wis.,  pp.  499,  500).  Much  of  their  food  is  very  small  insects, 
a  great  deal  of  those  kinds  that  live  upon  forest  trees  and  also  trees  of 
the  orchard  and  lawn,  which  they  sometimes  visit. 

153.    Grvus  PROTONOTARIA  Baird. 

*254.     (637).    Protonotaria  citrea  (Bodd.). 

Prothonotary  Warbler. 
Synonym,  Golden  Swamp  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Entire  head,  neck  and  lower  parts,  except  cris- 
sum,  rich  orange  yellow;  crissum,  white;  back,  olive-green;  wings, 
rump  and  tail,  bluish-gray;  tail  feathers,  except  middle  pair,  with  white 
on  inner  web  and  tipped  with  dusky.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but 
colors  not  so  bright;  more  white  below. 

Length,  about  5.00-5.50;  wing,  2.90-3.00;  tail,  2.25. 

Raxge. — East  North  America,  from  Panama  and  Cuba  to  Nebraska, 
Michigan  and  Pennsylvania.  Casual  in  Maine,  New  Brunswick  and 
Ontario.  Breeds  from  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Virginia,  northern  Indiana 
and  Michigan.     Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  in  a  natural  cavity  or  excavation,  in  a  tree  or  stump,  often 
willow  standing  in  or  near  water;  composed  of  moss,  roots,  hair, 
leaves,  plant  fibre.  Eggs,  white,  creamy  or  drab,  generally  glossy, 
more  or  less  blotched  and  spotted  with  cinnamon,  chestnut  or  gray 
(the  latter  often  indistinct).  Number,  usually  6,  often  5-7;  rarely  3, 
4  and  8.  Eggs  rounded  ovate;  .79  by  .60;  .62  by  .54;  average  .70  by 
.57. 


1022  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

The  Prothonotary  Warbler  is  locally  a  summer  resident  and  is  in 
some  places  common.  Its  route  of  migration  is  up  the  Mississippi 
Eiver  to  the  Ohio,  where  a  large  number  turn  off  to  ascend  the  latter 
stream.  Others  keep  on  up  the  Mississippi,  some  leaving  it  at  the 
Kaskaskia,  the  Missouri  and  the  Illinois  rivers,  which  they  ascend  a 
greater  or  less  distance,  while  others  continue  along  the  main  stream, 
ascending  as  far  as  Davenport,  la.  As  they  move  along  the  Ohio 
they  spread  over  the  lowlands  of  southern  Illinois.  The  Ohio  Valley, 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  Eiver,  is  unattractive  to  these  swamp- 
loving  birds,  and  they  turn  aside  at  the  latter  stream,  ascending  it  to 
its  source  and  crossing  over  into  Ohio,  where  they  have  been  found 
breeding  at  St.  Mary's  Eeservoir,  and  to  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland, 
where  it  has  been  identified.  It  also  occurs  throughout  the  Kankakee 
Eiver  Valley  in  this  State,  and  reaches  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  111., 
southwestern  Michigan  to  Elkhart,  Lagrange,  Dekalb  and  Steuben 
counties,  Ind. 

The  first  account  of  its  occurrence  in  Indiana  was  published  by 
Mr.  William  Brewster  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornithological 
Club,  1878,  p.  153,  and  details  of  a  visit  to  the  haunts  of  these  birds 
in  Wabash  County,  111.,  and  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  Ind.  In  1884 
Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  found  it  common  at  Davis-  Station,  Starke  County, 
and  about  the  same  time  took  a  specimen  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michi- 
gaji  in  Lake  County,  Ind.  These  observation;^  have  been  supple- 
mented by  many  notes  Avhich  show  that  about  the  swamps,  cypress 
ponds  and  sluggish  streams  of  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  in  some 
parts  of  the  Kankakee  Valley,  notably  at  Water  Valley,  English 
Lake,  Davis  Station,  Kouts  and  locally  in  Lagrange  County,  it  is 
common  and  breeds  abundantly.  Mr.  J.  W.  Byrkit  has  taken  one 
specimen  near  Michigan  City.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Feagler 
have  seen  it  in  Dekalb  County,  and  Hon.  E.  Wes.  McBride  took  it  in 
Elkhart  County.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  has  taken  it  in  Carroll 
County  (The  Auk,  Vol.  VL,  pp.  26,  27).  Mr.  Chauncey  Juday 
reports  it  from  Monroe  County,  where  a  specimen  was  taken  at-Har- 
rodsburg,  April  26,  1895. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  took  it  at  Lebanon,  Boone  County,  May  23  and 
29,  1894.  In  the  remainder  of  the  State,  east  and  south  of  the  valley 
of  the  Wabash  Eiver,  it  is  practically  unknown.  The  only  two  records 
are  one  given  by  Mr.  Loucks  in  the  publication  referred  to,  upon  the 
authority  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Hitt,  of  Indianapolis,  from  Newcastle,  where 
he  mentions  one  nest  having  been  found,  and  one  specimen  taken  by 
by  Mr.  E.  L.  Guthrie  at  Adams,  Decatur  County,  and  identified  by 
Mr.  John  W.  Shorten,  of  Cincinnati.      In  May,  1891,    Mr.    H.    W. 


Birds  of  Indiaxa.  1023 

McBride  made  a  trip  by  boat  from  Pleasant  Lake,  Steuben  County, 
following  Pigeon  Creek  to  its  mouth,  thence  down  the  St.  Joseph 
River  to  Elkhart,  Ind.  He  passed  through  parts  of  Steuben,  Lagrange 
and  Elkhart  counties,  and  St.  Joseph  County,  Mich.  May  9,  1891, 
he  saw  the  first  Prothonotary  Warbler,  a  male,  about  five  miles  west 
of  Angola.  No  others  were  seen  in  that  county  until  the  13tli 
of  the  month,  when  they  were  found  breeding  abundantly  along  the 
creek  in  Lagrange  County,  about  six  miles  west  of  Lima.  Except  Red- 
starts and  Cat  Birds,  they  were  the  most  common  bird  in  that  locality, 
actively  engaged  in  nest  building,  over  a  stretch  of  territory  two  miles 
long.  In  a  distance  of  about  a  half  mile  by  the  creek,  he  found  eight 
nests  without  leaving  his  boat,  none  of  which  were  quite  completed. 
For  about  five  miles  th,en  none  were  seen,  although  the  character  of  the 
country  and  timber  was  the  same.  The  nests  were  all  in  old  Wood- 
peckers' holes  in  stubs  over  the  water,  and  were  composed  of  rootlets, 
grass  and  moss.  He  mentions  one  male  taken  which  had  a  patch  of 
orange-red  surrounding  the  base  of  the  bill.  They  were  next  found 
May  14,  in  Mattville  Township,  St.  Joseph  County,  Mich.,  and  for  a 
distance  of  three  and  a  half  or  four  miles  from  White  Pigeon  were  to 
be  heard  or  seen  all  the  time.  Then  no  more  were  observed.  They 
were  located  in  colonies  in  low,  damp,  heavily-timbered  country. 

They  arrive  early  in  spring.  Mr.  Brewster  noted  them  in  Wabash 
County,  111.,  and  Knox  County,  April  19,  1878,  and  apparently  all  had 
arrived  April  27;  Mr.  Ridgway  noted  the  first  in  Knox  County,  Ind., 
April  18,  1881.  Mr.  A.  H.  Kendrick  noted  the  first  arrival  at  Ells- 
worth, Vigo  County,  x\pril  10,  1896;  Davis  Station,  May  11,  1884, 
more  common  May  18,  1884  (Coale).  First  arrival  Elkhart  County, 
April  16,  1891;  Frankfort,  April  20,  1896,  common  April  27, 
1896;  Waterloo,  April  29,  1896  (Feagler);  Steuben  County,  May  9, 
1894. 

When  they  first  arrive  they  are  silent  and  keep  to  the  top  of  the 
small  trees.  Before  they  begin  to  be  seen  commonly  about  the  water 
they  commence  singing.  At  a  distance  the  song  sounds  much  like 
the  notes  of  the  Solitary  Sandpiper,  but  nearer  at  hand  it  resembles, 
"peet,  tsweet,  tsweet,  tsweet,  tsweet,  tsweet,  tsweet"  uttered  in  a  ringing, 
penetrating  tone  at  a  rather  high  pitch.  This  sounds  through  the 
swamps  morning,  noon  and  night.  Mating  begins  soon  after  arrival, 
and  then  comes  searching  for  Woodpeckers'  holes,  natural  cavities, 
and  other  suitable  nesting  places  in  stumps  and  dead  trees.  In  such 
places  the  nest  is  built,  and  almost  always  in  or  over  water.  The  fe- 
males construct  the  nest  and  incubate  the  eggs.  After  they  are  com- 
pleted a  few  days  elapse  before  laying  begins.     An  eg^  is  laid  daily 


1024  Eepokt  or  State  Geologist. 

until  the  set  is  complete.  It  is  said  generally  to  rear  two  broods  a 
season.  The  period  of  incubation  is  given  at  ten  days  to  two  weeks. 
The  male  supplies  the  female  with  food,  but  after  the  young  are 
hatched  it  requires  the  combined  efforts  of  both  parents  to  keep  them 
supplied  with  food,  generally  insects.  Mr.  Loucks  mentions  one  nest 
that  contained  ten  eggs,  and  thinks  more  than  one  bird  must  have 
laid  them.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  State  they  sometimes  have 
full  sets  of  eggs  in  April,  but  in  its  more  northern  homes  it  seldom 
has  a  complement  before  late  in  May.  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  found  a 
nest  and  four  fresh  eggs  near  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  April  27,  1878.  May 
13,  1891,  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  found  no  completed  nests  in  Lagrange 
County,  Ind.  May  28,  1896,  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  found  two  nests 
containing  young,  and  one  with  fresh  eggs,  along  the  Kankakee  River, 
near  Ivouts.  May  31,  1885,  Mr.  Coale  found  nests  containing  fresh 
eggs  at  Davis  Station.  At  the  same  place,  June  8,  1884,  he  found 
four  nests  with  eggs  partly  incubated,  and  a  week  later,  June  15,  he 
found  young  out  of  the  nests. 

The  localities  they  select  for  summer  homes  are  of  their  own  choos- 
ing, and  we  do  not  understand  the  rule  they  apply  or  the  reason  for 
their  choice.  Often  in  one  locality  they  are  common,  while  another, 
near  by  it,  may  be  passed  over  and  no  Prothonotaries  frequent  it. 
They  are  not  usually  known.  The  uninviting  places  they  seek  are  not 
commonly  frequented  by  men  other  than  naturalists,  and  the  birds  do 
not  wander  from  the  precincts  of  their  retreats.  They  may,  therefore, 
be  very  abundant  in  a  swamp  and  be  absolutely  unknown  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  neighboring  farms.  When  the  young  can  fly  and 
care  for  themselves,  perhaps  in  July,  they  begin  to  become  less  notice- 
able. Fewer  and  fewer  their  numbers  grow,  until  finally  the  last  have 
passed  away,  retracing  their  steps  of  the  preceding  spring.  The  latest 
record  I  have  is  September  3,  1884,  when  a  bird  of  the  year  was  taken 
by  Mr.  Coale  at  Davis  Station. 

154.    (tEnus  HELINAIA  Audubon. 

*255.     (638).    Helinaia  swainsonii  Aud. 

Swainson's  Warbler. 

Adult. — Above,  crown  and  nape,  reddish-brown;  rest  of  upper  parts, 
including  sides  of  neck,  olive;  rump,  wings  and  tail,  tinged  with 
brownish;  buff'y  or  whitish  stripe  over  the  eye;  below,  creamy;  sides, 
olive,  or  grayish.  Young,  First  Plumage. — AVings  and  tail,  like  adult, 
but  other  upper  parts,  including  crown  and  nape,  also  throat  and 
breast,  dull  cinnamon-brown. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1025 

Length,  5.55;  wing,  2.80;  tail,  2.00;  bill,  .65  by  .74. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  West  Indies  and  Mexico,  north 
to  Virginia,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri.  Probably  breeds  through- 
out its  United  States  range.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nesty  in  bush  or  canes,  near  ground  or  water  (2  to  5  feet);  of  dry 
leaves,  lined  with  pine  needles  and  dry  moss.  Eggs,  3,  rarely  5;  white, 
very  rarely,  faintly  marked;  .74  by  .56. 

Much  interest  attaches  to  Swainson's,  just  as  there  does  to  Bach- 
man's  Warbler,  on  account  of  its  history.  Both  birds  were  discovered 
by  Rev.  John  Bachman,  near  Charleston,  S.  C,  the  former  in  1832, 
the  latter  the  year  following.  Swainson's  Warbler  remained  almost 
unknown  for  forty  years.  Up  to  1873  but  three  additional  specimens 
appear  to  have  been  noted.  That  year  Mr.  N.  C.  Brown  found  it  at 
Coosada,  Elmore  County,  Ala.  It  was  found  later  in  Louisiana  and 
Texas.  In  1878  it  w^as  identified  by  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  in  Knox 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  says  it  breeds  (Bulletin,  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  1878, 
p.  163;  Orn.  of  111.,  I.,  pp.  121-123).  It  has  since  been  determined 
to  be  a  not  uncommon  summer  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Charleston, 
S.  C,  where  a  number  of  its  nests  have  been  found.  Mr.  Arthur  T. 
Wayne  and  Mr.  Wm,.  Brewster  have  given  accounts  of  its  occurrence 
there  (The  Auk,  Vol.  II.,  1885,  pp.  65-80;  Ibid,  pp.  346-348).  Mr. 
Brewster  tells  us  it  is  a  swamp-inhabiting  bird,  frequenting  a  peculiar 
kind  of  swamp.  The  favorite  locality  is  calkd  locally  "pineland  gall." 
He  says:  "Four  things  seem  indispensable  to  its  existence,  viz.:  water, 
tangled  thickets,  patches  of  cane  and  a  rank  growth  of  semi-aquatic 
plants.''  Its  song  consists  of  a  series  of  clear,  ringing  whistles,  the 
first  four  uttered  rather  slowly  and  in  the  same  key,  the  remaining 
five  or  six  given  more  rapidly,  and  in  an  evenly-descending  scale." 
In  general  effect  it  recalls  the  song  of  the  Water  Thrush  (Seiurus 
noveboracensis) . 

It  is  very  loud,  very  rich,  very  beautiful,  while  it  has  an  indescrib- 
ably tender  quality  that  thrills  the  senses  after  the  sound  has  ceased. 
This  Warbler  is  a  sluggish  bird,  and  is  noted  as  being  unsuspicious,  or 
even  inquisitive,  retiring  and,  save  when  singing,  very  quiet.  In  all 
this  it  is  directly  the  opposite  of  its  near  relative,  the  Worm-eating 
Warbler.  It  appears  to  nest  indiscriminately  in  bushes  in  water,  along 
the  borders  of  streams  or  ponds  and  on  high,  dry  land  at  some  distance 
from  water. 


65 — (lEOL. 


102G  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

155.    Grnus  HELMITHERUS  R^finksquk. 

*256.     (H39).    Helmitherus  vermivorus  (Gmel  ), 

Worm-eating"  Warbler. 


Head  of  Worm-eating  Warbler,    Natural  size. 

Adult. — Head,  black;  a  broad  stripe  through  the  middle  of  the 
crown,  and  one  stripe  over  the  eye,  buff;  a  black  stripe  from  eye  back- 
ward; other  upper  parts,  olive-green;  wings,  sometimes  brownish;  be- 
low, buff,  lighter  on  the  throat,  belly  and  crissum.  Immature. — 
More  buffy  below;  head,  with  black  more  or  less  replaced  with  brown. 

Length,  5.00-5.75;  wing,  2.65-2.90;  tail,  1.90-2.20;  bill,  .60-.65;  tar- 
sus, .70. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from.  Yucatan  and  West  Indies 
to  Connecticut,  Indiana  and  Nebraska;  casually  to  Maine  and  Mich- 
igan. Breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range.  Winters  south  of 
United  States. 

Nest,  in  woods,  dense  grown  with  underbrush,  at  foot  of  tree  or 
bush  under  overhanging  bank,  stone  or  root;  made  of  dried  leaves, 
lined  with  (hair  moss.  Pa.  and  N.  C.)  grass,  horsehair.  Eggs,  4,  5,  6, 
rarely  3;  white  or  creamy- white,  speckled  and  spotted,  generally  thick- 
est at  larger  end,  but  not  always,  with  chestnut,  hazel,  lavender-gray; 
.68  by  .55. 

The  Worm-eating  Warbler  not  many  years  ago  was  considered  a 
rare  bird  in  Indiana,  but  since  its  habits  are  better  known  it  is  found 
to  be  over  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  at  least  in  suitable  places, 
a  common  summer  resident.  Its  home  is  among  the  denser  wood- 
lands, especially  in  rough  country,  on  hillsides  and  in  ravines,  where 
"down  timber^^  and  underbrush  is  plentiful.  In  the  Whitewater  Val- 
ley in  such  localities  it  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  woodland  species. 
No  bird  in  its  haunts  exceeds  it  in  numbers,  unless  it  be  the  Oven 
Bird  {Seiurus  aurocapillus).  In  the  lower  Wabash  Valley  it  is  com- 
mon. Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  notes  it  as  not  common  in  Monroe 
County;  rare  in  Vigo  County,  and  does  not  give  it  in  his  list  of  Birds 
of  Carroll  County.  He  took  a  nest  and  three  eggs  at  "Pine  Hills," 
in  Montgomery  County,  May  30,  1887.     It  is  not  common  in  Brown 


BiBDs  OF  Indiana.  1027 

County  (Barnett).  On  the  wooded  hillsides  and  in  the  ravines  along 
Sugar  Creek  in  Parke  and  Montgomery  counties  I  found  it  common 
in  May,  19  and  20,  1887.  At  Lafayette  it  is  not  common,  but  breeds 
(L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test).  In  Dekalb  County  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  found 
it  tolerably  common  and  breeding  in  May,  1890.  It  has  also  been  noted 
rarely  in  that  county  in  the  vicinity  of  Waterloo  by  Mr.  J.  P.  Feagler; 
at  Sedan,  by  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine.  Mrs.  Hine  also  observed  it  one  sum- 
mer (June  4)  at  Fish  Lake,  Steuben  County.  It  has  even  crossed  the 
line  into  Michigan,  where  it  is  noted  as  rare  in  Lenawee  and  Hillsdale 
counties  (Cook,  Birds  of  Michigan,  p.  128). 

In  the  northwestern  portion  of  Indiana,  beyond  the  Wabash  Kiver, 
I  do  not  know  of  its  occurrence,  yet  it  has  been  taken  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  at  Waukegan,  111.,  above  Chicago,  May  21,  1876 
(Bulletin,  Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  YIII.,  1876,  p.  98).  Since  1879  I  have 
noted  its  arrlTal  at  Brookville  almost  every  spring.  The  earliest  date 
it  was  first  seen  is  April  17,  1896;  the  latest.  May  3,  1882.  It  has 
been  very  hard  to  obtain  data  as  to  its  movements.  However,  the 
following  dates  give  the  reported  first  appearance  from  the  places 
and  ye'ars  named:  Knox  County,  April  24,  1881;  Bloomington,  April 
25,  1885,  May  4,  1886:  Spearsville,  April  25,  1895,  April  29,  1894; 
Lafayette,  May  8,  1897,  May  21,  1892;  Waterloo,  May  3,  1896.  I 
have  observed  them  mating  by  April  26,  1881,  and  as  late  as  May  18, 
1883,  but  am  inclined  to  think  some  years  they  begin  earlier  then 
the  first  named  date.  They  proceed  at  once  to  nest  building.  Mr. 
E.  E.  Quick  found  a  nest  five  miles  south  of  Brookville  June  3,  1882. 
The  locality  is  similar  to  that  usually  occupied,  so  I  let  the  discoverer 
tell  of  it:  "It  (the  nest)  was  situated  on  a  densely  wooded  hillside, 
on  the  almost  perpendicular  bank  of  a  gully,  and  was  overhung  by 
the  base  of  a  small  shrub.  It  was  composed  of  dried  leaves  and  lined 
with  fine  shreds  of  bark  of  the  grapevine.  When  driven  from  the 
nest,  the  bird  refused  to  leave  the  vicinity,  but  with  distended  tail  and 
fiuttering  wings  moved  round  me  at  a  distance  of  a  few  feet,  until  I 
called  a  companion,  on  whose  appearance  she  flew  away.  The  nest 
contained  two  addled  eggs  and  one  half -fledged  young.  The  eggs  were 
about  the  size  of  those  of  the  summer  Yellow  Bird  (D.  cestiva),  with 
diameter  proportionately  greater.  They  are  pure  white,  dotted  every- 
where with  light  reddish-brown,  most  thickly  at  the  larger  end" 
(Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Xat.  Hist.,  1882,  p.  94). 

Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley  took  a  nest  and  six  fresh  eggs,  and  one  of  the 
Cowbird,  near  Bloomington,  May  12,  1886.  The  nest  was  at  the  base 
of  a  clump  of  ferns,  and  was  composed  of  the  leaves  of  "Maiden  Hair" 
fern.    The  next  day  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  took  a  nest  from  a  similar 


1028  Eeport  OF  State  Geologist. 

location,  containing  five  of  the  owner's  eggs  and  two  of  the  Cowbird. 
I  have  a  young  bird  not  able  to  fly  that  was  taken  near  Greencastle. 
It  very  probably  breeds  wherever  it  is  found  in  the  State. 

In  1886  I  found  young,  July  1,  at  Brookville.  The  song  very  much 
resembles  that  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow  (8.  socialis),  and  to  the 
casual  listener  is  not  distinguishable  from  that  bird.  It  is  well  to 
remember  that  whenever  one  hears  the  song  of  a  "Chippy"  in  our 
denser  woods  it  is  not  that  bird,  but  a  Worm-eating  Warbler.  Its 
song  ceases  about  the  middle  of  July.  After  it  ceases  singing  and  the 
young  are  able  to  care  for  themselves,  they  begin  to  leave.  Their 
numbers  keep  on  growing  less  and  less  until  the  last  are  usually  gone 
late  in  August. 

The  Test  brothers  have  found  it  at  Lafayette  as  late  as  August  24, 
1896,  and  I  observed  it  at  Brookville  September  3,  1883.  Its  name 
has  been  given  it  from  its  habit  of  eating  worms.  It  is  a  diligent 
searcher  after  ginibs  and  other  larvae  under  the  bark  and  among  the 
decaying  wood  of  limbs,  fallen  trees,  rotting  logs  and  other  forest 
wreckage  found  lying  upon  the  ground.  The  site  of  a  'Svind  fall"  is 
a  favorite  spot  with  them.  And  they  are  not  averse  to  catching  the 
insects  along  any  old  worm  fence  that  passes  through  the  woods.  If 
one  keeps  quiet  they  are  willing  to  come  quite  near  to  him,  even  upon 
the  same  log  he  is  using  for  a  seat.  They  move  by  hops,  and  I  am 
always  thinking  of  the  motions  of  a  Black  and  White  Warbler  as  I  see 
them,  now  going  along  a  log  and  then  going  around  it  and  under  it, 
often  when  it  would  seem  the  hole  was  too  small  to  permit  the  bird's 
body  to  pass  through.  They  are  very  diligent  and  keep  occupied  all 
day  long,  but  the  time  of  greatest  activity  is  in  the  morning  and 
evening.  When  disturbed  it  often  flies  into  a  bush  or  even  from 
twenty  to  forty  feet  up  in  a  tree,  and  after  a  period  of  quiet  waiting, 
during  which  it  remains  motionless,  if  nothing  further  disturbs  it, 
the  rattling,  chipping  song  is  uttered  again  and  again.  .Presently  it 
ceases  and  flies  to  its  former  hunting  ground,  uttering  several  vigor- 
ous, sharp  "tchips,"  which  very  much  resemble  the  call-note  of  the 
Oven  Bird. 

156.    Gknus  HELMINTHOPHILA  Ridgway. 

a^.  Wing  varied  with  white  and  yellow. 

h^.  Wing  with  large  yellow  patch  ;  beneath  not  yellow. 

H.  pinus  (Linn.).     257 
/>2.  Wing  with  two  white  bands;  beneath  bright  yellow. 

H.  chrysoptera  (Linn.).     258 
a-.  Wing  not  varied. 

rJ .  Under  tail  coverts  and  more  or  less  of  under  parts  yellow. 

d^.  Under  parts  bright  yellow.  H.  ruficapilla  (Wils.).     259 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1029 

d^.  Under  parts  greenish  yellow,  sometimes  streaked  and  obscure. 

H.  celata  (Say.).     260 
c^.  Under  tail  coverts  and  more  or  less  of  under  parts  white. 

H.  peregrina  ( Wils. ) .     261 

*257.     (641).    Helminthopbila  pinus  (Lknn.). 

Blue-winged  Warbler. 
Synonym,  Blue-winged  Yellow  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Head  and  entire  lower  parts  to  the  crissum,  bright 
yellow;  crissum  and  under  tail-coverts,  white;  a  black  stripe  from  bill 
through  the  eye;  rest  of  body  above,  olive-green,  brighter  on  the 
rump;  wings  and  tail,  blue-gray;  the  former  with  two  white  bars,  the 
latter  with  three  outer  pairs  of  tail  feathers  marked  with  white  on  the 
inner  web.  Adult  Female. — Only  the  front  part  of  crown  yellow;  the 
streak  through  the  eye  dusky  instead  of  black. 

Length,  4.65-5.00;  wing,  2.40-2.50;  tail,  2.00-2.10. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Nicaraugua  north  to  Massa- 
chusetts, southern  Michigan  and  southern  Minnesota.  Breeds 
throughout  its  United  States  range.     Winters  from  Mexico  south. 

Nest,  on  ground  in  clearing  or  second  growth,  generally  at  foot  of 
bush,  among  sprouts,  or  in  bush  one  foot  up;  made  of  leaves,  grape- 
vine bark,  lined  with  fine  grass  or  hair.  Eggs,  4-5;  white,  finely  and 
usually  sparsely  spotted  with  brown  and  black;  .60  by  .48. 

This  species  seems  to  complement  the  one  last  mentioned.  Their 
range  is  nearly  identical.  This  frequenting  the  clearings,  more  open 
woodlands  and  pastures  grown  up  with  bushes,  briers,  weeds  and 
sprouts;  the  other  the  dense  forest.  They  arrive  at  the  same  time. 
Each  is  a  great  insect  eater.  Each  has  a  peculiar  song  that,  when  once 
identified,  can  always  be  distinguished.  The  Blue-winged  Warbler 
shows  its  bright  colors  in  the  bright  sunlight  of  the  open  woods,  while 
the  Worm-eating  Warbler's  duller  colors  harmonize  with  the  shades 
and  shadows  of  the  dark  forest.  In  southern  Indiana  its  favorite 
quarters  are  on  the  partially  wooded  hillsides,  where  there  are  many 
bushes.  The  stroller  through  such  places  late  in  April  will  often  be 
saluted  with  a  peculiar,  rasping,  stridulating  effort,  technically  termed 
a  song,  that  is  not  pretty,  yet  so  strange  as  to  demand  his  whole  atten- 
tion. The  author  is  usually  among  the  branches  frequently  in  the  top 
of  a  tree.  Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman  well  interprets  this  song.  He  says: 
"As  a  rule,  it  consists  of  the  two  drawled,  wheezy  notes,  'swee-chee/ 
the  first  inhaled,  the  second  exhaled.  A  less  common  song  uttered 
later  in  the  season  is,  wee,  chi-chi-chi-chi-chur,  and  is  sometimes 
accompanied  by  peculiar  hik  notes  (B.  E.  N".  A.,  p.  347).     This  is 


1030  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

uttered  in  August  (The  Auk,  July,  1884,  p.  211).  The  earliest  one 
reached  Brookville  April  17,  1896,  but  one  year  the  first  one  was 
not  seen  until  April  30  (1884).  Earliest  and  latest  first  arrivals  for 
other  points  are:  Brown  County,  April  23,  1895,  April  29,  1894; 
Bloomington,  April  27,  1886;  Greencastle,  April  27,  1895,  May  7, 
1892;  Eichmond,  April  24,  1897;  Carroll  County,  May  4,  1885,  May 
10,  1884;  Wabash,  May  1,  1894;  Sedan,  April  26,  1896,  May  11,  1897; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  10,  1897.  The  last  mentioned  place  is  one  of 
the  few  places  in  southern  Michigan  where  it  has  been  taken,  and 
there  it  is  rare.  Mr.  B.  F.  Gault  has  taken  one  specimen — the  only 
one  ever  reported  from  Cook  County,  Illinois. 

They  are  generally  common  in  suitable  places  in  southern  Indiana, 
and  locally,  farther  north,  are  found  in  some  numbers.  But  usually 
in  the  northern  half  of  the  State  it  is  rare  or,  at  least,  not  common. 

However,  it  is  said  to  be  increasing  in  numbers  there,  and  is  prob- 
ably extending  its  range  and  usually  breeds  wherever  found. 

It  begins  mating  some  springs  by  April  18  (1896)  and  continues 
as  late  as  May  8  (1887).  Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  says  they  frequent  open 
thickets  in  Wabash  County.  The  spring  of  1892  he  found  a  nest  on 
a  small  bush  about  a  foot  from  the  ground.  The  nest  was  built  by 
the  female  while  the  male  sat  on  a  bush  near  by  and  sang  his  odd 
little  song.  The  nest  was  destroyed  by  cattle.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann 
found  a  nest  with  young  just  ready  to  fly  in  Carroll  County  in  July, 
1879  (The  Auk,  January,  1889,  p.  27).  After  the  young  are  reared 
they  seem  to  leave  their  haunts,  in  southern  Indiana,  at  least  they  ap- 
parently associate  together  in  small  numbers,  perhaps  a  family  remain- 
ing together,-  and  seek  open  woods  or  thickets  that  are  more  moist 
than  their  breeding  grounds.  They  depart  for  the  south  usually  in 
August  and  September,  but  have  been  known  to  remain  until  late 
October.  June  20,  1892,  and  a  few  days  later,  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C. 
D.  Test  saw  several  each  time  near  Lafayette.  July  28  to  August  6, 
1894,  Mr.  J.  0.  Dunn,  of  Chicago,  found  them  very  common  in  the 
bushy  woods  about  Bass  Lake,  Starke  County.  Mr.  J.-E.  Beasley  saw 
nine  October  22,  1894,  at  Lebanon.  This  is  the  latest  I  have  ever 
known  it  to  be  taken  with  us.  In  addition  to  the  localities  noted,  it 
is  reported  from  Allen  County  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Stockbridge. 

This  species,  too,  is  an  insect-eater.  It  not  only  lives  upon  the 
forms  found  close  to  the  ground,  but  gleans  among  the  bushes  and 
even  at  times  the  smaller  trees.  I  have  often  observed  it  about  Buck- 
eye trees  of  considerable  size  when  they  were  in  bloom,  and  I  thought 
they  wTre  attracted  by  the  insects  about  the  flowers.  This  species  is 
very  fond  of  spiders,  larvae  and  beetles. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  luai 

*258.     (642).    Helminthophila  chrysoptera  (Linn.). 

Golden-wing-ed  Warbler. 
Synonyms,  Blue  Golden-winced  Warbler,  Golden- winged  Swamp  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Forehead  and  both  rows  of  wing-coverts,  and  some- 
times edges  of  secondaries,  yellow;  a  black  patch  from  bill  backward, 
covering  ear-coverts;  throat,  black;  a  white  stripe  over  the  eye  and  one 
on  each  side  of  throat;  rest  of  upper  parts,  blue-gray,  sometimes 
tinged  with  olive-green;  below  white,  ashy  on  the  sides;  three  outer 
pairs  of  tail  feathers  with  the  inner  webs,  partly  white.  Adult  Female. 
— Black  on  throat  and  sides  of  head  dull  gray. 

Length,  5.00;  wing,  2.45-2.65;  tail,  1.90-2.25. 

Eange. — America,  from  Colombia  over  eastern  United  States  to 
Michigan,  Minnesota,  South  Ontario  and  Vermont.  Breeds  from 
South  Carolina  along  the  mountains,  New  Jersey  and  Indiana  north. 
Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  of  dead  leaves,  stubs  of  bark,  grass  stems;  lined  with  fine 
fibres;  on  or  near  ground,  usually  at  base  of  bush  or  tuft  of  grass  in 
dense,  partly  cleared  growth  of  woods  or  bushy  field.  Eggs,  4-5,  some- 
times 6;  white,  or  creamy- white;  speckled  chiefly,  sometimes  entirely, 
at  the  larger  end,  occasionally  forming  an  indistinct  wreath  of  burnt 
umber,  russet,  chestnut  and  lilac-gray;  .63  by  .49. 

The  Golden-winged  Warbler  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the 
genus.  Its  beauty,  generally  irregular  appearance  and  peculiar  song 
render  it  always  a  bird  to  be  sought.  Throughout  the  State  it  is  a 
migrant,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  where  the  conditions 
are  favorable — where  marshes  and  bogs  in  bushy  or  wooded  land  are 
found — it  breeds,  at  places,  in  some  numbers.  It  is  not  abundant  at 
any  place,  and  its  numbers  are,  doubtless,  decreasing.  Wheaton  tells 
us,  with  the  exception  of  the  Orange-crowned  Warbler  it  is  the  rarest 
of  the  genus  found  in  Ohio.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  Mr.  Quick 
and  I  have  found  it  to  be  very  irregular.  Some  years  none  were 
found,  others  it  was  very  common.  Usually,  however,  a  few  were 
found.  The  spring  of- 1881  it  was  quite  numerous.  There  they  fre- 
quent the  sugar,  oak  and  hickory  woods  on  and  near  the  hill  tops. 
We  never  found  them  in  the  river  valleys.  It  has  never  been  observed 
there,  in  fall.  In  the  lower  Wabash  region  it  would  seem  to  be  a  com- 
mon migrant. 

Mr.  Eobert  Ridgway  says  it  is  "a  common  species  during  the  spring 
migration  in  Wabash  County,  Illinois,  and  in  adjacent  counties  of 
Indiana,  and  is  hardly,  if  at  all,  less  rare  in  fall."    He  has  also  found 


1032  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

it  breeding  in  Eichland  County,  Illinois  (Orn.  of  111.,  I.,  pp.  127,  128). 
In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  it  is  also  a  common  migrant.  At 
Davis  Station,  Starke  County,  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  found  them  very  com- 
mon and  breeding,  the  spring  of  1884.  The  males  were  first  seen,  and 
were  common  May  11.  That  day  he  shot  four  and  saw  others.  May 
18  they  were  also  numerous.    Then  he  shot  a  female — the  first  seen. 

Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  has  found  them  commonly  in  Dekalb  County. 
There,  she  says,  it  is  a  regular  summer  resident.  Almost  every  large 
swamp  has  its  pair.  Their  notes  may  be  heard  almost  constantly  in  the 
spring.  She  reports  them  as  breeding,  but  notes  they  are  becoming 
less  commonly  seen.  In  Monroe  County,  Michigan,  it  formerly  bred 
quite  commonly.  Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  found  a  pair  building  their  nest 
in  Springfield  Township,  Lagrange  County,  about  May  12,  1891. 

Early  and  late  dates  of  first  arrival  in  Indiana  are:  Brookville, 
April  29,  1879,  May  11,  1885;  Eichmond,  April  22,  1897;  Greens- 
burg,  May  7,  1893;  Bloomington,  May  4,  1886;  Camden,  May  6, 
1885;  Lafayette,  April  24,  1897;  Terre  Haute,  May  17,  1890;  Sedan, 
April  27,  1896,  May  8,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  2,  1892,  May 
10,  1893;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  April  30,  1896,  May  18,  1893;  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.,  May  12,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  May  9,  1885.  In  the  fall  they  are 
very  irregular  in  their  movements,  also.  Some  years  they  disappear 
the  latter  part  of  August,  others  in  September,  and  again  the  late 
movers  remain  in  the  vicinity  of  their  breeding  grounds  into  October. 
The  following  are  some  dates  of  last  fall  records:  Plymouth,  Mich., 
August  20,  1894;  Lafayette,  Ind.,  present  August  30,  September  12, 
1895;  Warren  County,  September  14,  1897  (Bamett);  Chicago,  111., 
August  30,  1895.  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  informs  me  that  several  were 
seen  at  Grand  Eapids,  Mich.,  October  4,  1886. 

"Their  peculiar,  drawling,  lisping  song  is  sure,  even  if  I  have  not 
heard  it  for  several  years,  to  strike  my  ear  upon  entering  the  woods 
where  one  is  singing.  It  consists  of  four  syllables,  zee-zee-zee-zee, 
slowly  brought  forth,  with  a  peculiar,  vibratory  effort.  When  singing, 
they  are  usually  most  lively  and  wildest,  sometimes  leading  the  col- 
lector a  long  chase,  as  they  quickly  cover  considerable  distances  in  the 
woods.  At  other  times,  when  not  singing,  they  are  occasionally  rather 
tame.  However,  as  I  have  usually  found  them  quite  well  up  in  the 
trees,  they  cannot  be  said  to  compare  in  ease  of  approach  with  the 
last  species.  In  addition  to  the  records  of  its  breeding  in  Eichland 
County,  111.,  given  by  Mr.  Eobert  Eidgway  (Orn.  of  111.,  I.,  p.  127), 
Mr.  A.  C.  Poling  has  found  it  nesting  in  the  Mississippi  bottoms  in 
that  State.  There  it  frequents  the  lowlands,  covered  with  grass,  with 
an  occasional  bush  or  grove  of  trees,  and  all  the  nests  found  were 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1033 

placed  above  the  ground.  In  Ohio,  Dr.  Wheaton  records  its  breeding 
in  the  vicinity  of  Columbus.  In  that  State  it  prefers  swampy  places 
and  nests  on  the  ground,  frequently  under  the  broad  leaf  of  the  skunk 
cabbage"  (B.  of  0.,  p.  243). 

259.     (645).    Helminthophila    ruficapilla     (Wils.). 

Nashville  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  plain  olive-green;  head  and  sides  of  neck, 
grayish;  a  white  ring  around  the  eye;  crown,  with  a  concealed  chestnut 
patch;  under  parts,  bright  yellow,  whitening  on  the  middle  of  the 
belly;  wings  and  tail  without  white.  Adult  Female  and  Immature.— 
Similar,  but  colors  duller;  chestnut  on  crown,  less  distinct  or  want- 
ing. 

Length,  4.20-5.00;  wing,  2.30-2.45;  tail,  1.85-1.90. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Guatemala  north  to  Labra- 
dor and  Hudson  Bay  region  (Cumberland  House),  west  to  Eocky 
Mountains.  Breeds  from  northern  Illinois  and  Connecticut  north. 
Winters  in  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

Nest,  in  open  woods  that  generally  are  wet;  on  ground,  in  tuft  of 
grass,  depression  at  base  of  tree  or  bush;  of  grass  and  moss,  sometimes 
pine  needles,  lined  with  hair  or  fine  roots.  JEggs,  4,  sometimes  3  and 
5;  white  or  creamy- white,  speckled  with  gray,  cinnamon,  hazel,  vina- 
ceous  or  lilac  (reddish-brown,  Davie);  .59  by  .48. 

The  Nashville  Warbler  is  usually  rather  a  rare  migrant.  At  times, 
however,  it  is  common  in  one  locality  or  another.  Dr.  Bra3'^ton  says, 
upon  the  authority  of  Mr.  Nelson,  it  is  a  "very  common  migrant  in 
Lake  County  and  also  a  rare  resident"  (Birds  of  Ind.,  p.  103).  It  was 
rather  common  in  Franklin  County  May  5-11,  1882;  also  in  1885. 
Prof.  Evermann  found  it  common  in  Carroll  County,  May  4-7,  1885. 
Mr.  Alden  M.  Hadley  reports  it  abundant  in  Wayne  County,  April 
24  to  May  10,  1897.  In  Monroe  County  it  was  rather  common,  April 
27  to  May  1,.1886  (Evermann,  Blatchley).  Mr.  0.  W.  Wallace  says  it 
has  been  very  abundant  at  times  at  Wabash,  arriving  as  early  as  April 
28.  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me  it  was  not  rare  in  Lake  County  in 
1871,  and  Mrs.  Hine  says  it  was  very  common  in  Dekalb  County  the 
spring  of  1889.  About  Chicago  they  are  repori;ed  as  rare  migrants. 
I  have  but  one  record  from  there  in  recent  years.  They  arrive  some 
springs  in  southern  Indiana  by  April  15,  and  in  the  extreme  northern 
part  of  the  State  by  April  29.  I  do  not  know  that  in  late  years  it  has 
been  observed  within  the  State  after  May  11  (1885),  though  it  some- 
times lingers  in  southern  Michigan  until  May  25.     The  earliest  first 


1034  Report  or  State  Geologist. 

arrival  at  Brookville  (and  in  the  State)  is  April  15,  1887;  the  kteit, 
Ma}^  5,  1882.  The  earliest  it  has  been  noted  in  the  spring  at  Rich- 
mond is  April  24,  1897,  when  it  remained  to  May  10;  the  latest  first 
arrival  was  April  28,  1888.  The  following  other  dates  give,  respec- 
tively, the  earliest  and  latest  date  of  first  arrival:  Bloomington,  April 
27, 1886;  Moore's  Hill,  May  10,  1893;  Spearsville,  May  5,  1897;  Peters- 
burg, Mich.,  May  9,  1889,  May  18,  1893,  while  both  in  1892  and  1893 
it  was  noted  until  May  25;  Terre  Haoite,  May  3,  1890;  Sedan,  April 
29,  1896-7,  May  8,  1892.  I  have  usually  found  them  in  more  open 
sugar  woods,  where  they  generally  kept  high  in  the  trees.  Mr.  Wal- 
lace, while  he  generally  finds  them  in  the  tree  tops,  has  taken  it  in  an 
orchard,  and  once  in  an  open  blackberry  patch. ,  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen  says: 
"Its  song  so  much  resembles  that  of  the  Chestnut  Warbler  that  it 
might  readily  be  mistaken."  Minot  says  it  sounds  like,  "wee-see-wee- 
see,  wit-a-iuit-a-wit"  The  first  part  of  this  reminds  one  of  the  song 
of  the  Black  and  White  Warbler.  To  me,  the  song  has  a  peculiar, 
vibratory,  wheezy  sound  that  recalls  some  of  the  peculiar  sounds  of 
other  members  of  the  family.  It  has  not  been  reported  as  nesting  in 
Indiana,  but  it  is  given  by  Mr.  Nelson  as  breeding  in  northeastern 
Illinois,  and  Mr.  Philo  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  records  its  breeding  in  Fulton 
County,  111.  (Bay  State  Oologist,  Vol.  I.,  May,,  1888,  p.  44). 

Like  the  other  members  of  this  genus,  if  is  a  great  insect  eater, 
busily  searching  among  the  foliage  of  the  trees  it  frequents.  Two 
specimens  contained  4  small  caterpillars  and  a  few  fragments  of 
insects  (Prof.  King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  p.  500). 

260.     (646).    Helminthophila  celata  (Say.). 

Orange-crowned  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  olive-green,  dulled  with  ashy,  brighter  on  the 
rump;  a  concealed  patch  of  orange-rufous  on  the  crown;  yellowish  ring 
around  eye;  wing,  without  white  markings;  inner  webs  of  tail  feathers, 
with  white  edgings;  below,  whitish  Avashed  with  yellowish  and  ashy. 
Adult  Female. — Orange  and  rufous  crown,  less  distinct  or  wanting; 
tail  feathers,  with  no  white.  Immature. — Lacking  the  orange-rufous 
crown  patch;  wings,  with  two  whitish  bars;  ring  around  eye,  white. 

Length,  4.60-5.30;  wing,  2.31-2.52;  tail,  1.92-2.10. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Mexico  northward  over  eastern 
United  States,  Eocky  Mountains  to  mouth  of  Yukon  and  Mackenzie 
River;  rare  north  of  Virginia,  east  of  Alleghany  Mountains.  Breeds 
from  Utah  north  through  Eocky  Mountains.  Winters  south  of  United 
States. 


iilRDS    OF    InUIAXA.  lOoo 

A'' est,  on  ground,  under  low  bush;  of  grass  and  leaves.  J^ggs,  4-5; 
iv'hite,  marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  reddish-brown  and  purplish- 
slate;  .63  by  .49. 

This  is  the  rarest  bird  of  its  genus  in  Indiana,  and  is  only  known 
as  a  migrant.  Usually  it  is  very  rare;  often  it  is  entirely  wanting  for 
years  together,  and  very  rarely  it  is  seen  in  some  numbers.  I  have 
found  it  in  Franklin  County  but  four  times  in  nineteen  years — April 
29,  and  one  day  in  May,  1880,  May  9,  1885,  and  May  5,  1889.  On 
the  next  to  the  last  date  it  was  tolerably  common  in  a  sugar  wood,  on  a 
hillside  near  Brookville,  in  company  with  Nashville  Warblers.  In 
1871,  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me,  it  was  not  rare  in  Lake  County. 
In  that  county,  also,  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  obtained  a  specimen,  May  16, 
1877,  and  two  days  later  one  in  Cook  County,  111.,  not  far  away.  The 
next  record  I  have  from  Cook  County  is  of  a  specimen  taken  by  Mr. 
C.  A.  Tallman,  May  16,  1897.  In  a  bush  on  the  edge  of  a  woods  at 
Wabash,  May  15,  1892,  one  was  taken  by  Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace,  and  one 
was  obtained  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Hadley  at  Eichmond,  May  1,  1897.  Sev- 
eral specimens  have  been  taken  in  Marion  County  (Brayton).  It  has 
also  been  reported  from  Knox  and  Gibson  counties  (Eidgway),  Vigo 
County  (Evermann),  Carroll  County  (Sterling),  Dekalb  County  (H. 
W.  McBride).  They  return  in  the  fall  in  September.  Dr.  Wheaton 
heard  it  sing  and  describes  its  effort  as  a  "loud,  emphatic  and  rather 
monotonous  song,  resembling  as  nearly  as  I  can  describe  the  syllables, 
*chicky-tick-tick-tick-tick;'  this  song  was  louder  and  more  decidedly 
emphasized  than  that  of  any  member  of  the  genus  with  which  I  am 
acquainted"  (Birds  of  Ohio,  p.  244).  Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson  says 
"^^it  has  a  loud  song-like  chip-e-chip-e,  chip-e,  chip-e,  chip-e"  (Proc.  IT. 
S.  N.  M.,  Vol.  XIII.,  p.  616). 

261.     (647).    Helminthophila  peregrina  (Wils.). 

Tennessee  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  olive-green;  head  and  neck,  ash-gray, 
with  no  colored  crown  patch,  but  with  a  dusky  stripe 
through  the  eye  and  an  indistinct  white  stripe  over  and 
a  white  ring  around  the  eye;  wings  and  tail,  with  no  white;  below, 
white.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  with  the  crown  tinged  with 
greenish,  and  lower  parts,  especially  on  the  sides,  with  yellowish- 
olive.  Immature. — Head  and  all  upper  parts,  olive-green;  lower  parts, 
washed  with  olive-yellow;  lower  tail  coverts,  white. 

RemarJcs. — The  adults  of  this  and  the  two  preceding  species  may  be 
distinguished  with  ease;  immature  birds,  however,  are  frequently  con- 


1036  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

fused.  The  Nashville  is  distinctly  yellow  on  the  breast  and  under  tail- 
coverts;  the  Orange-crowned  is  pale  greenish-yellow,  with  dusky 
streaks,  and  yellow  under  tail-coverts;  the  Tennessee  is  pale  greenish- 
yellow,  without  streaks,  and  with  the  under  tail  coverts  white.  (Chap- 
man, B.  E.  K  A.). 

Length,  4.50-5.00;  wing,  2.40-2.75;  tail,  1.60-1.85. 

Kange. — America,  from  Colombia  north  over  United  States,  east 
of  Kocky  Mountains  to  Hudson  Bay,  Mackenzie  Valley  (Ft.  Simpson). 
Breeds  from  Minnesota,  northern  New  York  and  Massachusetts, 
north.    Winters  from  Cuba  and  Central  America,  south. 

Nest,  on  ground,  of  grass,  moss  and  bark  strips,  lined  with  fine 
grass  and  hair.  Eggs,  4;  white,  marked  with  reddish-brown  about  the 
larger  end;  .60  by  .50. 

The  Tennessee  Warbler  is  a  migrant,  regular  and  usually  abundant 
in  fall;  much  less  numerous  and  frequently  rare  in  the  spring.  In 
fall,  they  may  be  found  almost  everywhere,  but  are  most  common 
about  bushy  ravines,  brier  patches,  overgr6wn  fencerows,  and  weed- 
patches.  In  spring  it  is  found  in  woodlands.  At  Bloomington,  both 
Profs.  Blatchley.and  Evermann  thought  it  less  numerous  than  the 
Nashville  Warbler.  The  last  named  gentleman  made  a  similar  report 
on  its  occurrence  in  Carroll  County.  These  estimates,  I  presume, 
refer  to  its  occurrence  in  the  spring.  In  Franklin  County  I  have 
found  it  fully  as  numerous  as  the  Nashville,  in  spring,  though,  like 
that  species,  some  years  it  is  rare  and  others  apparently  wanting. 

This  species  is  late  in  arriving  and  seldom  appears  before  the  1st  of 
May.  The  following  records  give  the  earliest  and  latest  record  of  its 
first  appearance  in  spring,. and  indicates  its  comparative  abundance: 
Brookville,  April  20,  1884,  not  common.  May  17,  1882,  rare;  Bloom- 
ington, April  27,  1886,  rare,  May  3  to  10,  1890,  common;  Chicago, 
111.,  May  4,  1895,  rather  common.  May  21,  1896,  common;  Petersburg, 
Mich.,  May  15,  1888,  rare.  In  Illinois,  Mr.  Eidgway  gives  it  as  an 
abundant  migrant,  both  spring  and  fall.  Like  the  last  mentioned 
species,  it  breeds  far  north.  The  present  species  is  a  bird  of  eastern 
North  America,  extending  west  only  to  the  Kocky  Mountains.  Mr. 
Eidgway  says:  "It  seems  to  be  far  more  numerous  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies  than  eastward  of  that  range,  in  which  respect  it  is  like  the 
Philadelphia  Vireo  and  several  other  migratory  birds,  which  can 
scarcely  be  considered  as  more  than  stragglers  in  the  Atlantic  States" 
(B.  of  111.,  I.,  p.  130).  Mr.  Thompson  says:  "Its  song  begins  with  a 
note  like  chipiti,  chipiti,  repeated  a  dozen  or  more  times  with  increas- 
ing rapidity,  then  suddenly  changed  into  a  mere  twitter''  (Proc.  U. 
S.  N.  M.,  A^ol.  XIII.,  p.  616).     In  the  fall  the  Tennessee  Warblers 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1037 

begin  to  reach  the  northern  part  of  the  State  the  very  last  of  August, 
and  sometimes  have  nearly  reached  the  Ohio  River  by  the  end  of  the 
first  week  in  September.  Then  they  pass  leisurely  for  five  or  six 
weeks,  being  found  almost  up  to  the  middle  of  October.  The  follow- 
ing give  the  dates  of  earliest  appearance  and  last  record,  respectively, 
for  the  fall:  Chicago,  111.,  August  31,  1895,  October  9,  1896;  Lake 
County,  Ind.,  September  3,  1884;  September  28,  1879;  Greencastle, 
Ind.,  September  15,  1890;  Greensburg,  present  September  22  to  Oc- 
tober 11,  1896;  Bicknell,  September  8,  1896,  September  19,  1894; 
Brookville,  September  6,  1886,  October  13,  1882.  At  this  time  of  the 
year  they  may  be  seen  associating  with  Sparrows  and  Redpoll  Warblers . 
in  the  more  open  ground,  and,  when  in  the  woods,  with  Wilson's  and 
Nashville  Warblers.  Some  autumns  they  are  very  abundant.  While 
they,  on  the  whole,  are  quite  destructive  to  insects,  yet  in  the  fall  there 
are  two  habits  that  are  against  this  little  green  Warbler.  It  some- 
times eats  the  fruit  of  the  Poison  Vine  {Rhus  toxicodendron),  and 
becomes  a  distributor  of  its  seeds;  the  other  is  a  habit  it  has  formed 
of  puncturing  grapes.  This  has  been  reported  to  me  on  several  occa- 
sions, but  I  have  never  seen  it  myself.  Prof.  King  also  refers  to  it. 
He  examined  33  stomachs.  Two  had  eaten  2  very  small  hymenoptera 
(probably  parasites);  7,  13  caterpillars;  3,  15  diptera;  6,  13  beetles;  3, 
42  plant  lice;  3,  35  small  heteroptera,  and  1,  11  insect  eggs  (Geol.  of 
Wis.,  I.,  pp.  501,  502). 

157.    Gknus  COMPSOTHLYPIS  Cabanis. 

a^.  Size  smaller,  bill  longer.  C.  americana  (Linn.).     262 

o^.  Size  larger;  bill  shorter.  C.  americana  usneae  Brewst.     263 

*262.     (648).    Compsothlypis  americana  (Linn.). 

Parula  Warbler. 
Synonym,  Blue  Yellow-Jbacked  Warbler. 

Male  in  Spring. — Above,  blue,  back  with  golden-brown  patch; 
throat  and  breast,  yellow,  with  a  rich  brown  or  blackish  patch,  the 
former  sometimes  extending  along  the  sides;  belly,  eyelids,  two  wing 
bars  and  several  tail  spots,  white;  lores,  black;  upper  mandible,  black; 
lower,  flesh-colored.  Female  in  Spring. — With  the  blue  less  bright; 
back  and  throat  patches  not  so  well  defined.  Immature. — With  these 
patches  obscure  or  wanting,  but  always  recognizable  by  the  other 
marks  and  very  small  size.    "Averaging  slightly  smaller,  but  with  a 


1038  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

longer  bill.  Adult  Male. — With  more  yellow  on  the  under  parts  and 
less  black  or  blackish  on  the  lores  and  malar  region;  the  dark  collar 
across  the  jugnlum,  narrow,  obscure,  often  nearly  wanting;  the  chest, 
pale,  diffuse  russet,  without  obvious  markings"  (Brewster). 

Length,  4.12-4.95;  wing,  2.20-2.40;  tail,  1.60-1.85. 

Eange. — Eastern  I^orth  America,  from  Guatemala  and  West  Indies 
to  District  of  Columbia,  southern  Illinois  and  southern  Indiana. 
Breeds  from  south  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  east  of  Texas,  north. 
Winters  from  Florida,  southward. 

Nest,  of  long  moss  (Tillandsia)  woven  together,  lined  with  feathers 
,and  soft  materials.  £^ggs,  5;  white,  speckled  and  spotted,  almost 
wholly  at  larger  ends,  with  lilac  and  bright  reddish-brown;  .69  by  .47. 

Hitherto  all  the  Parula  Warblers  of  eastern  North  America  have 
been  classed  as  this  form.  In  the  Auk  for  January,  1896,  Mr.  William 
Brewster  has  separated  them,  giving  to  the  birds  breeding  in  the 
northern  United  States  and  Canada  the  sub-specific  name  usnece,  and 
assuring  us  that  the  type  of  Linnaeus'  species  was  a  southern  bird,  and 
therefore  the  birds  from  that  region  should  retain  the  above  name. 
He  says,  in  his  collection  are  apparently  typical  examples  of  this 
form,  from  Mt.  Carmel,  111.  Mr.  Kobert  Eidgway  writes  me:  "The 
breeding  bird  of  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  and  probably  other  ex- 
treme southern  or  southwestern  parts  of  the  State  (Indiana),  is  true 
C.  americana"  There  is  no  record  of  its  having  been  taken  farther 
north  or  even  elsewhere  in  the  State.  In  1881,  Mr.  Eidgway  says 
they  arrived  in  Knox  County,  April  18  (Bull.  N.  0.  Club,  Vol.  VIL, 
1^0.  1,  1882). 

He  has  also  informed  us  that  it  nests  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties. 
From  there  it  breeds  southward  throughout  its  range,  usually  building 
in  the  draperies  of  the  beautiful  "Spanish  moss"  (Tillandsia). 

Possibly  the  strange  nest  found  by  Mr.  Otto  Widmann,  near  St. 
Louis,  may  have  belonged  to  this  bird.  In  1885  he  found  the  nest  of 
a  Parula  Warbler  in  a  bunch  of  light  drift  material — straw,  grass,  dry 
leaves,  etc. — left  by  a  freshet,  attached  to  the  end  of  the  branch  of 
a  birch  tree  overhanging  the  water. 

In  structure  this  nest  is  similar  to  other  nests  of  this  bird,  with 
the  exception  that  the  straw  and  leaves  take  the  place  of  the  lichens 
and  mosses.  Mr.  H.  Nehrling  says  the  song  of  the  Parula  consists  of 
^Vir)'^,  rather  shrill,  notes,  sounding  like  chin-rin-in-rvh." 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1039 

263.     ( — )     Compsothlypis  americana  usneae.     Brewster. 

Northern  Parula  "Warbler. 

Averaging  slightly  larger,  but  with  a  shorter  bill.* 

Adult  Male. — With  less  yellow  on  the  under  parts  and  more  black 
or  blackish  on  the  lores  and  malar  region;  the  dark  collar  across  the 
jngulum,  black  or  blackish^-broad  and  conspicuous;  the  chest,  mottled 
or  spotted  with  rich  brownish-chestnut. 

Breeding  Eange. — New  England,  New  York  and  westward  along 
the  northern  tier  of  States;  northward  into  the  Maritime  Provinces 
and  Canada  (Brewster),  Colorado  (?).  Winter  range,  possibly  same  as 
last. 

Nest,  on  both  live  and  dead  trees,  from  near  ground  to  fifty  feet 
high;  in  bushes  in  swamps;  of  bunches  of  Usnea  moss,  lined  with 
same,  a  little  wool  or  grass,  ^ggs,  4,  occasionally  3  and  5,  rarely  6 
or  7;  white,  or  creamy-white,  more  or  less  distinctly  speckled  and 
spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac;  markings  generally  thickest 
near  large  end,  around  which  they  often  form  a  wreath;  .64  by  .47. 

This  bird  has  been  separated  from  the  typical  southern  form  by 
Mr.  William  Brewster  (see  The  Auk,  January,  1896,  pp.  44-46).  It 
includes  those  birds  which  breed  to  the  northward  of  the  Ohio  Valley 
— excepting  the  lower  part — and  perhaps  north  of  the  District  of 
Columbia. 

We  do  not  know  the  exact  limits  of  the  breeding  range,  nor  can  the 
winter  range  of  each  of  the  two  races  be  determined.  As  the  south- 
ern bird  nests  among  the  festoons  of  "Spanish  moss"  (Tillandsia), 
the  present  birds  prefer  to  nest  in  bunches  of  "Old  Mam"  nioss 
(Usnea).  Wherever  there  is  damp  woods,  where  this  moss  grows 
tommonly,  these  birds  may  be  looked  for  through  the  summer.  .Mr. 
Eobert  Ridgway  writes  me  of  this  form  in  Indiana,  that  birds  breed- 
ing in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  State  are  probably  C.  a.  usnecB. 
He  says  both  P.  americana  (breeding  birds)  and  C.  a.  usnece  (mi- 
grants) are  in  the  United  States  National  Museum,  from  Yincennes 
and  Wheatland.  A  small  collection  of  Parula  Warblers  was  sent  to 
Mr.  Brewster  for  examination.  He  writes:  "Most  of  your  skins  appear 
to  be  intermediate  between  americana  and  usnece.  Several  of  them 
have  bills  nearly  as  im  the  former,  but  the  coloring  is  about  half-way 
between  the  two.  T^^^o  or  three  are  apparently  usnece,  and  were,  no 
doubt,  migrants."     He  tells  me  those  breeding  in  Michigan  in  the 

*NoTi;.— Except  the  breeding  time,  nothing  is  yet  determined  as  to  the  range  of  either 
form.  Likewise,  in  t^e  absence  of  measurements,  I  can  not  give  them.  Therefore,  the 
range,  except  in  breeding  »eason,  and  measurements, given  above,  cover  both  forme. 


1040  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

region  in  which  he  has  collected  are  C.  a.  usnew.  It  seems,  then, 
that  in  the  State  are  to  be  found  the  typical  southern  form,  as  sum- 
mer residents,  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley;  the  typi(;al  northern 
form,  as  migrants,  at  least,  and  birds  intermediate  between  them — 
these  latter  possibly  breeding.  A  few  birds  remain  through  the  sum- 
mer, and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Hine  says  it  breeds  in  Dekalb  County,  but,  so  far 
as  I  know,  none  have  been  found  breeding.  In  Laporte  County  it  is 
a  summer  resident  (Byrkit).  It  was  taken  June  3,  1888,  by  Mr.  Euth- 
ven  Deane,  at  Englsh  Lake;  in  Putnam  Ccunty,  July  2,  1889,  by  Mr. 
J.  F.  Clearwaters.  Mr.  Charles  Dury  fcund  them  near  Cincinnati, 
July  18  and  31,  and  August  27,  1879.  Dr.  Wheaton  speaks  of  them 
breeding  in  northern  Ohio,  possibly  south  of  Columbus  (B.  of  Ohio, 
p.  239),  and  Prof.  Cook  says  it  occasionally  breeds  in  Michigan  (B.  of 
Mich.).  Mr.  Nelson  notes  that  it  breeds  rarely  in  northeastern  Illi- 
nois. I  have,  for  the  present,  referred  all  records  north  of  Knox 
County  to  this  form.  They  appear  within  the  State,  most  seasons,  in 
the  latter  half  of  April,  and  migrants  seldom  linger  after  the  middle 
of  May.  I  have  found  the  first  arrivals  at  Brookville  as  early  as  April 
25  (1881),  and  as  late  as  May  16  (1884).  They  have  been  observed 
at  Bloomington  as  early  as  April  21  (1885),  and  April  27  (1886);  at 
Terre  Haute,  April  24,  1890,  May  3,  1887;  Lafayette,  April  28,  1893; 
Carroll  County,  May  4  to  May  10,  1885;  Wabash  County,  May  2  to 
10,  1892;  Sedan,  April  29,  1897,  May  4,  1894;  Lake  County,  May  24 
and  26,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  May  9,  1886,  May  15,  1895. 

Even  when  they  arrive  early  they  are  usually  mating.  I  have 
seen  them  so  engaged  as  early  as  April  25.  They  are  as  variable  in 
numbers  as  they  are  in  the  time. of  arrival.  Some  years  they  are  com- 
mon, and  others,  quite  rare  or  wanting.  Usually  when  they  are  com- 
mon they  arrive  early,  and  again  a  few  or  even  a  single  representative 
will  be  seen  late  in  the  migrations.  I  have  always  found  them  in 
the  heavier  woodlands,  where  they  frequent  the  higher  tree-tops, 
preferably  maple,  elm  and  oak.  Their  habits  remind  one  of  those  of 
a  Titmouse,  but  they  are  more  active.  Occasionally  they  utter  a  pe- 
culiar song,  ending  in  a  peculiar  little  screech.  It  is  the  same  as  that 
given  under  the  last  species.  Its  food  consists  of  small  insects,  includ- 
ing flies  and  various  other  winged  forms,  spiders  and  caterpillars, 
which  they  are  ybty  industrious  in  gathering  from  the  unfolding 
leaves  and  inconspicuous  flowers  of  the  trees  they  frequent.  In  fall, 
the  return  journey  is  made  in  August  and  September.  The  latest 
dates  when  it  was  seen  are:  Chicago,  111.,  September  15,  1885,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1895;  Cincinnati,  0.,  August  27,  1879,  September  28, 
1878;  Lake  County,  September  18,  1881. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1041 


158.    Gknus  DBNDROICA  Gray. 


o^.  Bill  slender,  very  acute;  gonys  slightly  concave  near  tip;  notch  wanting  or 
very  indistinct.     Subgenus  Perissogloss 4  Baird.     D.  tigrina  (Gmel.).     264 
a 2.  Bill  conical;  gonys  convex;  notch  distinct. 

6^.  Tail  feathers  edged  with  yellow;  plumage  chiefly  yellow. 

D.  sestiva  (Gmel.).     265 
b^.  Tail  feathers  blotched  with  white. 

c^.  Primaries  with  white  blotch  near  bases;  no  wing  bars. 

D.  cserulescens  (Gmel.).     266 
c^.  Primaries  without  white  blotch. 
d^ .  Wing  bars,  if  present,  not  white. 

e^.  White  below;  crown  and  wing  patch  more  or  less  yellow. 

D.  pennsylvanica  (Linn.).     270 
e^.  Yellow  below. 
f^.  Sides  reddish  streaked;  crown  chestnut. 

D.  palmarum  (Gmel.).     278 
/2.  Sides  black  streaked. 

g^.  Back  olive  with  reddish  spots.  D.  discolor  (Vieill.).     279 

g^.  Back  ashy.  D.  kirtlandi  Baird.     276 

d^.  Wing  bars  or  wing  patch  white. 
h^.  Kump  yellow. 

i^.  Crown  clear  ash;  yellow  and  streaked  below. 

D.  maculosa  (Gmel.).     268 
i^.  Crown  with  yellow  spot;  white  and  streaked  below. 

D.  coronata  (Linn.).     267 
/i^.  Rump  not  yellow. 

j^.  No  distinct  yellow  anywhere. 

^^.  Crown,  blue  or  greenish,  like  the  back. 

D.  rara  (Wils.).     269 
k'^.  Crown  not  blue  or  greenish. 
/^.  Crown  black,  much  streaked. 

D.  striata  (Forst.).     272 
/-'.  Crown  and  throat  chestnut;  buffy  below. 

D.  oastanea  (Wils.).     271 
j^.  More  or  less  yellow  or  orange. 

m^.  Crown  with  orange  or  yellow  spot;  throat  orange  or 
yellow.  D.  blackburniae  (Gmel.).     273 

m'^.  Crown  bluish  or  yellowish  ;  not  as  above. 

n^.  Throat  black  (sometimes  obscured  by  yellow  tips 
to  feathers) ;  outer  tail  feather  white  edged. 

D.  virens  (Gmel.).     276 
n^.  Throat  yellow. 

0^.  Back  blue  gray  ;  cheeks  black. 

D.  dominica  albilora  Ridgw.     274 
0^.  Back  yellowish  olive;  cheeks  the  same  color. 

D.  vigorsii  (And.).     277 


66— Geol. 


1042  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 


ANALYSIS  OF  PERFECT  SPRING   MALES. 

Tail  feathers  edged  with  yellow ;  head  yellow  .....  (vsliva. 
Tail  feathers  blotched  with  white;  a  white  spot  at  base  of 

primaries  rm-ulescens. 

— no  white  spot  at  base  of  primaries.  («) 
(a).  Wing  bars   not   white.       Below,    white;    sides   chestnut- 
streaked,    crown   yellow pennsylvanica. 

— yellow  ;  sides  reddish-streaked,  crown  reddish.  .  palmarum. 

— black-streaked  ;  above,  ashy kirtlandi. 

— ^olive,  reddish-streaked  •    .    .  discolor. 
(ao).  Wing  bars  white  (sometimes  fused  into  one  large  patch)  (6) 
(6).  Crown  blue,  like  the  back;  below,  white,  sides  and  breast 

streaked  .  ...  rara. 

—  chestnut,   like  the  throat;    below  and  sides  of   neck, 

bufFy  tinged  . castaiua. 

— clear  ash;    rump  and   under  parts  yellow,  breast  and 

sides,  black-creaked  .    .  maculom. 

-blackish,    with    median    line    orange-brown,    like    the 

auriculars;  rump,  yellow.  .    .      tujrina. 

— perfectly  black;  throat  not  black;  no  yellow  ;  feet  flesh 

color ...  ....  striata. 

— with  yellow  spot;  throat  fiame-color;  rump  not  yellow  .  hlackhurnii9. 
— white;  rump  and  sides  of  breast  yellow  coronata. 

(66).  Crown  otherwise;  throat  black;  back,  olive;  crown  like 

back  ...  virens. 

— yellow;  back,  o'ive;  no  black  or  ashy  on  head  .  vigorsii. 

— ashy  blue  ;  cheeks  black  ;  eyelids  white      dominica  alhilora. 


DIAGNOSTIC  MARKS  OF  WARBLERS  IN  ANY  PLUMAGE. 

Wing  bars  and  belly  yellow .  .  discolor. 

Wings  and  tail  dusky,  edged  with  yellow (vstiva. 

Wing  bars  yellow  and  belly  pure  white  pennsylmnica. 

A   white   spot  at  base  of  primaries  (which   is  almost  never 

wanting)    .....  ...  ovritlescens. 

Throat  definitely  yellow  ;  back  with  no  green ;  belly  white    .  dominica  alhilora. 
Bill  extremely  acute,  perceptibly  curved;  rump  (generally) 

yellow  ■    -  tigrina. 

Rump,  sides  of  breast  and  crown  more  or  less  yellow ;  throat 

white coronata. 

Wing  bars  white;    tail  spots  oblique,   at  end  of  two  outer 

feathers  only         .  .    .  ......  vigorsii. 

Tail  spots  at  middle  of  nearly  all  the  feathers ;  rujnp  and  belly 

yellow maculosa. 

Wing  bars  brownish;  tail  spots  square  at  end  of  two  outer 

feathers  only palmarum. 

Wing  bars  not  very  conspicuous ;  whole  under  parts  yellow ; 

back  with  no  greenish kirtlandi. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  •  1013 

Tail  spots  at  end  of  nearly  all  the  feathers;  no  definite  yellow 

anywhere  .    .  .....  vara. 

Throat,  breast  and  sides  black ;  sides  of  head  with  diffused 

yellow;  outer  tail  feather  white,  edged  externally     .      virens. 

Throat  yellow  or  orange  ;  crown  with  at  least  a  trace  of  a  cen- 
tral yellow  or  orange  spot ;  outer  tail  feather  white  edged 
externally .        .  •  blackburnii. 

Bill  ordinary,  and  with  none  of  the  foregoing  special  marks  •  stnata,  or  castanea. 

Subgenus  Perissogi-ossa  Baird. 

264.     (650).    Dendroica  tigrina  (Gmel.). 

Cape  May  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — "Bill  •.  ery  acute,  conical  and  decidedly  curved;  back, 
yellowish-olive,  with  dark  markings;  crown,  bkcii;  abdomen  and  tail 
coverts,  yellow;  rump,  licli  yellow;  an  orange-brown  ear  patch;  a  black 
loral  line;  under  parts,  yellow;  streaked  with  black  on  breast  and 
sides;  large  .white  piitch  on  the  wings;  three  pairs  of  large  white  tail 
blotches.  Female. — Similar,  but  lacking  distinctive  head  markings; 
small  wing  patch  and  tail  blotches;  under  parts,  paler;  bill  and  feet, 
black."    (Nehrling,  N.  A  Birds). 

Length,  4.70-5.65;  wing,  2.85;  tail,  2.15. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  West  Indies  to  Hudson 
Bay  Territory.  Breeds  from  Maine,  northern  Michigan  and  Minne- 
sota, north.     Winters  in  West  Indies.     Resident  in  Jamaica. 

Nest,  in  coniferous  trees,  on  tip  of  large  limb,  pendent;  of  evergreen 
twigs,  grass  or  vines,  fastened  with  spider^s  web,  and  lined  with  horse- 
hair. Eggs,  4;  dull  white,  slightly  ashen,  irregularly  dotted  and 
spotted,  usually  most  about  larger  end,  with  yellowish,  reddish-brown 
and  lilac;  .67  by  .49. 

The  Cape  May  Warbler  is  generally  considered  a  rare  bird  every- 
where. While  this  is  true,  and  some  years  it  is  altogether  absent, 
there  are  years  when  it  is  common  and  even  abundant.  In  Indiana 
it  appears  as  a  migrant,  perhaps  more  numerous  in  fall  than  spring. 
Its  peculiar  distribution  is  very  interesting.  It  generally  breeds 
farther  north  than  the  United  States,  yet,  like  the  Myrtle  Warbler,  it 
is  a  resident  in  Jamaica  and  Hayti,  where  they  breed  among  the 
mountains.  With  us,  they  'appear  vni]\  the  later  Warblers,  seldom 
arriving  before  April  25,  and  usually  after  May  1,  and  some  years  re- 
maining until  the  close  of  the  latter  month.  The  dates  here  given 
explain  the  early  and  late  first  arrivals:  Bloomington,  April  24,  1885, 
1886,  remained  to  May  5,  1886;  Brookville,  May  4,  1886,  and  1892, 
May  6,  1897;  Madison,  May  23,  1888;  Knox  County,  May  9,  1885; 
Terre  Haute,  May  4,  1887,  May  11,  1890;  Indianapolis,  May  7,  1878; 


1044  Kepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

Carroll  County,  May  8,  1885,  May  22,  1883,  May  29,  1894;  Lafayette, 
April  28,  1896,  May  21,  1895;  Sedan,  April  27,  1896,  May  15,  1897; 
Chicago,  111.,  May  4,  1895,  May  13,  1886.  In  the  fall  they  sometimes 
begin  to  reappear  late  in  August,  and  are  slowly  passing  southward 
through  September,  a  few  lingering  until  well  into  October.  They 
appeared  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  111.,  August  29,  1895,  and  re- 
mained until  September  14.  The  next  year  they  came  August  20,  and 
were  seen  September  21.  In  1896,  also,  they  appeared  at  Greensburg, 
Ind.,  September  22,  and  did  not  all  leave  until  October  12.  They 
were  noted  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  September  7,  1877,  and  Sep- 
tember 22,  1878.  The  spring  of  1885  they  were  very  common  in 
Knox  County.  On  May  9,  Mr.  Eidgway  took  five  specimens.  In  May, 
1892,  they  were  generally  common  throughout  the  State.  Mr.  J.  E. 
Beasley,  of  Lebanon,  says  they  were  more  common  than  he  ever  knew 
them.  They  were  passing  for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  he  saw  them 
almost  every  day  he  was  out,  but  never  more  than  two  or  three.  Simi- 
lar reports  came  from  Lafayette,  Oreencastle,  Wabash  and  Brookville. 
The  spring  of  1896  they  were  common  near  Chicago,  remaining  until 
May  27.  That  fall,  also,  they  were  very  common  in  that  vicinity, 
and  were  reported  as  being  abundant  at  Greensburg,  Ind.  The  fall 
of  1895  they  were  tolerably  common  near  Chicago.  In  some  localities 
they  are  said  to  frequent  the  tops  of  tall  trees.  Some  years  with  us 
they  are  found  upon  the  drier  uplands,  among  the  oak  woods,  where 
they  usually  keep  among  the  lower  branches  or  upon  the  high  bushes 
and  smaller  trees.  They  are  not  very  active,  but  keep  persistently 
hunting  insects.  At  other  times,  we  find  them  among  our  orchards, 
even  coming  into  towns,  where  they  occupy  themselves  catching 
insects  among  the  foliage  and  about  the  blossoms  of  all  kinds  of 
shade  and  fruit  trees.  May  6,  1897,  at  noon,  I  observed  a  Cape  May 
Warbler  among  the  cedar  and  apple  trees  in  my  yard  at  Brookville. 
It  was  very  deliberate,  but  very  industrious.  The  apple  trees  were 
in  full  bloom.  It  went  over  them  from  lowest  limb  to  topmost 
branch,  apparently  visiting  most  of  the  blossoms.  If  it  caught  an 
insect  every  time  it  appeared  to,  it  must  have  taken  hundreds.  Even 
the  warm  mid-day  sun  did  not  stop  its  work,  and  its  little  song  only 
sounded  the  clearer  when  those  of  many-  other  birds  had  ceased.  Its 
notes  seemed  to  run  like  a-wit  a-wit  a-wit  a-wit  a-wit,  each  pair 
of  syllables  repeated  five  times  with  moderate  rapidity  and  in  the  same 
tone,  with  no  inflection.  To  me  it  sounded  louder  a  hundred  feet  off 
than  it  did  at  one-fifth  that  distance.  This  may  have  been  due  to 
the  sound  having  been  reflected  by  a  building  where  I  stood  at  the 
greater  distance.     At  one  time  associated  with  it  on  the  same  tree 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  1045 

were  three  Baltimore  Orioles.  Each  did  its  utmost  in  insect  catching, 
and  for  a  time  none  of  them  had  time  to  sing;  they  were  too  busy 
at  the  noonday  meal.  From  reports  received,  others  have  had  similar 
experiences  with  this  bird.  Prof.  King  examined  four  specimens 
taken  between  September  6  and  22.  With  the  exception  of  one  ant, 
all  the  food  they  had  eaten  was  beetles.  One  stomach  contained  ten 
beetles.  These  Warblers  axe  very  beneficial,  and  their  efforts  on  behalf 
of  the  farmer  and  fruit  grower  entitle  them  to  his  regard  and  care. 
In  the  fall  they  often  frequent  thickets,  brier  patches,  overgrown 
fence-rows,  and  weedy  roadsides,  after  the  manner  of  Tennessee  and 
Eed-poll  Warblers. 

Subgenus  Dendroica  Gray. 

*265.     (652).    Dendroica  aestiva  (Gmel.). 

Yellow  Warbler.  i 

Synonyms,  Summer  Warbler,  Summer  Yellow  Bird. 

"Adult  Male. — Entire  lower  parts  and  head,  pure,  rich  gamboge- 
yellow;  breast  and  sides,  boldly  striped  with  rich  chestnut  or  orange- 
brown;  wings  and  tail,  dusky,  every  feather  edged  with  yellow;  upper 
parts,  olive-green,  sometimes  streaked  with  dusky;  bill,  dark,  horn 
blue;  feet,  brownish.  Female. — Paler  yellow,  the  chestnut-rufous 
stripes,  dull,  few  or  wanting  entirely"  (Chapman). 

Length,  4.50-5.25;  wing,  2.35-2.65;  tail,  1.80-2.10. 

Eange. — America,  excepting  southwestern  United  States  and 
northwestern  Mexico,  from  Guiana  and  Ecuador  to  Bering  Sea  and 
the  Arctic  Coast.  Breeds  from  northern  Mexico,  north.  Winters 
from  Mexico,  south. 

Nest,  in  crotch  of  bush  or  low  tree  in  rather  open  situation;  of 
bark  shreds,  vegetable  fibre,  grass,  moss,  wool,  hair  and  plant  down, 
neatly  and  compactly  woven  together.  Eggs,  4-5;  bluish- white, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  different  shades  of  brown;  .70  by  .50. 

The  Yellow  Warbler  is  one  of  our  best  known  and  most  abundant 
summer  residents.  It  arrives  as  the  buds  on  the  apple  trees  are 
bursting  into  bloom.  It  is  no  unusual  thing  to  awaken  a  warm  spring 
morning,  after  a  few  days  of  cold  weather,  and  find  that  in  the  night 
the  grass  has  grown  markedly,  the  naked  limbs  of  the  apple  trees 
are  clothed  in  green  and  decked  in  flowers.  One  can  almost  see  things 
grow.  While  gazing  upon  the  changed  scene,  a  bit  of  bright  yellow 
flits  among  the  apple  boughs  and  says  "we-chee,  chee,  chee,  chee-wee.'^ 
It  is  the  Yellow  Warbler.     The  warm  spell  has  quickened  his  move- 


1046  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

ments  and  brought  back  a  friend  of  other  days.  Mr.  E.  M.  Kindle 
says  it  arrived  in  Brown  County  April  4,  1884.  Its  first  appearance, 
early  and  late  seasons,  are  as  follows:  Brookville,  April  11,  1897, 
April  24,  1884;  Bicknell,  April  15,  1894;  Greencastle,  April' 19,  1896, 
April  25,  1893;  Muncie,  April  21,  1894,  April  24,  1893;  Carroll 
County,  May  4,  1885,  May  8,  1884;  Dekalb  County,  April  21,  1896, 
April  27,  1894;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  April  18,  1896,  May  1,  1893,  1895; 
Chicago,  111.,  May  1,  1895,  May  8,  1897. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  first  arrivals  of  this  bird,  like  that  of  a 
number  of  others,  is  earlier  in  eastern  Michigan  than  in  Chicago. 
However,  the  bulk  of  the  migrants  arrive  at  the  same  Michigan  places 
but  a  day  or  two  ahead  of  Chicago.  Some  ye?.rs  the  weather  condi- 
tions are  such  that  birds  move  forward  over  a  great  stretch  of  country 
with  nothing  to  retard  them.  Other  years,  they  advance  and  halt 
and  again  go  forward,  making  their  general  advance  very  slowly.  In 
1896,  the  first  Yellow  Warbler  was  seen  at  Brookville  April  16.  The 
same  day  five  were  seen  at  Frankfort.  That  day  the  advance  was 
noted  at  Plymouth,  Mich.,  to  be  followed  by  others  next  day.  April 
18  a  great  bird  wave  appeared,  bringing  multitudes  of  Yellow  Warblers 
to  Brookville  and  Frankfort.  They  practically  extended  across  the 
length  of  Indiana  in  two  days.  On  the  other  hand,  the  first  arrival 
reached  Brown  County  in  1894,  April  4;  Brookville,  April  20;  Muncie, 
April  21;  Creencastle,  April  24;  Waterloo,  April  27;  Plymouth,  Mich., 
April  28;  Wolf  Lake,  Ind.,  May  5.  They  begin  mating  very  promptly 
when  the  females  arrive,  which  is  usually  a  few^  days  later  than  the 
coming  of  the  males.  I  have  recorded  mating  April  21,  1887,  and 
have  found  them  nest-building  May  2  (1886). 

In  1883  I  saw  a  nest  with  eggs  May  19,  and  in  1882,  May  23.  test- 
ing continues  through  May  and  the  most  of  June.  The  nests  are  most 
often  built  in  orchards  and  lawns  and  in  the  smaller  trees  fringing 
streams.  The  Yellow  Warbler  is  one  of  the  most  common  victims 
of  the  Cowbird,  but  she  has  learned  to  outwit  the  parasite.  When  the 
Cowbird^s  egg  is  found  in  her  nest,  she  has  been  known  to  cover  it 
with  another  nest,  and  occasionally  with  a  second,  making  three  nests, 
one  on  top  of  the  other.  In  the  two  lower  ones  are  buried  the  Cow- 
bird's  eggs.  Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  has  such  a  nest,  taken  near  Brookville, 
in  the  spring  of  1878.  After  the  young  are  able  to  fly  with  ease, 
these  birds  begin  to  desert  the  orchards  and  lawns.  One  by  one,  they 
disappear  through  July  and  early  in  August,  until  very  few  are  left. 
Their  disappearance  is  so  gradual  that  few  there  are  who  note  their 
going.  No  more  unsatisfactory  records  are  at  hand  of  the  fall  migra- 
tion of  any  birds  than  of  this  one.     While  some  vears  most  of  them 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1047 

cease  singing  and  disappear  in  July,  sometimes  a  few  remain  until  early 
September.  In  1894  the  last  were  noted  at  Pl3^mouth,  Mich.,  and 
Greensburg,  Ind.,  the  same  day,  September  3. 

It  is  very  valuable  in  destroying  the  insects  infesting  the  trees, 
shrubbery  and  gardens  on  our  farms  and  about  our  homes.  Among 
other  forms,  they  are  known  to  eat  larvae,  beetles,  wild  bees,  moths, 
flies,  bugs,  spiders  and  myriapods.  Those  taken  in  Prof.  Forbes^  well- 
known  orchard  infested  with  canker-worms  were  found  to  have  made 
sixty-six  per  cent,  of  their  food  of  these  worms.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher 
also  says  they  feed  extensively  upon  the  larvae  of  elm  beetles. 

266.    (654).    Dendroica  cserulescens  (Linn.). 

Black-throated  Blue  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  uniform  dull,  dark  blue,  sometimes  with  a 
few  black  streaks  on  the  back;  below,  pure  white;  the  sides  of  the 
head  to  above  the  eyes,  a  narrow  strip  across  the  forehead,  chin, 
throat  and  sides  of  body,  black;  a  white  spot  at  base  of  the  primaries; 
wings  and  tail,  more  or  less  edged  with  grayish-blue,  the  latter  with 
a  white  patch  on  the  inner  web  of  each  tail  feather,  except  the  middle 
pair.  Adult  Female. — Entirely  different;  above,  dull  olive-green, 
more  or  less  shaded  with  blue;  below,  whitish  or  buffy,  tinged  with 
yellow;  sides  of  head,  dusky  olive;  the  eyelids  and  a  more  or  less  dis- 
tinct stripe  over  the  eye,  whitish;  recognized  by  the- white  patch  at 
base  of  primaries,  which  is,  however,  smaller  than  in  male;  spots 
on  tail  feathers  also  smaller  or  wanting. 

Length,  4.70-5.50;  wing,  2.50-2.45;  tail,  2.05-2.25. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Guatemala  and  West  Indies 
to  Labrador.  Breeds  from  Connecticut,  New  York,  southern  Ontario 
and  Minnesota,  north.     Winters  from  southern  Florida,  south. 

Nest,  of  strips  of  bark,  grass  and  rotten  wood,  held  together  and 
]ii)ed  with  rootlets  and  bark;  in  upright  fork  of  bush  or  sapling,  6 
inches  to  2  feet  off  ground.  Bggs,  3-5;  white  or  pinkish-white,  marked 
with  lilac  and  brown,  most  thickly  at  larger  end;  .69  by  .52. 

Although  in  some  localities  in  the  State  this  is  considered  a  rare 
species,  yet  that,  I  am  confident,  is  because  of  the  year  when  the 
observations  were  made.  In  southwestern  Indiana  and  in  other  local- 
ities w^here  records  have  been  kept  for  a  series  of  years,  the  Black- 
throated  Blue  Warbler  is  generally  a  common  migrant,  though  some 
years  it  is  rare,  and  others,  apparentl}^,  wanting.  Still,  however,  birds 
have  their  preferences,  and  there  are  doubtless  localities  where  it  is 
not  often  found. 


1048  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

It  is  not  among  the  early  Warblers  to  arrive,  seldom  appearing  before 
the  first  week  in  May,  and  is  then  found  for  a  week  or  ten  days.  The 
earliest  record  I  have  of  its  first  appearance  is  from  Anderson,  where 
Mr.  C.  P.  Smith  took  it  April  24,  1897.  At  Brookville  it  appeared 
April  26,  1881  and  1891,  while  in  1884  none  were  noted  until  May  14, 
which  was  the  latest  date  I  have  ever  seen  them.  It  first  appeared  at 
Wabash  April  27,  1892;  Greensburg,  May  4, 1895,  May  7,  1893;  Sedan, 
May  1,  1895,  May  6,  1896;  Lafayette,  May  5,  1893,  May  8,  1892  and 
1897;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  3,  1897,  May  5,  1888;  Chicago,  111., 
May  3,  1895,  May  8,  1896. 

While  they  may  occasionally  remain  until  the  middle  of  May  (Leb- 
anon, Ind.,  May  16,  1894),  throughout  the  State,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Chicago,  they  are  sometimes  found  until  near  the  close  of  the 
month  (May  26,  1897,  May  28,  1894).  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  I 
have  found  they  habitually  frequent  the  upland  woods,  sometimes 
finding  their  way  into  orchards,  but  generally,  if  I  want  to  find  them, 
I  go  among  the  upland  beeches,  hickories,  oaks  and  sassafras.  There 
they  frequent  the  lower  branches  or  the  taller  undergrowth.  They 
then  occupy  themselves  chiefly  with  the  insects  on  the  tree  trunks 
and  larger  branches. 

The  males  are  conspicuous,  but  the  females  are  rarely  seen.  I 
have  known  them  to  come  into  towns  and  be  found  among  the  fruit 
and  shade  trees.  Th'ey  are  very  unsuspicious,  permitting  one  to  ap- 
proach closely  and  watch  their  movements.  They  make  many  mo- 
tions, but  not  great  progress.  As  they  move  among  the  branches,  the 
tail  is  slightly  spread  and  carried  on  a  level  with  the  back. 

Sometimes  they  seem  songless,  again  every  little  while  the  song 
sounds  forth.  This  may  be  expressed  by  the  syllables  tswee-tswee- 
tswee-tswee;  usually  four,  occasionally  but  two  or  three,  uttered  close 
together  with  a  stridulating  effect,  all  in  the  same  tone,  with  a  slight 
rising  inflection  at  the  end  of  the  last  syllable.  At  a  distance  it 
sounds  like  to-zee-zee-zee-e. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Brookville  I  generally  find  them  common.  They 
were  particularly  so  in  the  springs  of  1885,  1887,  1892  and  1897. 
The  fall  of  1893  it  was  probably  the  most  common  Warbler  there 
(Ulrey  and  Wallace).  In  1892  they  were  very  common  at  Lafayette 
(L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test).  In  1897  they  were  common  in  Dekalb  County 
(Mrs.  Hine).  About  Chicago  they  are  often  common,  and  were  notice- 
ably so  in  the  springs  of  1895,  1896  and  1897  (Blackwelder,  Tallman). 
They  begin  to  appear  throughout  the  State  some  years,  on  their  return 
journey,  late  in  August,  and  remain  until  October  1,  or,  rarely,  9. 
The  following  dates  will  indicate  this  more  explicitly:    They  arrived 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  1049 

at  Chicago  August  24,  1896,  September  4,  1895;  at  Cincinnati,  0., 
August  30, 1897;  Brookville,  Ind.,  September  3,  1893;  Warren  County, 
September  11,  1897.  Last  noted  in  Chicago,  October  3,  1895  and 
1896;  Lake  County,  Ind.,  October  3,  1875,  September  28,  1879; 
Lafayette,  October  2,  1895;  Sedan,  October  9,  1894;  Brookville,  Octo- 
ber 5,  1887.  Sometimes  in  fall  they  are  very  common,  just  as  they 
are  in  spring.  Prof.  King  examined  six  of  these  birds,  and  all  had 
eaten  insects;  one,  two  ants;  five,  beetles,  and  one,  two  caterpillars 
(Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  503). 

267.     (655).    Dendroica  coronata  (Linn.). 

Myrtle  Warbler. 
Synonyms,  Yellow-rump  Warbler,  Yellow-ckownp:d  Warbler. 


Head  of  Myrtle  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  bhiish-ash,  streaked  with  black;  under  parts, 
white;  the  fore  part  of  breast  and  the  sides,  black,  the  feathers  mostly 
edged  narrowly  with  white;  crown,  rump  and  sides  of  breast,  yellow; 
cheeks  and  lores,  black;  the  eyelids  and  a  superciliary  stripe,  two  bands 
on  the  wings,  and  spots  on  the  outer  three  tail  feathers,  white.  Fe- 
males.— Of  duller  plumage  and  browner  above.  Autumnal  and  winter 
birds  are  very  much  duller  and  more  obscurely  colored,  the  upper  parts 
of  an  umber  cast,  with  the  streaks  almost  obsolete;  the  black  of  the 
breast  wanting,  or  but  just  indicated,  and  the  yellow  patch  on  crown 
almost  concealed  by  the  brown  tips  to  the. feathers;  and  those  on  side 
of  breast  quite  dull  (0.  of  111.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  140). 

Length,  5.00-6.00;  wing,  2.75-2.85;  tail,  2.20-2.30. 

Kange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  and  Greater  An- 
tilles to  Arctic  Coast,  Greenland.  Breeds  from  northern  New  Eng- 
land, Ontario  and  'Minnesota,  north.  Winters  from  southern  New 
England  and  Indiana,  south.     Resident  in  Jamaica. 

Nest,  of  grass,  fibres,  vegetable  down  and  feathers,  compactly  woven; 
in  forest  and  coniferous  scrub,  on  bush  or  tree,  5  to  10  feet  from 


1050  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

ground.  -Eggs,  4-5;  white,  creamy- white  or  bluish- white,  marked 
often  about  larger  end  with  wreath  of  dark  brown  spots;  .68  by  .52. 

The  Myrtle  Warbler  is  an  abundant  migrant,  generally  found  in 
flocks,  and  is  an  irregular  winter  resident  north  to  Brookville,  Greens- 
burg  and  Bloomington.  The  T\inters  of  1882-3, 1886-7,  1891-2,  1894-5 
they  remained  at  Brookville,  and,  in  addition,  at  Greensburg  the  winter 
of  1896-7  (Shannon),  and  at  Bloomington  the  winter  of  1885-6  (Ever- 
mann).  Their  winter  range  does  not  seem  to  be  limited  by  the 
degree  of  cold,  for  some  of  our  colder  winters,  when  the  thermometer 
registers  below  zero,  they  remain,  and  warmer  winters  are  not  ob- 
served. In  winter  they  seek  the  protection  of  ravines,  where  thickets 
are,  and  of  evergreens,  even  about  residences  and  in  towns.  There 
they  remain  very  close  through  the  colder  months.  In  February  or 
March,  as  soon  as  a  succession  of  warm  days  appears,  they  begin  to 
move  about  to  some  extent,  over  the  area  of  winter  residence.  I  have 
never  found  one  of  them  before  April,  where  they  did  not  sometimes 
winter.  As  the  weather  gets  warmer,  the  numbers  continue  to  in- 
crease up  to  the  line  of  winter  residence,  possibly  by  reason  of  those 
a  little  farther  south  pushing  north.  Then  in  late  March  and  early 
April  they  frequent  the  thickets  fringing  our  streams.  The  migra- 
tions are  very  uniform.  They  do  not  really  occur  outside  their  winter 
homes  until  a  number  of  other  Warblers  have  arrived  in  southern 
Indiana,  but  every  year  they  occur  about  the  same  time,  and  they 
usually  move  forward  and  possess  the  land  at  once;  two,  or  at  most  a 
few  days,  sufficing  to  cover  the  State.  One  year  is  pretty  much  a 
repetition  of  others,  and  reference  to  1897  will  illustTale  that  point. 
They  were  first  seen  at  Eichmond,  just  beyond  the  known  winter 
range,  April  22.  April  24  they  appeared  at  Anderson,  Carmel, 
Lafayette  and  Chicago,  111.,  and  April  25  they  reached  Petersburg, 
Mich.  The  dates  next  given  are  earliest  and  latest  record  of  first 
arrivals:  Greensburg,  April  13,  1896,  April  28,  1885;  Greencastle, 
April  13,  1894;  Richmond,  April  22,  1897,  April  29,  1890;  Wabash, 
April  15,  1892,  April  17,  1894;  Lafayette,  April  24,  1897,  April  26, 
1892;  Sedan,  April  24,  1894,  April  29,  1897;  Laporte,  April  15,  1894, 
April  18,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  April  12,  1884,  April  27,  1897;  Peters- 
burg, Mich.,  April  21,  1889,  May  1,  1893. 

When  they  arrive  in  force,  they  are  found  in  almost  all  kinds  of 
places,  even  in  the  dense  woodland,  high  up  in  the  trees,  where  they 
were  not  before  found. 

"Their  song,"  Mr.  Ridgway  says,  "is  somewhat  like  that  of  the 
Yellow  Warbler,  but  is  more  of  a  warble  and  sweeter  in  tone.  Their 
loud  tcliij)  and  plain  yellow  markings,  especially  the  yellow  rump, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1051 

distinguish  them/'  Other  Warblers  linger  later  than  they.  Most 
of  them  are  gone  from  southern  Indiana  before  May  5,  though  I 
have  record  for  Brookville  May  7,  1892,  and  from  Greensburg,  May 
14,  1893  (Shannon).  By  the  latter  date  they  have  generally  passed 
our  northern  border.  A  few,  some  years,  linger  longer,  especially 
about  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan.  Prof.  Evermann  found  them 
in  Carroll  County  May  22,  1883;  Chicago,  May  17,  1897  (Tallman); 
Wolf  Lake,  Ind.,  May  30,  1894  (Parker). 

In  the  fall  they  begin  to  return  the  middle  of  September,  and 
promptly  spread  across  the  State,  remaining  with  us,  frequenting 
woods,  thickets  and  weed  patches,  even  stubblefield  overgrown  with 
rag  weeds,  often  associating  with  other  Warblers  and  Sparrows.  The 
first  arrivals  prefer  the  woods,  and  later  they  are  noticed  about  the 
fields  and  orchards.  The  earliest  of  fall  arrivals  at  Chicago  is  Sep- 
tember 15,  1896;  at  Bicknell,  Ind.,  September  18,  1894;  Brookville, 
September  23,  1887.  The  last  record  from  Chicago  is  October  3, 
1896;  Lake  County,  Ind.,  October  2,  1881;  Carroll  County,  October 
5,  1878;  Lafayette,  October  27,  1894;  Brookville  (where  they  did  not 
winter),  October  29,  1887. 

The  food  of  these  Warblers  is  almost  entirely  insect  food,  and  the 
fact  that  they  are  found  during  their  visits  in  almost  every  conceivable 
situation,  catching  insects,  renders  them  objects  especially  worthy  of 
our  regard.  Of  21  of  these  birds  examined,  one  had  eaten  a  moth; 
two,  twenty-one  caterpillars,  mostly  measuring  worms;  fivej  fourteen 
flies;  fifteen,  forty-eight  beetles;  one,  four  ichneumons;  one,  a  caddis 
fly;  one,  a  spider,  and  one,  fifteen  tipulid  eggs  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis., 
I.,  p.  503).  The  results  of  Prof.  Forbes'  investigations  show  the  same 
kinds  of  foods. 

268.     (657).    Dendroica  maculosa  (Gx\ih;L.). 

Magnolia  Warbler. 
Synonym,   Black  and  Yelloav  Warbler. 

Male  in  Spring. — Back,  black,  the  feathers  more  or  less  skirted  with 
olive;  rump,  yellow;  crown,  clear  ash,  bordered  by  black  in  front  to 
the  eyes,  behind  the  eyes  by  a  white  stripe;  forehead  and  sides  of  the 
head,  black,  continuous  with  that  of  the  back,  enclosing  the  white 
under  eyelid;  entire  under  parts  (except  white  under  tail  coverts), 
rich  yellow,  thickly  streaked  across  the  breast  and  along  the  sides 
with  black;  the  pectoral  streaks  crowded  and  cutting  off  the  definitely 
bounded,  immaculate  yellow  throat  from  the  .yellow  of  the  other  under 
parts;  wing  bars,  white,  generally  fused  into  one  patch;  tail  spots, 


1052  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

small,  rectangular  at  the  middle  of  the  tail  and  on  all  the  feathers 
except  the  central  part;  bill,  black;  feet,  brown.  Female  in  Spring. — 
Quite  similar;  black  of  back  reduced  to  spots  in  the  grayish-olive; 
ash  of  head  washed  with  olive;  other  head  markings  obscure;  black 
streaks  below,  smaller  and  fewer.  Immature. — Quite  different;  upper 
parts,  ashy-olive;  no  head  markings  whatever,  and  streaks  below  want- 
ing, or  confined  to  a  few  small  ones  along  the  sides,  but  always  known 
by  the  yellow  rump  in  connection  with  extensively  or  completely 
yellow  under  parts  (except  white  under  tail  coverts),  and  tail  spots 
near  the  middle  of  all  the  feathers,  except  the  central. 
Length,  4.35-5.00;  wing,  2.25-2.45;  tail,  1.85-2.05. 


Head  of  Magnolia  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  and  West  Indies 
to  Hudson  Bay.  Breeds  from  New  Hampshire  and  northern  Mich- 
igan, northward.     Winters  from  Mexico  and  Bahamas,  southward. 

J^est,  of  twigs,  weeds  and  grass,  lined  with  fine  rootlets;  low  in 
conifers.  Eggs,  3-5;  creamy- white,  spotted  or  blotched  with  light  and 
dark  brown  and  lilac;  .63  by  .48. 

The  Magnolia  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the  Warblers.  It  is 
usually  reported  a  common  migrant  in  the  Whitewater  Valley.  I  have 
not  found  it  so,  yet  in  the  more  level  and  less  drained  portion  of  the 
State,  they  are  reported  oftentimes  common.  They  are  among  the 
later  kinds  to  arrive,  rarely  as  early  as  April  21,  and  usually  appearing 
after  May  1.  They  linger  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  some  years 
until  after  the  middle  of  the  month,  and  along  the  northern  border, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan,  occasionally  until  the  end  of  the 
month. 

The  following  are  the  earliest  and  latest  dates  at  which  they  were 
seen  in  the  fall  migrations:  Brookville,  first  seen  May  2,  1882,  last 
seen  May  16,  1884;  Greensburg,  May  4,  1893,  May  16,  1894;  Carroll 
County,  May  4,  1878,  May  24,  1883;  Wabash,  May  5,  1892;  Carmel, 
April  24,  1897;  Lafayette,  May  13,  1893,  May  14,  1892;  Sedan,  May 
10,  1894;  Lake  County,  May  18,  1885,  May  30,  1894;  Chicago,  111., 
May  1,  1895,  May  30,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  11,  1888,  May 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1053 

24,  1893.  They  come  when  vegetation  is  well  advanced  and  the  trees 
well  in  leaf.  They  prefer  the  more  open  woods  and  thickets,  and 
there  among  the  higher  bushes,  and  lower  branches  of  the  trees,  they 
quietly  do  their  work.  They  are  modest,  retiring  birds,  though  very 
striking  in  color  and  carriage.  As  they  move  leisurely  about,  with  the 
tail  partially  erect  and  the  feathers  spread,  the  white  patches  on  their 
inner  webs  are  plainly  visible.  Its  song,  which  is  sometimes  heard, 
is  said  by  Mr.  Langille  to  be  "a  loud,  clear  whistle,  which  may  be 
imitated  by  the  syllables  'chee-to,  chee-to,  chee-tee-ee/  uttered  rapidly, 
and  ending  in  the  falling  inflection."  I  have  generally  found  them 
in  maple  woods,  often  near  streams. 

In  the  fall  the  advance  migrants  appear  about  the  lower  end  of  Lake 
Michigan  the  latter  part  of  August,  and  sometimes  reach  the  Ohio 
River  almost  as  soon.  Some  years  their  stay  is  short;  others,  they  re-, 
main  a  full  month,  departing  the  last  days  of  September.  They  ar- 
rived in  Cook  County,  111.,  August  31,  1895,  August  21,  1896;  at  La- 
fayette, August  24,  1896;  at  Cincinnati,  0.,  August  28,  1879.  The  last 
fall  occurrences  were  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  27,  1895;  Lafayette, 
September  26,  1896;  Lake  County,  Ind.,  September  25, 1875,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1878,  September  18,  1881.  As  with  all  this  group  of  birds, 
this  is  very  destructive  to  insects.  Prof.  King  examined  17  specimens: 
Three  had  eaten  four  hymenoptera,  among  which  were  two  ants;  one, 
a  moth;  six,  17  caterpillars;  six,  15  diptera,  including  two  tipulids;  six, 
12  beetles,  and  one,  2  larvas  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  505). 

*269.     (658).    Dendroica  rara  (Wils  ). 

Synonym,  Dkxdroica  c.k«ulea  (Wils.). 

Cerulean  Warbler. 

Synonym,  Blue  Warbler. 

Male  in  Spring. — Azure-blue, with  black  streaks;  below,  pure  white; 
breast  and  sides,  with  blue  or  blue-black  streaks;  two  white  wing  bars; 
tail  blotches  small  but  occupying  every  feather,  except,  perhaps,  the 
central  pair;  bill,  black;  feet,  dark.  Female  and  Young  with  the  blue 
glossed  with  greenish,  and  the  white  soiled  with  yellowish;  a  yellowish 
eye  ring  and  superciliary  line  (Mcllwraith,  p.  365). 

Length,  4.00-5.00;  wing,  2.40-2.70;  tail,  1.70-1.90. 

Eaxge. — America,  from  Bolivia  north,  over  eastern  United  States 
to  northwestern  New  York,  southern  Ontario,  southern  Michigan  and 
Minnesota,  west  to  Nebraska. 

Eare  east  of  Alleghanies.  Breeds  from  West  Virginia,  Tennessee 
and  Missouri,  northward. 


1054  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Nest,  20  to  50  feet  high,  5  to  15  feet  from  body  of  tree,  saddled  to 
horizontal  limb.  Material,  shredded  bark  of  trees  and  vines,  grass  and 
vegetable  fibre,  lichens  and  spiders^  webs  on  outside  and  lined  with  fine 
bark  and  grass.  Eggs,  4.-5;  size  .64  by  50;  greenish-white,  bluish-white 
or  creamy,  spotted  with  reddish-brown,  russet  and  lilac  chiefly  at  the 
larger  end. 

The  Cerulean  Warbler  is  a  summer  resident  over  most  if  not  all 
of  our  State.  In  some  localities  it  appears  to  be  rare  or  wanting,  and 
from  others  it  has  only  been  reported  as  a  migrant.  In  southeastern, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  in  general,  through  the  rougher  land  of  southern 
Indiana,  this  is  the  most  common  tree-inhabiting  warbler,  both  during 
the  migrations  and  in  summer.  It  is  common  and  breeds  throughout 
the  lower  Wabash  Valley  at  least  to  Terre  Haute  and  in  Carroll 
.County  (Evermann).  I  have  no  doubt  it  does  also  in  the  picturesque 
Sugar  Creek  region  in  Parke  and  Montgomery  counties,  where  we 
found  it  common  May  19  and  20,  1887.  At  Brookville  it  breeds  com- 
monly. Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  have  noted  it  several  times  at 
Lafayette,  once  as  late  as  May  30  (1892),  but  have  not  found  its  nest. 
It  is  tolerably  common  in  Dekalb  and  Wabash  counties,  where  it 
probably  breeds.  At  English  Lake  it  is  rare,  but  one  pair  being  re- 
corded from  there.  May  20,  1888.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker  found  a  female 
with  two  young  but  a  few  days  out  of  the  nest  along  the  Kankakee 
River  near  Kouts,  Ind.,  sixty  miles  from  Chicago,  June  29,  1895. 

In  southern  Indiana  they  usually  arrive  the  last  half  of  April, 
and  by  May  10  are  often  spread  over  the  State.  The  following  dates 
give  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  arrival:  Brookville,  April  19, 
1889,  May  5,  1893;  Monroe  County,  April  27,  1886;  Carroll  County, 
May  5,  1884,  May  21,  1883;  Wabash,  May  4,  1892;  Muncie,  May  6, 
1888;  Lafayette,  April  24,  1897,  April  27,  1892;  Dekalb  County,  April 
24,  1891,  May  12,  1892;  Petersburg,  :.Iich.,  April  27,  1888,  May  10, 
1893;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  May  3,  1891  and  1896,  May  18,  1893.  The 
males  precede  the  females  by  from  one  or  two  days  to  a  week,  and 
always  outnumber  them  greatly.  At  cnce,  upon  the  arrival  of  the 
females,  the  season  of  courtship  begins.  I  have  observed  them  mat- 
ing as  early  as  April  £6,  and  by  the  first  week  in  May  their  time  is 
largely  occupied  in  choosing  a  mate.  All  does  not  go  smoothly,  how- 
ever, for  frequently  more  than  one  of  the  beaux  has  a  very  decided 
fancy  for  a  particular  belle.  There  is  a  meeting  between  the  rivals, 
and  frequently  the  battle  is  long  and  severe.  So  engrossed  do  they 
become  at  tinies  that  they  fall,  fighting,  to  the  earth,  unheeding  every- 
thing around  them.  At  this  time  the  male  is  using  his  utmost  effort 
to  sing  his  sweetest  songs.     When  he  first  came,  his  song  was,  zee-zee- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1055 

zee-e-e,  the  last  syllable,  sometimes  the  third,  sometimes  the  fourth, 
trilled.  It  was  not  loud  and  shrill,  but  distinct,  carrying  to  a  consid- 
erable distance.  It  reminds  me  some  of  the  songs  of  the  Helmintho- 
philas,  approaching  nearest  to  that  of  H.  chrysoptera,  and  bears  some 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  Cape  May  Warbler.  The  song,  however, 
changed.  In  eight  to  twelve  days  it  was  tweet-tweet-twet-twee-ee, 
ending  with  a  trilling  or  twanging  effect  on  a  rising  scale.  At  times, 
a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  first  song  is  added  to  this  more  pleasing 
effort.  Within  twelve  to  fourteen  days  after  arrival,  the  differences 
have  all  been  settled,  all  are  happily  married,  the  honeymoon  has 
begun,  and  the  most  thrifty  pairs  are  housebuilding.  The  Cerulean 
Warblers  are,  typically,  birds  of  the  treetops.  Save  when  crouching 
in  some  sheltered  vallej^,  to  escape  a  raw  wind,  I  have  seldom  found 
them  elsewhere  than  among  the  limbs  of  the  tall  maples,  hickories 
and  elms.  There  they  spend  their  time,  obtain  their  living  from  the 
many  insects  that  infest  the  foliage,  flgwers  and  bark,  and  build  their 
nests.  The  nests  I  have  found  were  usually  forty  to  sixty  feet  high, 
on  top  of  a  horizontal  limb.  The  male  evidently  exhausted  his 
strength  in  his  efforts  to  overcome  rivals  and  to  show  his  attentions 
to  his  favorite.  He  now  is  not  able  to  assist  in  building  the  nest.  His 
wife  does  that,  and  he  sings  while  she  works. 

May  6,  1897,  I  found  a  female  so  busily  engaged  nest-building  that 
she  had  not  time  to  stop.  Evidently  she  had  a  time  contract,,  and  the 
limit  was  about  up.  She  gathered  fibres,  spiders'  webs  and  other 
building  material  from  the  bushes  and  brush  piles  all  around  me, 
and  carried  them  to  the  horizontal  limb,  about  fifty  feet  high,  on  an 
oak,  some  two  hundred  feet  away.  She  scarcely  had  time  to  deposit 
her  load,  when  she  flew  back  for  more  material.  I  watched  her  a 
long  time  and  was  surprised  at  the  great  energy  she  exhibited.  In 
southern  Indiana,  the  eggs  are  laid  the  latter  part  of  May,  and  the 
young  are  out  of  the  nest  the  last  half  of  June.  About  that  time  the 
song  ceases. 

In  July,  most  of  them  leave,  some  lingering  through  August,  occa- 
sionally even  to  the  first  of  September.  The  latest  dates  I  have  are: 
Lafayette,  August  22,  1892;  Vermillion  County,  August  22,  1897; 
Plymouth,  Mich.,  August  15,  1894,  September  1,  1892. 

While  they  are  with  us  they  frequent  the  wooded  hillsides  and  the 
upland  woods,  as  distinguished  from  the  immediate  river  valley.  They 
are  not  associated  in  flocks,  but  are  evenly  distributed  through  woods 
of  the  proper  character.  Their  habits  are  such  as  make  them  of  great 
service.  Often,  from  among  the  high  limbs  of  a  tree,  one  will  be  seen 
to  dart  out  and,  flycatcher-like,  seize  flying  insects;  among  the  smaller 


1056  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

twigs  and  about  the  blossoms,  they  are  like  Vireos,  examining  both 
sides  of  every  leaf,  and  the  inside  as  well  as  the  outside  of  every 
blossom;  on  the  large  limbs,  they  may  be  often  mistaken  for  the  Black 
and  White  Warbler,  such  adepts  are  they  as  creepers.  Having  all 
these  traits,  they  are  excellent  general-purpose  birds,  as  insect- 
catchers. 

*270.     (659).    Dendroica  pennsylvanica  (Linn.). 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler. 


Head  of  Chestnut-sided  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

Adult  Male. — Upper  parts,  greenish-yellow,  streaked  with  black; 
crown,  yellow,  bordered  with  white,  then  enclosed  in  black;  sides  of 
head  and  under  parts,  pure  white;  lores,  with  a  line  through  the  eye 
and  one  below  it,  black;  a  conspicuous  chestnut-brown  stripe  on  the 
sides,  starting  in  a  line  with  the  black  mustache;  wing  and  tail 
feathers,  dark  brown,  edged  with  bluish-gray;  wing  bars,  white,  gen- 
erally fused  in  one  large  patch.  Female. — Similar,  but  less  highly 
colored;  black  on  head  obscure,  and  chestnut  streaks  thinner  and 
fewer  (Nehrling,  Pt.  V.,  p.  215).  Immature. — Different;  above,  con- 
tinuous light  olive-green;  below,  white;  ring  around  eye,  white;  no 
black  on  head;  sometimes  a  chestnut  streak  on  the  side;  wing  bars, 
clear  yellow.  The  clear,  yellow  wing  bars  and  white  under  parts  dis- 
tinguish birds  in  this  plumage. 

Lengtk,  4.60-5.25;  wing,  2.40-2.65;  tail,  1.95-2.10. 

Kange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  to  Manitoba,  On- 
tario and  Newfoundland.  Breeds  from  northern  New  Jersey,  Illinois 
and  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  in  Georgia,  north.'  Winters  from  Ba- 
hamas and  eastern  Mexico,  south. 

Nest,  in  fork  of  bush,  three  to  eight  feet  up,  of  bark  shreds  and 
grass,  lined  with  plant  down  and  hair.  Fggs,  4-5;  creamy- white,  with 
markings  of  reddish  and  dark  brown,  chiefly  wreathed  about  the 
larger  end;  .65  by  .49. 

A  common  migrant  most  years,  but  sometimes  rather  rare.  In  the 
extreme  northern  part  of  the  State  it  is  a  summer  resident;  Laporte 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1057 

County  (Byrkit).  Dr.  A.  W.  Bray  ton  says  it  "breeds  sparingly  in  the 
north  of  the  State."  It  is  reported  as  breeding  in  Monroe  (Trombley), 
Wayne  (Alexander),  Kalamazoo  and  Ingham  counties,  Michigan 
(Cook,  B.  of  M.,  p.  132).  It  also  breeds  in  northern  Ohio,  northern 
Illinois,  and  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  has  found  it  in  the  breeding  season 
as  far  south  as  Richland  County,  Illinois.  They  arrive  a  little  later 
in  spring  than  some  of  the  species  I  have  noted.  While  occasionally 
seen  as  early  as  April  24  (1881),  usually  they  appear  southward  after 
May  1,  and  northward  between  May  5  and  10.  First  arrivals  early 
and  late  years  are:  Knox  County,  April  24,  1887;  Brookville,  May 
2,  1881,  May  9,  1875;  Carroll  County,  May  4,  1885,  May  22,  1883; 
Wabash,  April  28,  1892;  Lafayette,  April  27,  1892;  May  16,  1897; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  28,  1889,  May  11,  1893;  Chicago,  May  2, 
1896,  May  17,  1886.  The  latest  I  have  taken  it  at  Brookville  is  May 
12,  1882.  At  Lafayette  it  has  been  taken  May  28,  1892,  and  at  Chi- 
cago, May  30,  1894.  This  Warbler  is  found  in  the  Whitewater  Valley, 
on  the  wooded  hillsides  and  uplands.  There  it  ranges  from  the 
ground  to  the  tallest  treetops,  preferring  the  lower  growths,  in  the 
heat  of  the  day  often  seeking  comfort  and  quiet  in  a  cool  thicket  or 
a  brush  pile  near  the  ground.  As  they  move  through  the  trees  the 
wings  are  often  partially  raised  and  the  tail  somewhat  elevated,  indi- 
cating alertness  and  attention  to  its  duties  as  one  of  the  entomologists 
of  our  native  forests.  Where  they  make  their  summer  homes  they 
spend  their  time  about  the  borders  of  woods  and  in  second-growth 
timber.  In  New  England,  where  they  breed,  they  are  said  to  frequent 
the  more  open  woods  and  thickets  away  from  cultivation.  In  Ontario, 
Mr.  Mcll wraith  says  it  rears  two  broods.  Its  song  somewhat  resembles 
that  of  the  Summer  Warbler,  but,  once  known,  may  readily  be  distin- 
guished. Samuels  says  it  consists  of  the  syllables  'che-'che-'che-'che-e-e, 
and  he  mentions  also  a  rattling  cry,  at  times,  which  he  compares  to 
the  alarm  note  of  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat  (B.  N.  E.,  p.  232). 

In  the  fall  they  are  more  numerous  than  in  the  spring.  While  in 
spring  the  markings  readily  aided  in  determining  the  species,  the  im- 
perfect markings  in  fall  tend  to  confuse  the  novice.  They  are  among 
the  first  migrants  to  appear  in  our  latitude,  sometimes  arriving  soon 
after  the  middle  of  August.  While  most  of  them  leave  before  the  last 
of  September,  they  sometimes  remain  until  after  the  1st  of  October 
(October  3).  In  1896  they  first  appeared  at  Lafayette  August  18, 
and  none  were  seen  after  August  27;  whereas,  in  1894,  they  had  re- 
mained until  September  4;  Warren  County,  September  15,  1897;  at 
Brookville,  September  9,  1886;  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  24,  1895, 

67— Geol. 


1058  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

and  in  Lake  County,  Ind.,  September  18,  1881,  and  October  3,  1875. 
In  Wayne  County,  Michigan,  they  were  last  noted  August  30,  1894. 

They  are  said  to  eat  canker-worms,  flies,  ants,  caterpillars,  tipulids, 
beetles,  plant  lice  and  grasshoppers. 

271.     (660).    Dendroica  castanea  (Wils.). 

Bay-breasted  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  ashy-olive,  thickly  streaked  with  black;  crown, 
chestnut-red;  forehead  and  sides  of  head,  black;  wing  bars,  white; 
outer  tail  feathers  with  white  patches  at  the  tips;  below,  throat  and 
breast  chestnut-bro\\^n,  lighter  than  the  crown;  rest  of  lower  parts, 
buffy-white.  Adult  Female. — Above,  olive,  streaked  with  black,  with 
less  chestnut  on  the  crown;  below,  with  the  chestnut  fainter,  some- 
times only  traces  of  it.  Immature. — Above,  light  olive-green,  more 
or  less  streaked  with  black;  wings  and  tail  marked  much  as  in  the 
adult;  below,  whitish,  tinged  with  huffy;  under  tail  coverts,  with  huffy 
tinge;  sides  of  breast  not  streaked.  Closely  resembles  immature  of 
D.  striata,  which  see. 

Length,  5.00-6.00;  ^\dng,  2.75-3.00;  tail,  2.15-2.25.  . 

Range. — America,  from  Colombia  north  to  eastern  I^^orth  America, 
Hudson  Bay  and  Labrador;  west  to  Iowa  and  Missouri.  Breeds  from 
northern  Michigan  and  Maine,  north: 

Nest,  in  coniferous  trees,  in  low  woods,  5  to  20  feet  up;  of  evergreen 
twigs,  grass  and  lichens,  lined  \\dth  feathers  and  hair.  Eggs,  4;  bluish- 
green  or  bluish-white,  spotted  with  browii,  sometimes  forming  wreath 
about  large  end;  .70  by  .50. 

The  Bay-breasted  Warbler  is  usually  a  very  rare  migrant  in  spring 
and  is  much  more  cemmon  in  fall.  Some  springs  it  is  wanting  en- 
tirely, and  many  times,  when  present,  but  a  single  or,  at  most,  a  very 
few  individuals  will  be  seen  in  comparison  with  the  numbers  of  other 
species  that  prefer  the  same  woods.  They  arrive  a  little  later  than 
the  Chestnut-sided.  These  two  Warblers  are  always  associated  in  my 
mind  because  the  first  specimen  of  each  I  shot  were  taken  almost  at  the 
same  hour,  one  spring  morning,  when  almost  all  birds  were  new  to 
me.  They  were  new  discoveries  to  a  boy,  to  whom  the  high  branches 
above  became  filled  with  flitting  wings  and  a  repetition  of  t-sep  notes 
that  plainly  told  of  a  world  among  the  treetops,  peopled  by  beautiful 
forms,  unkno\^TL  to  the  common  run  of  mankind,  who,  though  they 
have  eyes  and  ears,  neither  see  nor  hear  the  inhabitants  of  that  land. 
Their  sight  has  not  been  quickened  to  see  the  unseen,  nor  their  ears 
attuned  to  nature's  harmony.     She  speaks  not  to  them,  because  they 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1059 

have  no  communion  with  her.  These  associations,  these  discoveries, 
that  come  to  each  one  of  iis,  are  a  part  of  Hfe  that  mean  nothing  to 
any  one  save  the  individual  concerned.  To  him  they  are  much,  for 
they  are  a  part  of  his  being — an  experience  in  the  unfolding  of  his 
powers  that  has  been  translated  into  consciousness. 

They  seldom  reach  our  State  before  the  first  of  May,  the  earliest 
record  being  from  Knox  County,  April  30,  1881.  They  generally  pass 
northward  before  the  middle  of  May,  by  which  time  they  have  ap- 
peared throughout  the  northern  counties,  where  they  linger  occa- 
sionally until  May  20  or  25. 

First  appearances,  early  and  late  seasons,  are:  Brookville,  May  2, 
1884;  May  12,  1882;  Bloomington,  May  4,  1886,  Carroll  County,  May 
4,  1886,  May  5,  1884,  1885;  Terre  Haute,  May  10,  1890;  Lafayette, 
May  5,  1893,  May  10,  1897;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  10,  1893,  May  14, 
1892;  Chicago,  111.,  May  3,  1895,  May  15,  1897.  They  do  not  remain 
long,  but  pass  rapidly  through,  the  last  remaining  at  Moore^s  Hill, 
Greencastle  and  Lafayette  until  May  13,  1893;  Carroll  County,  May 
22,  1883;  Chicago,  111.,  May  24,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  18, 
1892. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Ridgway  found  them  very  common  for  a  few  days  in 
Knox  County.  In  1871,  Mr.  xiiken  tells  me  they  were  rather  common 
in  Lake  County.  They  were  very  common  in  Carroll  County  from 
May  5  to  20,  1885  (Evermann).  They  seem  to  have  been  generally  ob- 
served in  1893  and  were  reported  tolerably  common  that  year  at 
Greencastle,  Lafayette  and  Moore^s  Hill.  I  have  never  heard  it  sing. 
Mr.  Maynard  says  its  song  begins  like  that  of  the  Blackpoll  and  has 
a  terminal  warble  similar  to  that  of  the  Redstart.  To  Mr.  Langille's 
ear,  it  bears  no  resemblance  to  either,  "but  is  a  very  soft  warble,  some- 
what resembling  the  syllables  tse-chee,  tse-chee,  tse-cliee,  fse-chee,  tse- 
chee,  but  far  too  liquid  to  admit  of  exact  spelling." 

In  habits,  the  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  and  this  appear  to  me  much 
alike.  This  bird  I  have  not  found  among  the  higher  foliage  of  trees, 
preferring  the  lower  branches  and  exhibiting  a  preference  for  the 
groves  and  more  open  woods  rather  than  the  denser  forest.  It  is  rather 
sluggish  in  its  movements,  as  it  assists  in  gleaning  among  the  leaves 
and  branches,  the  insect  population  of  the  trees  in  our  pastures  and 
more  open  woodland.  In  fall,  they  begin  to  appear  early  in  Septem- 
ber, and,  while  the  greater  part  leave  that  month,  some  occasionally 
remain  until  late  October.  The  earliest  fall  arrival  in  Lake  County  is 
September  2,  1883.  They  were  last  seen  there  September  28,  1879, 
October  3,  1875.  Similar  records  show  they  arrived  at  Brookville 
September  7,  1886,  were  last  seen  October  9,  1879;  at  Lafayette,  ar- 


1060  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

rived  September  11,  1894,  departed  September  21,  1895;  at  Greens- 
burg,  Ind.,  last  seen  September  25,  1897;  Cincinnati,  0.,  arrived  Sep- 
tember 4,  1879;  the  fall  of  1878  they  were  common  until  October  1, 
and  the  last  departed  October  20.  In  Indiana,  they  are  much  more 
regular  in  appearance,  as  well  as  more  numerous,  in  the  fall,  sometimes 
being  very  abundant.  The  falls  of  1894  and  1895  they  were  common 
at  Lafayette  (L.  A.  and  CD.  Test).  Prof.  King  notes  that  nineteen 
ate  7  ants,  7  lepidoptera,  6  diptera,  15  beetles,  6  leaf  hoppers  and  1 
dragon  fly  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  497). 

In  the  fall,  when  so  many  of  these  birds  are  in  immature  or  im- 
perfect plumage,  it  is  very  difficult  to  distinguish  such  birds  from  the 
next  species.  This  species  (castanea)  is  white  below,  tinged  with 
buffy  or  cteamy-buff,  especially  on  the  flanks,  while  the  next  species 
(striata)  is  clear,  pale  yellowish  belo.w.  Dr.  Langdon  gives  the  fol- 
lowing notes  on  distinguishing  characteristics  of  these  fall  birds:  "A 
comparison  of  specimens  of  both  species  shows  that  the  chin,  or 
feathered  space  between  the  forks  of  the  lower  mandible,  is  consider- 
ably wider  in  castanea  than  in  striata,  arguing  a  greater  width  ol 
base  of  bill  in  the  former  species.  The  bill  of  castanea  is  generally 
the  larger  in  every  way,  but  its  greater  width  at  base  is  especially  evi- 
dent" (Jour.  Gin.  Soc.  N.  H.,  I.,  1879,  p.  171). 

272.     (6  il).    Dendroica  striata  (Forst). 

Black-poll  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Crown,  deep  black;  other  upper-  parts,  grayish, 
streaked  with  black,  the  wings  with  two  white  bars;  lower  parts,  in- 
cluding lower  tail  coverts,  pure  white;  sides  of  throat,  streaked  with 
black,  meeting  on  the  chin.  Adult  Female. — Above,  dull  olive-green, 
everywhere  streaked  with  black;  beneath,  whitish,  tinged  with  yellow, 
the  sides,  and  sometimes  the  sides  of  throat,  with  dusky  streaks. 
Immature. — Above,  brighter  olive-green,  not  so  distinctly  streaked; 
below,  more  yellowish,  sides  not  streaked;  lower  tail  coverts,  pure 
white. 

Length,  5.00-5.75;  wing,  2.80-2.90;  tail,  2.05-2.25. 

Note. — It  is  almost  impossible  to  distinguish  the  immature  plu- 
mages of  this  species  and  D.  castanea.  However,  with  close  attention 
to  three  characters,  they  may  be  distinguished  when  other  means  fail. 
In  D.  striata,  (1)  the  lower  tail  coverts  are  pure  white;  (2)  the  color- 
ing of  the  lower  parts  is  decidedly  yellowish;  (3)  the  sides  of  the 
breast  are  unstreaked.  -In  2).  castanea,  (1)  the  lower  tail  coverts  are 
buffy;  (2)  the  coloring  of  the  lower  parts  is  buffy;  (3)  the  sides  of  the 
breast  are  often  indistinctly  streaked  with  dusky. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1061 

Kange. — America,  from  Colombia  over  eastern  United  States  to 
Labrador,  Alaska  and  Arctic  coast;  west  to  Rocky  Mountains.  Breeds 
from  northern  New  England,  northward.  Winters  from  Cuba,  south- 
ward. 

Nest,  in  spruce  trees,  from  ground  to  10  feet  up;  of  grasses,  roots, 
lichens  and  spruce  twigs,  lined  with  grass  and  feathers.  Eggs,  4-5, 
rarely  3;  white,  sometimes  with  creamy,  grayish,  greenish  or  pinkish 
tinge,  marked  with  some  shade  of  gray,  usually  olive,  and  usually 
spotted  and  speckled  with  burnt  umber,  russef  or  drab,  heaviest  at 
larger  end;  .71  by  .50. 


Head  of  Black-poU  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

The  Blackpoll  Warbler  is  usually  the  last  of  the  tree  warblers  to 
arrive,  and  also,  at  times,  is  among  the  last  to  depart.  It  is  an  irregu- 
lar migrant,  generally  rather  rare,  but  some  years  common;  usually 
most  common  in  fall.  They  rarely  reach  our  southern  borders  by 
April  27  (1888),  but  it  is  usually  near  the  10th  of  May  when  they 
should  be  expected,  and  at  times  much  later  than  that.  Whenever 
they  come  they  often  remain  until  after  May  20,  and,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State,  occasionally  until  the  last  of  the  month.  When 
these  birds  appear,  some  of  the  earlier  Warblers  have  passed  through. 
Their  arrival  is,  to  me,  always  a  matter  of  note.  I  love  to  hail  a 
bird  whose  business  each  year  carries  it  half  around  the  earth.  Their 
deliberate  ways  are  characteristic.  It  matters  not  whether  it  is  in 
making  their  long  journey  from  the  Equator  to  the  Arctic  Circle,  to 
build  their  home  and  rear  their  young,  or  in  making  atrip  through 
the  boughs  of  a  maple  tree,  to  gather  insects  for  the  morning  meal — 
there  is  the  same  deliberation  as  though  there  was  a  studied  effort  to 
have  every  motion  count.  They  seem  to  me  directly  opposite  in  char- 
acter to  the  Black-throated  Blue  Warbler,  which  makes  many  mo- 
tions for  every  stroke.  Early  and  late  first  arrivals  are:  Vincennes, 
April  27,  1888;  BLoomington,  April  28,  1885;  Terre  Haute,  May  4, 
1887;  Greensburg,  May  6,  1895;  Brookville,  May  9,  1897,  May  23, 
1883;  Lafayette,  May  6,  1894,  May  12,  1893;  Richmond,  May  19, 


1062  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

1897;  Carroll  County,  May  21,  1883,  1885;  Francisville,  May  9,  1896; 
Lake  County,  May  16,  1897;  Chicago,  May  11,  1895,  May  20,  1894. 

Last  spring  records:  Madison,  May  23,  1888;  Richmond,  May  21, 
1897;  Lafayette,  May  29,  1892;  Lebanon,  May  30,  1894;  Lake  County, 
May  30,  1894;  Brookville,  May  24,  1897.  The  spring  of  1897  they 
were  common  at  Brookville  and  Richmond;  that  of  1895  and  1896,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  111.;  1890,  at  Greencastle,  Ind.;  1888,  at 
Petersburg,  Mich. 

Allien  with  us,  in  spring,  the  males  greatly  outnumber  the  females. 
They  are  found  in  all  kinds  of  woodland,  at  varying  heights  among 
the  trees,  but  generally  not  very  near  the  ground.  Sometimes  they 
visit  the  orchard  and  lawn,  seeming  to  prefer  evergreen  trees.  I  have 
found  them  in  ravines,  among  low  bushes,  uttering  a  chip  now  and 
then,  while  busy  looking  for  food.  Its  song  is  the  S3dlable  chi,  re- 
peated five  or  six  times — cM-clii-chi-cM-clii.  The  notes  are  staccato 
and  are  of  equal  length;  the  first  is  usually  low,  then  rising  until  the 
two  next,  the  last  of  which  is  loudest,  the  final  one  being  lower  than 
they.  This  is  often  uttered  for  a  considerable  time,  with  only  a  slight 
interval,  punctuated  by  a  chip  between  songs.  Again,  but  occasionally 
will  its  song  be  heard,  and  there  will  be  great  breaks  in  the  music. 
Often,  when  the  foliage  has  become  too  dense  to  see  the  birds  among 
the  trees,  this  queer,  pleasing  melody  will  soimd  forth  and  tell  us 
the  author  is  in  no  haste  to  take  his  leave.  In  fall  they  return,  to  be- 
come a  puzzle  to  the  student  of  birds.  The  plumages  of  the  young  and 
females  of  this  species  and  of  the  fall  and  immature  specimens  of 
casianea  so  nearly  match  that  at  times  a 'serious  question  arises  as  to 
their  identity.  Under  the  last  species  has  been  indicated  how  they 
may  be  distinguished.  At  this  season  they  may  be  observed,  at  timeSj 
following  the  custom  of  some  other  Warblers  and  frequenting  the 
fencerows,  roadsides  and  weedy  stubble.  They  first  appear  about  the 
lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan  late  in  August.  The  bulk  pass  through 
in  September,  but  some  are  at  tiines  found  into  early  October.  First 
and  last  dates  when  they  were  noted  in  the  fall  indicate  the  extent  of 
their  autumnal  visits:  Chicago,  111.,  August  25,  1885,  September  21, 
1896;  Lake  County,  Ind.,  September  2,  1883,  September  25.  1875; 
Sandusky,  0.,  last,  October  4,  1896;  Brookville,  September  21  to  Oc- 
tober 13,  1-883;  Greencastle,  September  28,  1890.  Their  numbers  are 
greater  in  fall,  and  some  years  they  are  abundant.  They  were  conjmon 
at  Brookville  in  the  fall  of  1883;  at  Bicknell,  September  6  to  17, 
1894;  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  August  25  to  September  5,  1885,  and 
August  29  to  September  21,  1896. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1063 

Four  specimens  were  examined  by  Prof.  F.  H.  King.  They  had 
«aten  a  caterpillar,  3  beetles  and,  it  was  estimated,  13  other  insects. 
They  are  also  said  to  eat  canker-worms. 

273.     (0(32).     Dendroica  biackburniae  (Gmel,). 

Blackburnian  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  including  wings  and  tail,  black;  wing  patch, 
white;  back,  variegated  with  white;  several  lateral  tail  feathers,  mostly 
white;  crown  spot,  eyelids,  line  over  the  eye,  throat  and  breast,  bril- 
liant or  flame  color,  contrasting  beautifully  with  the  black  surround- 
ings; sides,  streaked  with  black.  Female. — Black  of  upper  parts  re- 
placed by  brownish-olive,  with  black  streaks;  flame  color  replaced  by 
yellow;  two  white  wing  bars.  Immature. — With  the  markings  still 
paler,  almost  buffy,  the  crown  patch  very  faint;  above,  brownish. 

Length,  4.25-5.50;  wing,  2.50-2.80;  tail,  1.90-2.10. 

Bange. — America,  from  Ecuador  north  over  eastern  United  States, 
etc.,  to  Labrador;  west  to  Manitoba,  Utah  and  N'ew  Mexico.  Breeds 
from  South  Carolina  north  along  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  and  Mas- 
sachusetts and  Minnesota,  northward.  Winters  from-  Bahamas  and 
eastern  Mexico,  southward. 

Nest,  in  pine  or  hemlock  tree,  8  to  60  feet  from  ground,  1 0  feet  out 
from  trunk,  on  horizontal  limb;  of  hemlock  twigs,  rootlet's,  bark,  pine 
needles,  moss,  loosely  woven,  lined  with  horsehair,  feathers  and  grass. 
JSggs,  4;  greenish-white,  spotted  and  blotched  everywhere,  but  most 
thickly  at  larger  end,  with  different  shades  of  purple  and  brown, 
almost  black  in  some  instances;  .69  by  .51. 

This  beautiful  warbler  is  a  regular  migrant,  varying,  as  all  the 
Warblers  do,  in  numbers.  They  are  generally  common,  some  years 
abundant.  This  is  one  of  the  second  early  Warblers,  coming  as  the 
maples  and  elms  are  putting  forth  small  leaves,  and  while  the  hickories 
and  oaks  are  still  bare.  They  frequent  trees,  usually  spending  most 
of  their  time  among  the  higher  branches,  but  at  times  with  other 
Warblers,  busying  themselves  lower  down  among  the  foliage.  They 
are  generally  associated  with  Black- throated.  Green  and  Chestnut- 
sided  Warblers.  The  earliest  record  I  have  of  its  spring  arrival  at 
Brookville  is  April  15,  1887,  the  latest  May  7,  1875  and  1892.  For 
the  following  places:  Eichmond,  April  22,  1897;  Green sburg,  April 
27,  1885,  May  14,  1893;  Greencastle,  May  6,  1873;  Bloomington, 
April  21,  1885,  April  27,  1886;  Carroll  County,  April  28,  1885;  Lafay- 
ette, April  29,  1893,  May  8,  1897;  Waterloo,  April  30,  1897;  Chicago, 
111..  April  29,  1886,  May  18,  1897;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  5,  1889, 
May  16,  1888. 


1064  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

The  dates  at  which  they  were  last  seen  in  spring  are  Brookville, 
May  11,  1882;  Eichmond,  May  19,  1897;  Carroll  County,  May  24, 
1883;  Lafayette,  May  21,  1892;  Lake  County,  May  30,  1894.  Their 
breeding  ground  begins  not  far  north  of  us,  and  from  the  time  the  last 
ones  leave  until  the  first  fall  migrants  appear,  with  their  faces  turned 
the  other  way,  is  but  a  few  weeks  less  than  three  months.  They 
may  even  be  found  breeding  in  this  State,  as  they  are  reported  to 
have  bred  in  Kalamazoo  County,  Mich!  (Cook,  B.  of  M.,  p.  133).  They 
begin  to  arrive  from  the  north  after  the  middle  of  August — Chicago, 
August  21,  1886;  Cincinnati,  August  30,  1877;  Vermillion  County, 
Ind.,  August  19,  1897  (Barnett);  and  through  the  next  month  or  six 
weeks  are  to  be  found  frequenting  the  same  kinds  of  woods  they  did 
in  spring.  Usually  all  have  passed  by  October  1,  but  they  are  some- 
times to  be  found  after  the  middle  of  that  month  (Brookville,  October 
14,  1889;  Cincinnati,  October  18,  1879).  They  are  the  first  of  the 
migrating  Warblers  to  arrive  in  numbers  in  the  fall,  and  although  the 
brilliant  colors  of  the  spring  have  been  replaced  by  plainer  hues,  they 
may  be  recognized.  At  that  season,  they  are  usimlly  much  more 
numerous  than  they  are  in  spring.  As  they  return  in  the  fall,  they 
are  silent,  having  lost  the  song  they  sang  the  preceding  spring.  Mr. 
Minot  likens  that  song  to  the  syllables  wee-see-wee-see,  tsee,  tsee,  tsee, 
tsee,  tsee,  tsee,  tsee,  the  latter  notes  ascending  in  the  scale  until  the  last 
one  becomes  shrill  and  fine.  In  summer  he  says  it  sings,  wee-see-wee- 
see-wee-see  (wee-see-icTc).  Their  food  consists  of  beetles,  caterpillars, 
ants,  bugs,  crane  flies,  ichneumon  flies,  and  other  insects  (King,  Geol. 
of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  504).  They  pass  southward  to  their  winter  quarters, 
where  great  numbers  of  the  brighter  birds  fall  victims  of  the  plumage 
gatherer.  They  are  found  in  this  northern  land  again,  but  not  freely 
flitting  among  the  greening  trees,  now  showing  their  beautiful  throats, 
then  singing  their  queer  little  songs,  but  as  articles  of  adornment, 
with  other  native  birds.  Their  appearance  upon  the  apparel  of  our 
women  serves  as  a  continual  reminder  of  what  a  fearful  offering  of 
life  the  great  Goddess  of  Fashion  yearly  demands  at  our  hands.  Upon 
her  altars  are  sacrificed  annually  an  innumerable  host  of  man's  good 
friends,  the  insect  eating  birds. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1065 

*274.     (663«)     Dendroica  dominica  albilora  Ridgway. 

Sycamore  Warbler. 
Synonym,  White-browed,  Yellow-throated  Warbler. 

Adult. — Sexes  alike;  above,  blue-gray,  the  back  not  streaked;  a  line 
over  eye,  yellow  in  front;  white  behind;  sides  of  neck  and  two  wing- 
bars,  white;  forehead,  sides  of-  head  and  sides  of  neck  and  streaks  on 
sides  of  body,  black;  throat,  yellow;  other  lower  parts,  white. 

Length,  4.50-5.50;  wing,  2.50-2.65;  tail,  2.00-2.25;  bill,  .45-.48. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Honduras;  north  in  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  to  Kansas,  Indiana,  Michigan,  West  Virginia  and  Ohio; 
east  to  North  Carolina.  Breeds  from  Texas  and  Mississippi,  north. 
Winters  from  lower  Eio  Grande  Valley,  south. 

Nest,  in  fork,  far  out  on  a  high  limb,  usually  of  a  sycamore. 

The  Sycamore  Warbler  is  a  common  summer  resident  along  the 
streams  of  southern  Indiana,  where  timber  containing  sycamore  trees  is 
found  It  is  very  common,  particularly  in  the  spring,  along  the  White- 
water Eiver  as  far  up  as  Brookville.  There,  but  few  ascend  the  east 
fork  of  that  stream,  and  it  is  consequently  rare  at  Eichm6nd,wliile  it  is 
common  along  the  west  fork  to  Laurel,  and  has  been  taken  at  Conners- 
ville.  It  is  common  up  the  Wabash  Valley  to  Park  and  Montgomery 
Counties,  where  I  found  it  May  19  and  20,  1887,  along  the  Valley 
of  Sugar  Creek,  and  to  Carroll  County;  also  up  the  White  Eiver  Valley 
to  Indianapolis.  Higher  up  the  Wabash  they  are  rare  and,  perhaps, 
in  some  places,  of  accidental  occurrence.  They  have  been  reported 
during  the  breeding  season  from  Creencastle  (Hughes,  Earlle),  and 
Lafayette  (L.  A.  and  CD.  Test),  where  they  are  rare,  as  they  also 
are  at  Ft.  Wayne  (Stockbridge).  They  range  north  into  Michigan, 
where,  in  Monroe  County,  they  were  reported  tolerably  common  to 
1887,  but  are  now  rare  (Trombley),  and  to  the  vicinity  of  Detroit. 
They  also  cross  Ohio,  being  tolerably  common  as  far  as  Columbus 
(Wheaton),  and  are  found  near  Cleveland  (Forest  and  Stream,  Vol. 
VI.,  1876,  p.  300).  They  have  not  been  found  in.  the  Kankakee 
Valley,  or  north  of  it,  in  this  State,  yet  it  has  been  noted  rarely  in 
northern  Illinois.  The  eoincidencd  of  the  range  of  this  species  with 
that  of  the  Cerulean  Warbler  is.  notable.  Yet  they  occupy  entirely 
different  ground,  thus  complementing  each  other.  The  Sycamore 
Warbler  does  not  depart  from  the  vicinity  of  streams,  even  following 
small  creeks,  along  which  sycamores  grow,  for  quite  a  distance  towards 
their  source.-  They  seem  to  prefer  these  trees,  spending  much  time 
among  their  highest  branches,  but  they  may  also  be  found  among  all 
the  trees  fringing  waterways,  sometimes  quite  near  the  ground,  and 


1066  Ret'ort  of  State  Geologist. 

often  are  seen  among  our  orchards,  lawns,  and  even  the  shade  trees 
along  the  streets  of  towns  in  the  vallej^s.  They  never  enter  the  wood- 
land. There,  on  the  contrary,  the  Cerulean  Warbler  prefers  to  make 
his  home,  especially  among  the  woods  of  the  hillsides  and  uplands. 
The  song  of  the  Sycamore  Warbler,  as  I  catch  it,  is  as  follows:  Twiff 
che~e,  cJie-e,  che-e,  che-e,  che-e,  che-d.  This  is  about  its  usual  length. 
The  first  syllable  is  abrupt,  with  rising  inflection,  then,  after  a  slight 
pause,  the  remainder  is  uttered  at  the  same  pitch  until  the  last  syllable, 
which  ends  sharply  with  a  slight  rise  in  tone.  The  whole  song  is 
ver\^  unique.  Its  notes  are  clear  and  distinct,  and  it  is  pitched  in 
such  a  key  that  it  may  be  heard  under  favorable  circumstances  over 
a  quarter  of  a  mile.  They  arrive  very  early  in  spring,  being  one  of  the 
very  first  Warblers  to  attract  one^s  attention,  and  they  usually  become 
very  common  at  once. 

Its  long'er  flights  much  resemble  those  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow. 
Its  shorter  oaies,  as  with  quivering  wings  it  beats  rapid  strokes  when 
moving  from  limb  to  limb,  remind  one  of  the  movements  of  the 
Kingbird. 

The  dates  of  early  and  late  first  arrivals  are:  Brookville,  April  3, 
1882,  AprH  27,  1895;  Knox  County,  April  17,  1881;  Bloomington, 
April  14,  1886;  Terre  Haute,  April  14,  1^88;  Richmond,  April  16, 
1888;  Greenca-stle,  April  22,  1893,  May  7,  1892;  Lafayette,  April  25, 
1896;  Carroll  County,  April  20,  1884,  May  9,  1883;  Wabash,  April 
28,  1892;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  17,  1889,  April  28,  1893. 

Evidently  they  pnsh  on  without  deb.y  to  their  most  northern  breed- 
ing places.  I  have  noted  them  mating  April  22  (1881)  and  May  19 
(1882)  I  obtained  a  specimen  containing  an  egg  ready  to  be  laid.  I 
found  no  description  of  its  nest.  Late  in  summer  they  may  be  seen 
among  the  orchards  more  than  in  the  spring.  I  have  never  observed 
one  at  Brookville  later  than  September  25,  but  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State  and  in  Michigan  the}'  have  been  reported  in  October. 
I  am  under  obligations  to  Mr.  Jerome  Trombley,  of  Petersburg,  Mich., 
for  the  interesting  account  of  his  experience  with  this  bird  here  given. 
It  may  be  sought  under  similar  conditions  in  northern  Indiana: 

"The  Sycamore  Warbler  is  a'  rare  summer  resident  in  Monroe 
County,  Mich.  It  is  the  first  of  the  Warblers  to  arrive  in  the  spring, 
appearing  here  some  years  as  early  as  the  20th  of  April.  The  Louisi- 
ana Water  Thrush,  another  species  of  the  same  family,  however,  ar- 
rives about  the  same  time,  if  not  earlier.  The  favorite  haunts  of 
the  Sycamore  Warblers  are  in  the  wooded  bottom  lands  along  Raisin 
River,  confining  themselves  principally  to  the  tops  of  the  huge  syca- 
more trees  which  skirt  the  banks  of  the  stream.     They  very  rarely 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1067 

descend  lower  than  25  or  30  feet  from  the  ground.  I  have  shot 
these  birds  when  the}'  were  at  a  height  of  90  feet,  and  appeared  from 
below  not  much  larger  than  Humming-birds,  but  their  creeper-like 
habits  render  them  easy  of  identification.  The  constant  habit  of 
remaining  at  such  heights,  coupled  with  extreme  restlessness,  make 
them  one  of  the  most  difficult  species  to  secure. 

"The  song  is  quite  loud  and  spirited,  and  can  easily  be  heard  and 
distinguished  at  a  distance  of  300  or  400  yards.  Some  authors  state 
the  song  resembles  that  of  the  Indigo  Bunting.  By  others  it  is  likened 
to  that  of  the  Black  and  White  Warbler,  or  to  the  Pine  Warbler's. 
The  fact  is,  according  to  my  exp.erience,  the  song  is  a  very  character- 
istic one,  and  bears  no  resemblance  to  anything  I  have  ever  heard 
the  above  mentioned  birds  utter.  It  may  be  expressed  by  the  sylla- 
bles, tee-o,  tee-o,  tow-tee,  accented  on  the  syllable  tee,  with  a  rising 
inflection  on  the  final  syllable.  The  song  is  repeated  at  intervals  of 
10  to  15  seconds,  and  kept  up  for  an  hour  or  more.  They  remain 
but  a  few  moments  feeding  or  singing  in  the  same  tree,  but  are  off 
to  another,  and  after  making  the  rounds  of  several  trees,  will  perhaps 
be  back  in  the  first  tree  at  the  end  of  15  or  20  minuteg.  My  greatest 
desire  in  regard  to  this  interesting  little  bird  has  been  to  secure  a 
nest  and  its  complement  of  eggs,  but  am  sorry  to  say  that,  so  far, 
1  have  been  unsuccessful. 

"I  can  therefore  say  but  little  of  the  nesting  habits.  For  three  or 
four  successive  years,  I  searched  long  and  diligently,  examining  the 
tree  tops,  as  well  as  I  could  from  the  ground,  hoping  to  discover  a 
nest,  and  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  would  never  succeed. 
Fortunately,  on  the  10th  of  May,  1880,  I  chanced  to  see  one  of  these 
birds  alight  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  with  building  materials  in  its 
bill.  In  a  few  moments  it  flew  to  the  top  of  a  large  sycamore,  and 
then  near  the  end  of  a  small  horizontal  branch,  where  at  last  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  locating  the  long  looked-for  nest.  I  estimated  the 
height  from  the  ground  to  be,  somewhere  between  60  and  75  feet, 
and  on  the  end  of  a  branch  20  feet  from  the  trunk.  The  branch 
would  not  bear  a  weight  of  over  fifty  pounds,  and  with  trunk  of  the 
tree  7  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  the  first  limb  being  40  feet  from 
the  ground,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  this  nest  was  simply  unattain- 
able, except  by  extraordinary  means.  The  next  day  I  returned,  and, 
with,  the  aid  of  a  good  field-glass,  I  discovered  that  the  nest  looked 
as  if  nearly  completed,  and  the  birds  were  at  work,  apparently,  putting 
in  the  lining.  It  was  placed  in  the  fork  made  by  two  smaller  branches 
springing  up  from  the  branch  on  which  the  nest  rested.  I  was  unable 
to  determine  the  materials  which  composed  the  nest,  which  appeared 


1068  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

about  the  size  of  that  of  the  Cerulean  Warbler.  The  identity  of  this 
nest  was  ascertained  beyond  a  doubt.  A  good  view  was  had  of  the 
female  when  first  seen  carrying  the  materials  for  building;  also  on  the 
next  day  with  the  glass,  while  she  was  at  work  on  the  nest.  The 
well-known  song  of  the  male  was  heard  in  the  vicinity  all  the  while 
that  nidification  and  incubation  was  going  on. 

"The  above  article  was  written  several  years  ago  for  a  friend,  who 
desired  me  to  give  him  some  information  from  my  observations  of  the 
family  of  Warblers  in  this  locality.  I  have  been  able  to  add  but  little 
of  interest  since  in  regard  to  the  Sycamore  Warbler.  As  the  timber 
is  being  cut  from -the  bottom  lands,  they  have  become  much  rarer 
than  formerly.  I  am  not  positive  that  I  saw  more  than  a  single  bird 
this  year,  1897.  In  the  swamps,  away  from  the  river,  where  sycamores 
grow  plentifully,  I  have  sometimes  come  across  a  few  of  these  birds, 
and  I  believe  they  nested  there,  as  they  were  seen  or  heard  as  late  as 
July.  This  species  departs  for  their  winter  habitat  along  the  last 
of  September,  or  the  first  of  October,  as  I  have  never  been  able  to 
detect  their  presence  later  than  the  10th  of  October. 

275.    (667).    Dendroica  virens  (Gmel.). 

Black-throated  Green  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — -Above,  bright  olive-green;  wing,  crossed  by  two  white 
bars;  line  over  the  eye  and  side  of  face,  gamboge-yellow;  -chin,  throat 
and  breast,  deep  black;  belly,  white.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but 
black  markings  more  or  less  broken  by  yellow  or  whitish.  Imma- 
ture.— Similar  to  female;  black  markings  almost  replaced  by  yellow. 

Length,  4.35-5.40;  wing,  2.40-2.55;  tail,  1.90-2.05. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  and  Cuba,  north- 
ward to  Hudson  Bay,  straggling  to  Greenland  and  Europe.  Breeds 
from  South  Carolina,  northward  along  the  Alleghanies.  Common, 
northern  Ohio  and  northern  Illinois  and  Michigan,  northward.  Win- 
ters from  Cuba  and  Mexico,  southward. 

Nest^  in  woods,  usually  on  horizontal  branch  of  coniferous  bush  or 
tree;  2  to  50  feet  up;  of  bark,  grass,  twigs,  fibres,  feathers;  lined  with 
.down.  Eggs,  4;  white  or  creamy- white,  spotted  with  burnt  umber  or 
russet,  and  purplish-gray,  usually  arranged  in  wreaths  about  larger 
ends;  .64  by  .48. 

The  Black-throated  Green  Warbler  is  a  very  common  migrant.  Few 
among  the  Wood  Warblers,  perhaps  none,  are  as  well  known  as  this. 
It  comes  after  the  earliest  ones  have  renewed  their  acquaintance,  and 
is  one  of  several  that  seem  to  be  associated  at  this  season.     It  spends 


\  BiBDS  OF  Indiana.  1069 

its  time  here  among  the  larger  trees  in  woodland,  both  wood  pastures 
and  forests.  There  among  the  foliage,  from  lowest  limb  to  topmost 
bough,  it  may  be  found,  in  company  with  Blackbumian  and  Chestnut- 
sided  Warblers.  Occasionally  they  are  found  among  the  orchard  trees. 
They  arrive  southward  from  April  22  to  May  8,  and  about  the  north- 
em  boundary  May  1  to  10.  Early  and  late  dates  are  Brookville,  April 
26,  1881,  1886,  and  1893,  May  8,  1882;  Greensburg^  April  26,  1893, 
May  13,  1894;  Lafayette,  April  27,  1892,  and  1893,  May  6,  1897;  Car- 
roll County,  April  28,  1885,  May  5,  1894;  Sedan,  April  24,  1894,  April 


Black-throated  Green  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

30,  1896;  Lake  County,  May  11,  1884;  Chicago,  111.,  May  1,  1896, 
May  6,  1886;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  2,  1888,  May  9,  1897.  If  they 
arrive  early,  they  usually  remain  from  one  to  two  or  three  weeks,  but 
if  they  are  late  coming  they  pass  through  rapidly.  The  latest  date 
for  southern  Indiana  is  May  13,  1894  (Greensburg);  for  northern 
Indiana,  May  24,  1879  (Lake  County).  Some  unusual  records  have 
been  made  by  Messrs.  Dury  and  Freeman  at  Cincinnati,  0.  The 
earliest  arrival  is  April  22,  1878,  and  he  noted  them  there  July  23, 
1879,  and  says:  "They  were  somewhat  common  about  July  30,  1879" 
(Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  N.  H.,  July,  1879). 

It  breeds  in  Michigan,  south  to  Montcalm  and  Kent  Counties  (Cook, 
B.  of  Mich.,  p.  134),  and  has  been  reported  as  breeding  in  northern 
Illinois  (W.  W.  Cooke),  and  northern  Ohio  (Wheaton).  Its  song  is 
very  peculiar,  and  cannot  be  mistaken  for  that  of  any  other  bird.  Mr. 
John  Burroughs  has  expressed  its  notes  by  three  straight  lines: 


1070  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

In  fall  they  are  abundant,  frequenting  every  kind  of  woodiand  from 
second-growth  to  virgin  forest.  While  they  are  changed  some  in  appear- 
ance from  the  previous  spring,  they  may  readily  be  recognized.  They 
first  appear,  a  few  of  the  vanguard,  late  in  August,  and  remain  until 
after  October  1.  First  arrivals:  Vermillion  County,  August  23,  1897; 
Lafayette,  August  27,  1896;  Lake  County,  September  2, 1883;  Wabash, 
September  11,  1892;  Brookville,  August  29,  1887.  Last  records: 
Lake  County^  October,  1881;  Chicago,  October  5,  1894,  and  1895; 
Lafayette,  October  5,  1895;  Brookville,  October  8,  1884,  and  1885. 
The  Black-throated  Green  Warbler  is  the  most  even  in  its  dates  of 
migration  of  any  of  the  genus.  This  is  distinctly  shown  when  one 
examines  a  series  of  dates,  running  over  a  number  of  years.  Their 
food  is  practically  the  same  as  all  of  the  family — large  numbers  of 
insects.  Prof.  King  found  that  of  twelve  specimens  examined,  one 
had  eaten  a  moth;  three,  seven  caterpillars;, three,  eleven  beetles;  and 
one,  tw^o  diptera;  one,  six  larvae,  probably  caterpillars,  and  one  a 
heteroptera  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  L,  p.  502).  Prof.  Forbes  has  ascertained 
they  eat  hymenoptera,  caterpillars  and  curculios.  Their  woodland 
habits,  and  also  those  of  other  species,  while  beneficial,  are  not  so 
noticeably  of  value  as  they  would  be  if  they  frequented  our  fruit  and 
shade  trees  more.  Doubtless,  with  the  lessening  of  our  wooded  area 
and  the  increase  of  acreage  in  orchards,  they  will  more  and  more  be 
found  there. 

276.     (670).    Dendroica  kirtlandi  Baird. 

Kirtland's  Warbler. 

Adult. — ^^Above,  bluish-gray;  back,  more  brownish  and  streaked  with 
black;  lores  and  narrow  frontal  band,  black;  no  white  wing  bars;  a  white 
spot  on  each  eyelid;  below,  pale  yellow;  sides  of  throat  and  of  body 
streaked  with  black.     Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  paler. 

Length,  5.30-6.00;  wing,  2.60-2.90;  tail,  2.25-2.60. 

Kange. — From  Bahamas,  northwest  over  southeastern  United 
States,  migrating  through  eastern  part  of  Mississippi  Valley  and  west- 
em  Lake  region.     Breeding  range  unknown.     Winters  in  Bahamas. 

Nest  and  FJggs,  unknown. 

Kirtland's  Warbler  is  a  very  rare  bird,  known  from  but  a  few  locali- 
ties in  the  United  States  as  a  migrant. 

The  first  specimen  known  from  Indiana  was  taken  at  Wabash,  by 
Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace,  May  4,  1892. 

Mr.  Wallace  says:  "I  took  it  in  a  thicket.  It  was  alone,  there 
being  no  other  birds  in  the  near  vicinity  of  it.     It  seemed  to  be  an 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1071 

active  fly-catcher,  not  having  the  motions  of  the  other  Dendroicce, 
being  less  active.  It  would  dart  off  after  an  insect  and  then  return 
to  the  same  perch.^^  Mr.  Wallace  has  kindly  placed  this  specimen 
in  my  collection. 

Mr.  Wallace  took  another  specimen  May  7,  1895.  He  says:  "Early 
in  the  morning  I  heard  a  bird  singing  in  the  thicket  of  plum  trees 
near  the  house.  The  song  was  strange  to  me,  and  consisted  of  a 
loud,  ringing  note,  repeated  three  times  in  quick  succession.  The 
song  bears  considerable  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Great  Carolina 
Wren,  and  also  suggests  that  of  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat.  It  is 
loud  and  rather  musical.  I  did  not  go  to  look  for  it  at  once,  but  as 
it  continued  singing  for  some  time,  I  finally  got  my  gun  and  went  to 
look  for  it.  It  had  flown  over  into  the  orchard  then,  but  soon  returned 
to  the  plum  thicket,  and  was  constantly  uttering  its  peculiar  note. 
Had  it  not  been  for  its  loud  and  peculiar  song,  I  should  have  pro- 
nounced it  a  Canada  Flycatcher.  Its  song  sealed  its  fate.  After  watch- 
ing it  catch  insects  and  listening  to  its  song  for  some  time,  I  backed  off 
and  shot  it.  Imagine  my  surprise  when  I  held  in  my  hand  my  second 
Kirtland's  Warbler." 

The  species  was  described  from  a  specimen  taken  by  Dr.  Kirtland 
near  Cleveland,  0.  The  following  are  the  reported  records  of  its 
©eeurrence: 

1.  At  sea,  off  Abaco,  Bahamas,  by  Dr.  Samuel  Cabot,  second  week 
m  October,  1841. 

2.  Iv'ear  Cleveland,  0.,  by  Dr.  J.  P.  Kirtland,  male.  May  15,  1851. 
Type  specimen. 

3.  Near  Cleveland,  0.,  by  E.  K.  Winslow,  female,  June,  1860. 

4.  Near  Cincinnati,  0.,  by  Charles  Dury,  male,  first  week  in  May, 
1872. 

5.  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  by  A.  B.  Covert,  female.  May  13,  1875. 

C,  7.  Eockport,  Cuyahoga  County,  0.,  by  Wm.  and  John  Hall, 
May,  1878. 

8.  Andros  Island,  Bahamas,  by  Charles  B.  Cory,  female,  June  9, 
1879. 

9.  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  by  A.  B.  Covert,  female.  May  16,  1879. 

10.  11.  Cleveland,  0.,  reported  by  Dr.  Langdon,  male  and  female, 
May  4,  12,  1880. 

12.  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  male,  May  11,  1883,  now  in  United  States 
National  Museum. 

13.  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  8,  1885,  Otto  Widmann. 

14.  Spectacle  Eeef,  Mich.,  May  25,  1885,  Wm.  Marshall.  Struck 
the  light  at  Spectacle  Eeef  lighthouse. 


1072  .  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

15.  Near  Dublin  Gap  Springs,  Pa.,  June  25,  1885,  Prof.  H.  J. 
Roddy.     He  says:    "Saw  one  with  family." 

16.  St.  Helena  Island,  S.  C,  April  27,  1886,  Walter  Hoxie.  Re- 
ports seeing  others. 

17.  Near  Fort  Meyer,  Va.,  September  25,  1887,  Wm.  Palmer. 
Another  seen  a  week  later. 

18.  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  April  or  May,  1888,  female,  by  Mr.  Knapp. 

19.  Chester,  S.  C,  female,  October  11,  1888,  L.  M.  Loomis. 

^0.  Near  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  May  13,  1892,  male,  H.  M.  Guilford. 

21.  Wisconsin,  Dr.  P.  R.  Hoy.     Reported  seen. 

22.  Wabash,  Ind.,  May  1,  1893,  W.  0.  Wallace. 

23.  Wabash,  Ind.,  May  7,  1895,  W.  0.  Wallace. 

In  addition,  it  has  been  reported  by  Mr.  C.  S.  Maynard,  but  I  do  not 
have  the  references  at  hand. 

The  winter  home  of  this  rare  and  narrowly  restricfed  species  is 
apparently  the  Bahama  Islands.  It  has  been  taken  most  commonly 
during  the  spring  migrations,  near  Cleveland,  0.,  and  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.  It  has  never  been  taken  in  the  interior  of  the  United  States 
during  the  fall  migrations.  The  summer  home  of  this  Warbler  would 
seem  to  be  northern  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  or  north  thereof,  and 
possibly  in  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania.  The  line  of  its  spring 
movements  seems  to  be  a  narrow  route  from  the  Bahamas  past  the 
western  end  of  Lake  Erie  toward  Lake  Superior.  Perhaps  the  return 
migration  may  be  over  the  same  route,  but  it  is  possible  this  may 
be,  in  the  whole  or  in  part,  farther  to  the  eastward,  passing  down  the 
coast  after  it  reaches  the  Atlantic. 

Its  distribution  is  very  remarkable.  ~  Yet  there  seems  to  be  an 
effort  on  the  part  of  other  species  to  follow  a  line  remarkably  similar 
to  that  noted.  From  the  northwest  into  South  Carolina,  even  to  the 
coast,  there  seems  to  be  a  migration  route  analogous  to  this.  Along 
it  would  seem  to  move,  in  a  southeasterly  migration,  such  forms  as 
Brewer's  Blackbird,  Yellow-headed  Blackbird,  Le  Conte's  Sparrow, 
Prairie  Homed  Lark,  typical  plains  forms. 

*277.     (671)     Dendroica  vigorsii  (Aud.). 

Pine  Warbler. 

Synonym,  Pine-creeping  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  bright  olive-green,  more  or  less  dulled  by 
ashy;  wings  and  tail,  grayish;  two  wing  bars,  whitish;  stripe  from  bill 
to  eye  and  ring  around  eye,  yellow;  below,  yellow,  sides  indistinctly 
streaked  with  dusky;  lower  tail  coverts  and  more  or  less  of  the  belly, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1073 

whitish.  Adult  Female. — Above,  dull  olive-gray,  more  or  less  tinged 
with  olive-green;  wings  and  tail  as  in  male;  ring  around  eye,  yellowish; 
below,  whitish,  shaded  more  or  less  with  grajdsh,  the  throat  and  breast 
showing  yellow. 

Length,  4.95-5.60;  wing,  2.70-3.00;  tail,  2.10-2.45. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  Plains;  from  the  Baha- 
mas north  to  New  Brunswick,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  Breeds 
throughout  most  of  its  range.  Winters  from  North  Carolina  and 
southern  Illinois,  south. 

Nest,  in  pine  trees,  20  to  80  feet  from  ground,  on  horizontal  limbs, 
2  to  12  feet  from  trunk;  of  grapevine  bark,  closely  woven,  often  with 
cocoons  on  outside.  Inside  lined  with  fine  grass,  horsehair  and  feath- 
ers. Average  nest,  1.70  outer  depth,  2.80  outer  diam.;  1.46  inner 
depth,  1.55  inner  diam.  Eggs,  4-5;  grayish  or  bluish-white  (rarely 
pinkish-white),  spotted  distinctly  and  obscurely  with  chestnut  and 
lilac-gray,  often  forming  wreath  at  larger  end;  .70  by  .53. 

As  its  name  indicates,  this  is  a  bird  of  the  pines.  But  a  name 
does  not  always  mean  what  it  says.  Among  the  Helminthophilas  is  a 
pinus,  which,  perhaps,  is  so  named  because  it  never  is  found  about 
the  pines.  Likewise,  and  among  this,  a  Prairie  Warbler  that  does 
not  inhabit  the  prairies.  Then,  too,  our  joyous  little  Goldfinch,  bub- 
bling with  pleasant  emotions  that  involuntarily  come  forth  as  it  rides 
the  waves  of  the  wind  currents,  has  been  burdened  by  the  sorrowful 
name  tristis. 

In  Indiana,  the  Pine  Warbler  is  generally  found  as  a  rare  migrant, 
though  the  spring  of  1879  it  was  rather  common.  In  a  few  localities, 
preferably  where  pines  are  native,  a  few  spend  the  summer.  Mr. 
J.  W.  Byrkit  informs  me  it  is  a  summer  resident  near  Michigan  City. 
Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says:  "The  first  of  July,  1874,  I  found  a  large  num- 
ber of  these  birds,  with  young  just  old  enough  to  follow  their  parents, 
in  the  Tinery,'  and  presume  they  nest  there  regularly^^  (Birds  N.  E. 
111.,  p.  100).  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton  further  adds:  "Nelson  found  both 
old  and  young  in  the  pine  barrens.  Lake  County,  where  they  undoubt- 
edly bred  regularly^'  (Proc.  Ind.  Hort.  Soc,  1879,  p.  108).  Mr.  Eobert 
Eidgway  informs  me  of  its  breeding  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties. 
It  may  be  found  to  breed  wherever  native  pines  are  found,  as  it  is 
known  to  breed  nearly  throughout  its  range  at  different  dates;  the 
season  beginning  in  South  Carolina  in  March  and  in  Manitoba  in 
June. 

It  is  among  the  early  migrants,  arriving  some  years  by  the  middle 
of  April,  and  not  lingering  where  it  does  not  breed  after  early  May. 

68-Geol.. 


]0T4  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

They  arrived  at  Brookville,  April  15^  1879  and  1882,  May  3,  1883; 
Knox  County,  April  19,  1881;  Richmond,  April  25,  1897;  Lafayette, 
April  27,  1892,  April  29,  1893;  Carroll  County,  April  29,  1885;  Wa- 
bash, April  27,  1894,  April  30,  1892;  Michigan  City,  April  24,  1884. 
At  all  these  places,  except  as  first  mentioned,  they  are  very  rare.  The 
latest  dates  reported  are. May  1,  1892  (Lafayette);  May  1,  1897,  May. 
3,  1883  (Brookville).  In  the  ^Tiitewater  Valley  they  frequent  the 
wooded  hillsides,  where  sugar  maple  is  the  prevailing  timber.  In  such 
places,  usually  high  up  among  the  branches  of  the  sugar  trees,  I  have 
often  found  them.  At  times  they  nimbly  flit  from  twig  to  twig 
among  the  unfolding  leaves;  again  they  pursue  the  habits  of  a  creeper, 
reminding  one  of  the  Sycamore  or  Black  and  White  Warbler,  when 
insect  hunting  along  the  larger  limbs  and  about  the  trunks  of  trees. 
Often  they  arrive  before  the  leaves  have  burst  the  buds,  and  then 
they  play  creeper  to  perfection.  In  spring,  Avhen  they  are  with  us, 
they  have  a  Sparrow-like  song.  This  has  been  compared  to  the  song 
of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  of  a  Junco,  to  the  trill  of  the  Swamp  Spar- 
row, and  to  the  well-known  chant  of  the  Field  Sparrow.  xVt  any 
rate,  it  is  a  Sparrow's  trill  that  comes  to  one  from  the  highest  boughs 
of  the  maple  woods,  where  no  Sparrow  ought  to  be.  In  fall  they 
only  utter  a  chip  as  they  pass  southward,  in  September  and  October. 
The  following  are  records  of  their  fall  appearance:  Lake  County, 
September  8,  1874;  Warren  County,  September  15  and  16,  1897, 
September  25,  1878;  Brookville,  October  12,  1885;  Richmond,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1887.  They  eat  some  seeds,  but  principally  insects,  including 
both  those  that  infest  pines  and  deciduous  trees  and  those  that  fre- 
quent the  branches  as  well  as  the  foliage. 

278.     (672).    Dendroica  palmarum  (Gmel). 

Palm  Warbler. 
Synonym,  Red-poll  Warbler. 

Adult. — Above,  dull  olive-brown;  crown,  chestnut,  a  yellow  stripe 
over  the  eye;  back  with  indistinct  streaks;  rump,  olive-green;  wings, 
•dged  with  olive-gray,  not  barred;  below,  yellowish,  bright  yellow  on 
throat  and  under  tail  coverts;  rest  of  under  parts,  washed  with  whitish 
and  streaked  with  brown;  two  outer  tail  feathers  with  large  white 
spots,  sometimes  a  small  one  on  the  third.  Immature. — Chestnut  «f 
crown,  faint  or  wanting;  line  over  eye  and  ring  around  eye,  whitish; 
below,  dull  huffy,  slightly  tinged  with  yellow  and  streaked  with  dusky; 
lower  tail  coveris,  yellow. 

Length,  4.50-5.50;  wing,  2.85-2.65;  taH,  2.05-2.45. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  10?  5 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Mexico  and  Greater  Antilles,  north 
through  the  interior  of  the  United  States,  between  Alleghany  Moim- 
tMns  and  Great  Plains,  to  Mackenize  Valley  (Ft.  Simpson).  Rare  on 
Atlantic  Coast.  Breeds  far  north.  Winters  from  Sonth  Atlantic  and 
Gulf  States  southward. 

.  The  Palm  Warbler  occurs  only  as  a  migrant  in  Indiana.  In  the 
western  and  northwestern  parts  of  the  State — the  original  prairie 
region — it  is  very  common,  often  very  abundant;  much  more  numer- 
ous in  spring  than  in  fall.  There  it  frequents  the  open  fields,  the 
fence  rows  and  the  roadsides,  and  to  the  naturalist,  at  least,  is  a  very 
familiar  bird.  Throughout  the  southeastern  half  of  our  State  it  is 
of  irregular  occurrence,  never  abundant,  and  seldom,  if  ever,  really 
common.  From  most  places  it  is  reported  as  rare,  not  common,  or 
tolerably  common.  There  it  frequents  thickets  and  fence  rows,  open 
fields  and  woods,  beino-  found  at  times  in  the  deepest  forests.  In 
the  woods  it  usually  is  seen  among  the  bushes  and  lower  limbs  of 
trees,  not  over  twenty  feet  high,  but  I  have  taken  it  at  twice  that 
height. 

In  the  Whitewater  Valley,  some  years  it  is  very  rare,  and  I  have 
never  found  it  common.  •  In  its  migrations  it  not  only  seems  to  prefer 
the  prairie  district,  but  appears  there  earlier  than  farther  to  the  east- 
ward. In  Illinois  and  western  and  northwestern  Indiana  the  same 
year  they  appear  earlier  than  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State, 
arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  often  as  soon,  or  sooner,  than  at 
any  station  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  miles  southeast 
of  there.  In  1897  they  were  first  seen  near  Chicago  April  17,  and 
were  abundant  April  24.  In  1896  they  were  first  seen  at  Chicago 
April  11  and  again  April  12,  while  in  Indiana  they  were  not  seen 
until  April  17.  In  1895  Chicago  reported  them  April  21,  the  same 
date  they  were  observed  two  hundred  miles  southeast  of  there.  At 
Greensburg  the  earliest  and  latest  dates  of  first  appearance  in  spring 
are  April  17,  1896,  April  23,  1894;  Spearsville,  April  21,  1895,  April 
25,  1897;  Vigo  County,  April  24,  1888,  April  30,  1889;  Bloomington, 
April  22,  1885,  May  6,  188.5;  Carroll  County,  April  21,  1885,  May 
8,  1884;  Brookville,  April  24,  1889,  May  5,  1887;  Lafayette,  April 
24,  1897,  May  6,  1892;  Francisville,  April  19,  1896;  Chicago,  111., 
April  11,  1896,  April  28,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  1,  1888,  May 
5,  1889.  They  usually  leave  southern  Indiana  about  May  5  and  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  a  week  later,  but  they  may  occasionally 
be  found  southward  until  near  the  middle  of  the  month  and  north- 
ward ten  days  later  than  that.  They  were  last  reported  at  Greens- 
burg May  14,  1894;  Richmond,  May  16,  1897;  Terre  Haute,  May  8, 


1076  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

1889;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  18,  1888;  Chicago,  111.,  May  26,  1896. 
I  have  only  heard  its  song  a  few  times,  from  those  that  were  in  the 
woods.  It  is  not  loud,  but  attracts  one^s  attention,  as  the  four  notes 
come  from  the  little  singer,  who  keeps  time  by  the  motions  of  his 
tail.  Their  tails  are  always  in  motion,  and  in  this  they  remind  one 
of  the  Wagtails  and  Phoebe. 

The  Palm  Warbler  is  quite  an  adept  at  insect  catching,  often  catch- 
ing them  on  the  wing  as  a  Flycatcher  does.  "Of  eight  specimens 
examined,  one  had  eaten  a  small  hymenoptera;  one,  five  small  moths; 
one,  three  diptera;  two,  thirteen  beetles,  and  one  five  plant  lice"  (King, 
Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  506).  In  the  fall  they  begin  to  return  about  the 
middle  of  September,  and  linger  well  into  October.  They  may  some- 
times remain  into  November,  as  they  have  been  noted  in  the  vicinity 
of  Columbus,  0.,  November  7  (1874)  (Wheaton),  and  even  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  through  December,  or  possibly,  in  favor- 
able winters,  remain  all  winter,  as  it  has  been  taken  at  Cincinnati, 
December  24,  1878  (Dury  and  Freeman).  The  following  early  dates 
give  earliest  arrival  and  late  dates  last  departure:  Wabash,  September 
10,  1892;  Warren  County,  September  23,  1897,  September  26,  1897; 
Chicago,  111.,  September  13,  1896,  October  11,  1896;  Lake  County, 
Ind.,  October  2,  1881;  Brookville,  September  14,  1897,  Octboer  13, 
1887. 

279.     (673).    Dendroica  discolor.  (Vieill.). 

Prairie  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  olive-green,  the  back  spotted  with  reddish- 
chestnut;  forehead,  a  line  over  eye  and  spot  below  the  eye,  yellow; 
spot  in  front  of  eye  and  stripe  under  eye,  black;  wing-bars,  yellowish; 
below,  yellow;  sides,  streaked  or  spotted  with  black;  lower  tail-coverts, 
huffy.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  duller  and  less  distinctly  marked. 
Immature. — Above,  more  brownish;  no  wing-bars;  few  or  no  chestnut 
spots  on  the  back  or  black  spots  upon  the  sides. 

Length,  4.25-6.00;  wing,  2.10-2.30;  tail,.  1.90-2.10. 

Kange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Central  America  (?)  and 
West  Indies  to  Wisconsin,  Northern  Michigan,  Mackinac  Island  and 
Massachusetts,  west  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  Breeds  locally  through- 
out most  of  the  range.    Winters  from  Florida  south. 

Nest,  deeply  cupped  and  compact;  of  soft  fibres,  grasses;  lined  with 
fine  grasses  or  hair;  in  second-growth,  scrub-growth  and  thickets 
and  in  crotch  or  fork  of  vine  or  tree,  two  to  seven  feet  high.  Eggs, 
4-5;  white,  creamy-white,  greenish-white,  dotted  or  blotched,  some  all 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  1077 

over  and  others  at  large  end,  where  usually  wreathed  with  chestnut 
and  burnt  umber;  .64  by  .47. 

The  Prairie  Warbler  is  a  rare  migrant  and  summer  resident.  It 
has  not  yet  been  ascertained  to  breed  within  the  State.  Mr.  Eobert 
Eidgway  has  noted  it  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties,  but  is  uncertain 
that  it  breeds.  He  found  it  in  the  former  county,  April  15',  1881,  and 
met  with  it  frequently  afterward  that  same  spring.  The  late  Mr.  C. 
H.  Bollman  took  a  specimen  near  Bloomington,  April  26,  1885.  Mr. 
W.  0.  Wallace  took  it  at  Wabash,  May  2,  1892.  Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley 
took  two  near  Lebanon,  April  29,  1892,  and  more  recently  received  a 
female  killed  June  14,  1896,  at  English  Lake.  The  latter,  and  one  of 
the  former,  are  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indianapolis.  It  is  reported 
rare  throughout  Illinois;  but  one  record  is  given  of  its  oecurrence  in 
Wisconsin;  and  in  Ohio  it  is  a  rare  migrant  in  the  southern  and  cen- 
tral part,  and  a  summer  resident  in  the  northern  part  of  that  State. 
Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  notes  it  as  rare  near  Cincinnati  in  May,  and 
Messrs.  Dury  and  Freeman  obtained  a  specimen  there  May  5,  1879 
(Gin.  Soc.  K  H.,  I.,  1879,  p.  172;  Ibid,  July,  1879).  Dr.  A.  W.  Bray- 
ton  informs  me  of  its  occurrence  at  London,  Ky.,  in  June,  1878,  and 
the  late  Mr.  C.  W.  Bickham  reported  it  from  Nelson  County. 

In  Michigan  it  is  found  as  a  rare  migrant  and  summer  resident 
north  to  Mackinac  Island.  Its  nest  and  eggs  were  taken  in  Ottawa 
County,  May  26,  1879  (Bulletin  N.  0.  C,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  186).  It  is 
very  particular  as  to  its  summer  home,  selecting  places  suited  to  its 
taste,  and  sometimes  breeding  in  numbers  in  a  very  small  area.  They 
frequent  old  clearings,  bushy  fields  and  pasture  land,  and  sometimes 
orchards.  There  their  shyness  makes  them  very  inconspicuous  objects, 
save  to  the  person  whose  ear  catches  their  peculiar  song,  beginning 
low  and  gradually  growing  louder,  resembling  the  syllables,  wee-wee- 
chee-chee-cJiee-cJiee.  I  have  no  fall  records,  nor  has  it  ever  been  found 
in  the  Whitewater  Valley. 

159.    Genus  SEIURUS  Swaikson. 

a^ .  Crown  orange  brown  with  a  black  stripe  on  each  side ;  no  superciliary  stripe. 

S.  aurocapillus  (Linn.).     280 
a^.  Crown  color  of  back  ;  a  long  superciliary  stripe. 

b^.  Below  whitish,  lightly  streaked  ;  bill  over  one-half  inch  long. 

S.  motacilla  (Vieill.).     283 
6^.  Below  yellowish,  heavily  streaked  ;  bill  not  over  one-half  inch  long. 

cK  Line  over  eye  bufFy ;  size  smaller.         S.  noveboracensis  (Gmel.).     281 
c^.  Line  over  eye  lighter;  size  larger. 

S.  noveboracensis  notabilis  (Grinnell).     282 


1078  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

*280.     (674)     Seiurus  aurocapillus  (Linn), 

Oven  Bird. 
Synonym,  Golden-crowned  Tjikush. 


H'ead  of  Oven  Bird.    Natural  size. 

Adult. — Crown,  orange-brown,  bordered  with  two  black  stripes;  no 
superciliary  line;  above,  bright  olive-Hreen;  below,  pure  white,  thickly 
spotted  with  dusky  on  breast  and  sides;  a  narrow  maxillary  line  of 
blackish;  under  wing-coverts,  tinged  with  yellow;  a  white  eye  ring; 
legs,  flesh  color.    Sexes  alike.    Young. — Similar  (Mcll wraith,  p.  374). 

Length,  5.40-6.50;  wing,  2.75-3.00;  tail,  2.00-2.25. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  north  to  Labrador, 
Hudson  Bay  and  Alaska.  Breeds  from  Kansas,  Virginia  and  moun- 
tain region  of  South  Carolina  northward.  Winters  from  Florida  and 
Mexico  south. 

Nest,  of  leaves,  grasses,  fibre,  bark;  lined  with  finer  material  of  the 
same  kind;  on  ground,  in  woods,  often  more  or  less  roofed  over.  J^ggs, 
3-5,  rarely  6;  white  or  creamy- white,  Sprinkled,  usually  heaviest,  and 
forming  wreath  about  the  larger  end  with  hazel  or  chestnut  or  lilac- 
gray;  .80  by  .60. 

The  Oven  Bird  is  so  called  from  the  dome-covered,  oven-shaped 
nest  it  builds.  It  is  known,  also,  as  the  Golden-crowned  Thrush,  from 
.the  "old  gold"  stripe  along  the  center  of  its  crown.  It  is  a  common 
summer  resident  in  the  denser  woodland  of  the  State.  It  frequents 
such  land  as  the  Worm-eating  Warbler  likes — the  cool,  dark  shades 
of  the  quiet  forest,  where  amid  the  thick  undergrowth,  the  fallen 
trees  and  broken  limbs  man  nor  anything  that  belongs  to  him  comes 
to  disturb  its  life.  There  among  the  thick  carpet  of  leaves  it  builds 
its  nest,  and  just  beneath  the  upper  layer  the  moist,  black,  humus 
contains  a  bountiful  supply  of  choicest  food,  a  reward  for  very  little 
effort.  Throughout  the  rougher  land  of  southern  Indiana,  where 
much  forest  remains  but  little  disturbed,  so  far  as  conditions  are  con- 
cerned, the  Oven  Bird  is  Yerj  abundant.  The  rapid  destruction  of  our 
forests,  the  burning  over  of  bushy  woods  and  the  browsing  of  live 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1079 

stock  in  woodland  is  all  having  an  effect*  in  lessening  the  numbers  of 
these  birds  and  other  congenial  neighbors  of  theirs  who  survive  as 
remnants  of  the  forest  population  of  bygone  days.  They  arrive  in 
southern  Indiana  from  April  14  to  30,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Michigan  from  April  17  to  May  15.  The  following  dates  show  early 
and  late  arrivals  at  several  points:  Brookville,  April  14,  1883,  April 
30,  1884;  Knox  County,  April  18,  1894,  April  20,  1881;  Lafayette, 
April  29,  1892,  1893  and  1894;  Frankfort,  April  20,  1896,  May  8, 
1894;  Sedan,  April  21,  1896,  May  1,  1889;  Wabash,  April  27,  1892; 
Chicago,  April  17,  1897,  May  15,  1886;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  25, 
1897,  May  1,  1893. 

Who  among  that  select  company  that  is  permitted  to  visit  the  woods 
in  early  spring  has  not,  after  a  walk  over  ravine  and  up  hill,  along 
some  little,  worn  path,  found  his  breathing  hard  and  his  pulses  beat- 
ing fast  from  the  exertion,  and  sat  down  upon  a  log  to  rest?  All  is 
quiet.  From  some  distance  come  birds^  sounds.  The  song  of  the 
Cardinal,  the  rattling  of  the  Carolina  Wren  and  the  hammering  of  the 
Red-bellied  Woodpecker;  but  they  come  faintly  to  the  ear. 

Suddenly,  from  near  at  hand,  comes  the  song  of  a  J^ird  that  has  not 
been  heard  since  last  summer.  It  is  startling  in  its  sudden  interjec- 
tion into  the  quiet,  and  its  ringing  notes  arouse  the  listless  auditor 
from  the  thoughts  of  the  distant  to  attention  to  the  near-by  singer. 
John  Burroughs  has  expressed  what  it  seems  to  say  in  a  way  that  all 
who  have  heard  it  will  recognize.  He  describes  it  as  "a  sort  of  accel- 
erating chant.  Commencing  in  a  very  low  key,  which  makes  him  seem 
at  a  very  uncertain  distance,  he  grows  louder  and  louder,  till  his 
body  quakes  and  his  chant  runs  into  a  shriek,  ringing  in  my  ears  with 
peculiar  sharpness.  This  lay  may  be  represented  thus:  ^teacher, 
TEACHER,  TEACHEE,  TEACHEE,  TEACHEE,'  the  accent  on  the 
first  syllable  and  each  word  uttered  with  increased  force  and  shrill- 
ness." 

The  song  is  that  of  the  Oven  Bird.  By  it  he  has  announced  his 
arrival.  During- the  mating  season  it  is  often  preceded  by  from  two 
to  four  chips.  There  is  also  another  rarer  and  very  different  song. 
When  they  first  arrive  it  is-  not  difficult  to  see  the  bird  and  note  its 
movements.  A  little  later,  when  the  leaves  have  darkened  the  woods, 
they  are  hard  to  recognize  unless  they  sing,  and  are  often  difficult  to 
distinguish  from  the  usually  abundant  Worm-eating  Warbler.  The 
high  bearing  and  graceful  carriage  of  the  Oven  Bird  as  it  walks  over 
the  ground  or  along  a  log,  and  the  confident  attitude  it  strikes  when 
it  begins  to  sing,  strike  the  eye  as  forcibly  as  its  song  does  the  ear. 


1080  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

There  is  another  song,  called  the  air  song,  which  is  said  to  be 
uttered  in  the  evening  while  it  floats  in  the  air  above  the  treetops  of 
the  forest. 

They  are  often  found  mating  the  first  week  in  May.  I  found  the 
nest  and  eggs  May  13,  1882,  at  Brookville,  and  Prof.  Evermann  found 
a  nest  with  a  full  set  of  eggs  May  28,  1883,  in  Carroll  County.  The 
nest  is  a  curious  structure,  an  interesting  object  of  bird  architecture, 
in  which  the  Cowbird  also  likes  to  lay  her  eggs. 

They  usually  cease  singing  in  June,  sometimes  extending  it  until 
July  23,  Mr.  E.  P.  Bicknell  tells  us.  He  also  says  they  have  a  second 
song  period,  the  extreme  dates  of  which  are  August  9  and  September 
5.  In  July  and  August,  if  the  season  is  dry,  they  leave  the  drier 
woods  and  many  of  them  seem  to  disappear  at  that  time,  though  all 
through  the  latter  month,  and  occasionally  in  September,  and  even 
early  in  October,  they  may  be  met  with  singly  or  in  little  flocks,  mak- 
ing their  way  southward.  The  following  are  the  latest  records  of  their 
occurrence  at  the  places  named:  Chicago,  111.,  October  12,  1895; 
Sedan,  Ind.,  October  1,  1889;  Lafayette,  September  27,  1895;  Greens- 
burg,  September  25,  1897-;  Trafalgar,  September  26,  1897;  Bicknell, 
October  3,  1894;  Brookville,  October  15,  1889. 

While  they  live  largely  upon  insects,  particularly  through  the  spring 
and  summer,  they  also  eat  many  seeds.  "Eight  out  of  ten  specimens 
examined  had  eaten  seeds;  one,  three  caterpillars,  and  one,  three 
beetles^'  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  507).  They  have  also  been  found 
to  eat  ants,  spiders,  small  snails  and  berries. 

*281.    (675).    Seiurus  noveboracensis  (Gmbl.). 

Water  Thrush. 
Synonyms,  Water  Wagtail,  Small-billed  Water  Thrush. 

Adult. — All  the  upper  parts,  olive;  stripe  over  eye,  yellowish;  below, 
pale  sulphur-yellow,  brightest  on  the  abdomen;  thickly  spotted  on 
throat;  remaining  under  parts,  except  lower  belly  and  lower  tail- 
coverts,  streaked  with  olive-bro^vn. 

Length,  5.00-6.00;  wing,  3.00-3.10;  tail,  2.25-2.40;  bill,  from  nostril, 
.36-.38. 

Range. — America,  from  Venezuela  and  Guiana  over  the  eastern 
United  States,  chiefly  east  of  Mississippi  River,  to  the  Arctic  Coast. 
Accidental  in  Greenland.  Breeds  from  northern  Illinois  and  northern 
New  England  northward.    Winters  from  Gulf  States  south. 

Nest,  on  ground,  under  bank  or  the  upturned  roots  of  a  tree;  of 
leaves,  moss  and  grass,  lined  with  fine  grass  and  rootlets.  Eggs,  4-6; 
white,  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac  markings;  .75  by  .57. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1081 

The  Water  Thrush  is  generally  a  rare  migrant;  however,  some  years 
in  the  Wabash  Valley  one  form  of  it  is  common.  It  is  a  rare  summer 
resident  northward,  where  it  breeds.  About  Chicago  they  are  reported 
as  common  every  year  (Tallman,  Blackwelder).  They  are  rare  in 
the  Whitewater  Valley,  where  only  a  few  specimens  have  been  taken. 
They  are  rare  in  Carroll  County  (Evermann),  Wabash  (Ulrey  and 
Wallace),  Lake  County  (Parker),  and  tolerably  common  in  1893  at 
Greencastle  (Earlle).  Just  how  far  these  records  refer  to  the  present 
species  is  uncertain.  The  prevailing  form  in  western  Indiana  seems  to 
be  D.  n.  notahiliSy  though  Mr.  Eidgway  has  both  forms  from  Knox 
County.  It  is  probable  that  the  same  is  true  wherever  it  is  reported 
as  common.  Over  eastern  Indiana,  and  other  places  where  Small-billed 
Water  Thrushes  are  rare,  the  present  species  is  possibly  the  most 
numerous,  although  notdbilis  is  also  found  as  far  east  as  the  White- 
water .Valley.  The  fact  probably  is  that  the  species  under  considera- 
tion is  rare  throughout  Indiana.  Mr.  Nelson  has  reported  it  breeding 
near  Chicago;  Mr.  E.  C.  Alexander,  in  Wayne  County,  Mich.,  and  Hon. 
E.  Wes.  McBride,  in  Dekalb  County,  Ind. 

Prof.  P.  H.  King  examined  seven  of  these  birds,  which  had  eaten  6 
diptera,  6  beetles,  3  orthoptera,  1  dragonfly,  1  hair  worm,  14  snails 
and  some  pedicels  of  moss  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  498).  This,  possibly, 
should  be  under  the  next  species. 

They  pass  south  in  August  and  September.  Chicago,  August  19  to 
September  30,  1896. 

This  Warbler,  for  such  it  is,  some  winters  remains  in  favorable 
localities  just  south  of  us,  and  pushes  northward  into  the  lower  coun- 
ties of  our  State  very  early  in  April,  the  advance  guard  reaching  our 
northern  borders  from  April  20  to  May  1.  They  remain  from  three  to 
four  weeks  and  then  pass  north. 

They  have  been  taken  at  Bloomington  as  early  as  April  3  (1885), 
remaining  that  year  until  April  21,  and  the  first  arrivals  in  1886  did 
not  arrive  there  until  April  17.  .April  3,  1893,  it  was  reported  from 
Greencastle;  April  7,  1895,  and  April  29,  1893,  from  Lafayette;  April 
18  to  May  3,  1896,  from  Greensburg;  April  28,  1896,  from  Sedan; 
May  4,  1893,  from  Petersburg,  Mich.  About  Chicago  it  has  been 
reported  as  early  as  April  20,  1896,  and  as  late  as  May  15J  1897.  They 
were  common  at  Bloomington  the  spring  of  1885  (Bollman),  April 
17,  1886  (Williamson),  and  the  spring  of  1888  (Eveimann).  Mr. 
Euthven  Deane  informs  me  they  were  also  common  the  spring  of  1888 
at  English  Lake.  They  have  been  reported  tolerably  common  at 
Lafayette  the  spring  of  1895  and  1896,  and  as  not  common 'there  the 
springs  of  189*3  and  1897.  Prof.  W.  P.  Shannon  reports  them  toler- 
ably common  at  Greensburg  the  spring  of  1896. 


1082  .  Kepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

282.     {67^a).    Seiums  noveboracensis  notabilis  (Hidgway). 

Grinnell's  Water  Thrush. 

Similar  to  last  species,  but  larger,  darker  above;  stripe  over  eye  and 
lower  parts  more  whitisk. 

Length,  5.50-6.00;  wing,  3.05-3.25;  tail,  2.25-2.50;  bill,  from  nos- 
tril, .40-.50. 

Eange. — America,  from  northern  South  America,  western  United 
States  from  Indiana  to  California,  and  north  into  British  America. 
Casual  on  Atlantic  coast  from  northern  New  Jersey.  Winters  from 
Gulf  States  southward. 

This  western  form  of  the  Small-billed  Water  Thrush  is  found 
throughout  Indiana  as  a  migrant  and  possibly  as  a  rare  summer  resi- 
dent in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  It  appears  to  be  the  common 
form  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  111. 
Mr.  Eidgway  writ^  me  that  "Water  Thrushes  from  the  Mississippi 
Valley  are  very  puzzling,  but  a  large  majority  appear  to  be  referable  to 
notabilis."  One  specimen  that  I  sent  him  for  examination  from  Brook- 
ville,  and  two  collected  by  Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley  at  Terre  Haute,  he 
refers  to  this  form.  Mr.  Ridgway  took  three  adult  males  May  4  and  6, 
1885,  at  Wheatland,  Knox  County,  numbered,  respectively,  104,998, 
104,999,  105,000,  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  Register.  He  says  he  has  also  taken 
it  in  Wabash  and  Richland  counties.  111.,  and  there  are  specimens  in 
the  collection  of  the  National  Museum  from  Warsaw,  111.  They  have 
specimens  from  Wheatland  and  Vincennes  representing  both  8.  nove- 
horacensis  and  S.  n.  notabilis.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says  this  is  the 
common  form  of  Water  Thrush  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago.  Mr.  P.  M. 
Woodruff  informs  me  that  Dr.  J.  A.  Allen,  to  whom  he  submitted 
some  specimens  from  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  for  examination,  con- 
siders them  typical  notahilis.  Mr.  W.  adds  all  the  specimens  I  have 
from  northern  Indiana  are  this  form. 

Migrating  birds  of  this  and  the  last  species  remain  with  us  in  spring 
after  the  Large-billed  Water  Thrushes  are  breeding.  They  arrive  early 
in  April  and  pass  north  late  in  that  month,  returning  in  August  and 
September;  Brookville,  August  13,  1881;  Chicago,  Septembei^  9,  1885. 

^'^28S.     (676).    Seiurus  motacilla  (Vieill.) 

liOuisiana  Water  Thrush. 
Hynonym,  Large- billed  Water  Thrush. 

J c?ii?f. -^Entire  upper  parts,  „  olive;  white  line  over  eye;  below, 
creamy- white;  sides  and  lower  tail-coverts,  buff;  sides  ajid  breast,  but 
not  the  throat,  streaked  with  black. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1083 

Length,  6.75-6.40;  wing,  3.20-3.25;  tail,  2.20-2.35;  bill,  from  nos- 
'tril,  .40-.45. 

Eange. — Eastern  ISlorth  America,  from  Panama  and  Antilles  north 
to  Massachusetts,  New  York,  Michigan  and  Minnesota.  Breeds 
throughout  its  United  States  range.  Winters  from  Mexico  and  AVest 
Indies  south. 

Nest,  bulky;  of  dead  leaves,  often  muddy  or  partly  rotted;  lined  with 
grasses,  rootlets,  weed  stems,  feathers  or  hair;  near  water,  in  woods, 
or  on  ground,  under  bank,  stone  or  among  roots.  Eggs,  5,  sometimes 
4  or  6;  white,  creamy- white,  rarely  pinkish- w^hite;  markings  heaviest 
at  larger  end,  where  they  often  form  a  wreath;  more  or  less  marked 
with  lilac-gray  and  speckled  and  spotted  with  chestnut,  russet,  cinna- 
mon-rufous, hazel  or  vinaceous;  .76  by  .60. 

The  Large-billed  Water  Thrush  is  a  summ'er  resident,  common  in 
suitable  localities  southward,  but  less  common  northward.  This 
bird  frequents  woodlands  along  streams  and  about  ponds,  first 
appearing  late  in  March  or  very  early  in  April.  It  is  the  first 
migrant  among  the  Warblers — for  both  it  and  the  other  Wat-er 
Thrushes  are  Warblers  and  only  Thrush  in  name.  The  visitor 
to  such  localities  as  it  seeks  is  struck  by  the  loud,  forcible, 
metallic  chink,  repeated  again  and  again  by  a  bird  which  has  flown 
from  the  banks  of  a  little  creek  to  the  horizontal  limb  of  a  neighboring 
elm.  Between  chinks  there  seem  to  be  just  as  many  beats  of  its  tail, 
for,  as  it  walks  along  the  limb  in  a  stately  manner  there  is  a  regular 
wagging  of  its  tail  up  and  down,  and  this  habit  has  given  it  one  of  its 
names  (Wagtail).  But  a  moment  it  stays  in  sight,  and  then,  bowing 
gracefully,  it  flies  up  the  creek  some  distance,  and  its  loud,  peculiar 
song  comes  ringing  through  the  glen,  marking  it  to  the  ear  as  plainly 
as  its  tail  motions  do  to  the  eye.  The  song,  a  beautiful,  wild,  way- 
ward effort,  is  not  always  sung  from  the  perch,  but  frequently  is  ren- 
dered while  in  flight.  I  have  never  known  it  to  sing  from  the  ground. 
There  is  another  song,  which  Audubon  declared  was  fully  equal  to 
that  of  the  Nightingale.  They  have  first  reached  Bicknell  as  early  as 
April  2,  1897,  and  April  12,  1896;  Wabash,  April  2,  1892;  Blooming- 
ton,  April  4,  1886;  Brookville,  April  10,  1895,  April  27,  1885;  Terre 
Haute,  April  11,  1888;  Lafayette,  April  20,  1895,  May  12,  1894; 
Sedan,  March  30,  1896,  April  22,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  10, 
1892,  April  27,  1889;  Chicago,  April  17,  1886..  They  are  not  common 
as  Bluebirds  and  Jaybirds  are  common,  but  in  the  places  they  like  they 
are  found.  Every  woodland  stream,  or  spring,  or  pond,  throughout 
southern  Indiana  is  frequented  by  them,  and  the  more  suitable  the 
conditions,  the  greater  the  number.    In  the  northwestern  part  of  the 


1084  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

State,  perhaps,  including  the  Kankakee  Valley,  they  are  rare.  Beyond 
that  stream  they  are  rare. 

I  have  one  record  from  Lake  County,  May  24,  1879  (Coale).  I 
also  have  a  record  of  it  from  the  Kankakee,  near  Kouts,  June  27, 
1895  (J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.).  They  are  common  in  the  Wabash  Valley, 
north  to  Parke  and  Montgomery  counties,  where  I  found  them  build- 
ing at  Shades  of  Death  and  Pine  Hills,  May  19  and  20,  1887;  and 
Lafayette  (Test).  In  Dekalb  county  it  is  tolerably  common  (Mrs. 
Hine),  and  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  it  is  common  (Trombley).  It  breeds 
in  suitable  localities  wherever  it  is  found.  They  are  sometimes  paired 
when  they  arrive,  and,  while  I  have  never  taken  the  nest,  I  have  found, 
in  specimens,  eggs  ready  to  be  laid,  April  21  (1882),  and  May  7  (1881). 
Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  report  a  nest,  with  three  eggs,  taken  at 
Lafayette,  May  25,  1893.  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  took  a  nest  containing  two 
well  incubated  eggs  at  Greencastle,  May  7,  1894,  and  the  spring  of 
1878  Mr.  William  Brewster  found  them  very  common  in  Knox  County, 
and  found  three  nests,  one  May  6,  containing  six  eggs;  another  May  8, 
containing  four  fresh  eggs;  a  third,  May  12,  containing  five  young 
birds  nearly  able  to  fly. 

In  July,  when  the  dry  summer  weather  begins,  they  leave  the 
smaller  streams,  which  are  drying  up,  and  seek  other  localities  that  are 
watered.  As  stream  after  stream  and  pond  after  pond  becomes  dry, 
the  small  number  of  these  birds  remaining  find  food  about  the  stronger 
streams  and  ponds  fed  by  springs  that  have  resisted  the  drouth.  By 
late  August  or  early  September  most  of  them  have  left.  I  found  the 
latest  straggler  at  Brookville,  September  21,  1885,  and  Mr.  E.  J. 
Chansler  noted  one  at  Bicknell,  Ind.,  September  24,  1894.  They  un- 
doubtedly remain  much  later  than  that  about  the  sloughs  and  ponds 
of  the  lower  Wabash  region. 

160.    Genus  GEOTHLYPIS  Cabanis. 

a^.  Wing  much  longer  than  tail ;  first  quill  nearly  or  quite  the  longest. 

Subgenus  Oporornis  Baird. 
6^  Head  with  black;  under  parts  yellow.  G.  formosa  (Wils  )     284 

b^.  Head  without  black;  crown  and  throat  ashy.  G.  ag-ilis  (Wils.).     285 

a^.  Wing  not  longer  than  tail;  first  quill  shorter  than  fourth. 

Subgenus  Geothlypis. 
c^.  Male,  forehead  and  sides  of  face  black;  female  with  head  plain. 

d^.  Ashy  border  behind  the  black  on  head;  belly  and  sides  bufFy  whitish. 

G.  trichas  (Linn.).     287 
d2.     White  or  grayish  border  behind  the  black  on  head ;  belly  yellow. 

G.  trichas  occidentaHs  Brewst.     288 

c^.  Head  and  throat  ashy,  darker  on  breast  which  in  male  is  sometimes  quite 

blackish.  G.  Philadelphia  (Wils.).     286 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1085 

Subgenus  Oporoenis  Baird. 

=284.     (677).    Geothlypis  formosa  (Wils.). 

Kentucky  Warbler. 


Head  of  Kentucky  Warbler.    Natural  size. 

Adult  Male.— AhoYe,  olive-green;  top  of  head,  black;  ring  around 
eye  and  stripe  from  it  to  the  bill,  yellow;  an  irregular  black  stripe  from 
bill,  below  and  behind  the  eye,  running  down  on  to  the  neck;  below, 
entirely  yellow.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  black  crown,  marked 
with  gray.  Immature. — Similar  to  female,  but  black  patches  indis- 
tinct or  replaced  by  dusky. 

Length,  5.00-5.85;  wing,  2.55-2.80;  tail,  1.90-2.20;  tarsus,  .80-.90. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  and  West  Indies 
to  Connecticut,  southern  Michigan  and  Iowa.  Breeds  throughout  its 
United  States  range.    Winters  from  Mexico  and  Cuba,  south. 

Nest,  on  ground,  at  base  of  or  between  forks  of  a  bush  in  second- 
growth  timber  and  thickets,  along  watercourses;  material,  leaves,  lined 
with  pine  rootlets.  Eggs,  4-5,  rarely  3  or  6;  white  or  creamy- white, 
speckled  and  spotted,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  rufous,  vinaceous 
and  lilac-gray;  .77  by  .57. 

The  Kentucky  Warbler  is  a  summer  resident  over  the  southern  two- 
thirds  of  the  State.  In  Knox  County,  and  presumably  from  there 
southward,  throughout  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  it  is  "one  of  the 
most  abundant  of  the  summer  residents'^  (Ridgway,  Bull.  Nutt.  Orn. 
Club,  1882,  p.  20).  Mr.  Ridgway  says,  in  southern  Illinois,  "as  far 
north  as  Wabash,  Lawrence  and  Richland  counties,  it  is  even  more 
abundant  than  the  Golden-crowned  Thrush,  though  the  two  usually 
inhabit  different  locations,  the  latter  preferring,  as  a  rule,  the  dryer 
upland  woods,  while  the  present  species  is  most  abundant  in  the  rich 
woods. of  the  bottom  lands"  (Birds  of  111.,  I.,  p.  166).  In  the  White- 
water Valley,  where  there  are  no  bottom  woods  to  speak  of,  they  are 
found  in  the  same  dark,  damp  woods,  and,  in  addition  to  the  present 
species,  is  found  along  spring  banks,  wet  places  and  streams  in  the 
deeper  woods.     They  are  common  up  the  Wabash  Valley  to  Terre 


1086  Eepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

Haute  (Evermann  and  Slonaker);  Parke  and  Montgomery  counties,  in 
the  former  of  which  I  found  a  nest,  containing  one  fresh  egg,  on  the 
ground,  on  the  side  of  a  ravine  at  Shades  of  Death;  Lafayette  (L.  A. 
and  C.  D.  Test).  They  are  rather  common  at  Bloommgton  (William- 
son, Blatchley);  Greencastle  (Earlle,  Jenkins);  Morgan  County  (Had- 
ley);  Moore's  Hill  (Hubbard),  and  Spearsville  (Barnett).  I  have  found 
them  rather  common  to  the  southern  boundar}^  of  Fayette  County, 
in  the  Whitewater  Valley.  They  have  been  reported  from  Dunreith 
(Pleas),  and  as  rare  at  Lebanon  (Beasley).  Two  specimens  were  taken 
three  miles  southwest  of  Indianapolis,  in  May,  1878  (Dr.  A.  W.  Bray- 
ton).  They  are  quite  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati  (Dury  and 
Freeman,  Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Xat.  FTist.,  1879).  The  farthest  north  its 
range  has  been  extended  in  this  State  is  Gibson  Station,  w^here,  Mr.  C. 
•E.  Aiken  informs  me,  several  specimens  were  taken  in  May,  1871. 
It  has,  however,  been  taken  in  Michigan  (Cook,  B.  of  M.,  p.  136). 
They  arrive  from  April  17  to  May  16.  In  some  localities  most  of 
them  disappear  by  the  middle  of  July,  while  at  other  places  they  are 
reported  common  until  the  last  of  August,  and  occasionally  remain 
until  October.  • 

Extreme  dates  of  their  anival  are:  At  Bloomington,  April  17, 
1886,  May  7,  1892;  Knox  County,  April  20,-1881;  Brookville,  April 
20,  1896,  May  16,  1884;  Terre  Haute,  April  28,  1889,  May  5,  1888; 
Spearsville,  April  29,  1895;  Moore's  Hill,  May  1,  1893:  Lebanon,  April 
26,  1894;  Lafayette,  May  6,  1893,  May  8,  1892.  I  have  observed  them 
mating  at  Brookville,  May  16,  1884.  They  were  found  breeding  near 
Bloomington.  May  6,  1886  (Evermann),  where  young  were  noted  just 
out  of  the  nest,  June  4,  1886  (Blatchley).  August  2,  1897,  I  found 
an  old  bird  feeding  a  young  one  in  a  thicket  along  a  quiet  wooded 
stream  near  Brookville. 

As  it  occurs,  walking  upon  the  smoother  ground,  it  remind>  one 
much  of  the  Golden-crowned  Thrush  in  its  actions.  It  carries  its 
body  evenly  balanced,  apparently,  and  the  equilibrium  is  only  main- 
tained with  much  difficulty  by  using  its  tail  as  a  balance,  causing  that 
appendage  to  bob  up  and  down.  Hopping  about  a  steep,  springy  bank, 
it  reminds  one  of  the  Worm-eating  Warbler,  as  it  climbs  over  roots, 
sticks  and  logs,  now  disappearing  from  view  in  a  hole  beneath  the 
roots,  then  behind  a  log,  here  stopping  to  peck  at  an  insect,  and  there 
turning  over  the  leaves. 

Where  a  little  stream  trickled  out  of  the  glacial  till,  it  finds  much 
food  that  attracts  it.  Occasionall}^  even,  it  would  seize  an  insect  in 
the  air,  after  the  manner  of  a  Redstart.  As  it  moves  about  it  occa- 
sionallv  utters  a  frhip.  and  more  rarely  sinsfs  its  song,  which  at  other 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1087 

times  it  renders  persistently.  -This  song,  Mr.  Ridgway  says,  '"recalla 
that  of  the  Cardinal,  but  is  much  weaker."  Mr.  Chapman  says:  "It 
IS  a  loud,  clearly  whistled  performance  of  five,  six  or  seven  notes — 
i%r-dle,  tur-dle,  tur-dle — resembling  in  tone  some  of  the  calls  of  the 
Carolina  Wren''  (B.  E.  N.  A.,  p.  369).  At  Lafayette,  they  appeared 
common  until  August  29,  1894,  when  it  was  last  seen  (L.  A.  and  C.  D. 
Test).    Mr.  J.  E.  Beasley  reports  six  from  Lebanon,  October  11,  1894. 

285.     (678)     Geothlypis  agilis  (Wils.). 

Connecticut  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — "Olive-green,  becoming  ashy  on  the  head;  below,  from 
ihe  breast,  yellow,  olive-shaded  on  the  sides;  chin,  throat  and  breast, 
brownish-ash;  a  whitish  ring  round  the  eye;  wings  and  tail,  unmarked, 
glossed  with  olive;  under  mandibles  and  feet,  pale;  no  decided  mark- 
ings anywhere.  In  Spring  Birds,  the  ash  of  the  head,  throat  and 
breast  is  quite  pure,  and  then  the  resemblance  to  Geothlypis  Philadel- 
phia is  quite  close"  (Coues). 

Length,  5.20-6.00;  wing,  2.65-3.00;  tail,  1.90-2.20;  tarsus,  .75-.90. 

Eange. — America,  from  northern  South  America  through  eastern 
United  States  to  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  north  of  United 
States.     Winters  south  of  United  States. 

Nest,  in  a  depression  in  the  ground,  of  fine  grass.  Eggs,  4;  white, 
vith  a  few  spots  of  lilac,  purple,  brown  and  black  about  the  larger  end. 
(Thompson). 

The  Connecticut  Warbler  is,  in  general,  a  very  rare  migrant  in  In- 
diana. I  have  met  with  it  three  years  out  of  nineteen  at  Brookville. 
May  22-25,  1882,  I  found  it  rather  common  there,  frequenting  brush 
piles,  tangled  fencerows,  the  edges  of  thickets  and  of  woods,  where 
their  habits  seemed  to  b-  .xiuch  like  those  of  the  Maryland  Yellow- 
throat,  except  they  are  much  more  shy.  When  they  are  found  in  a 
rick  of  brush,  they  move  along  within  the  brush  pile  after  the  manner 
of  a  Wren,  and  it  is  impossible  to  dislodge  them  or  even  to  obtain  more 
than  a  quick  glimpse  of  them  at  short  range,  until  the  end  of  the 
windrow  is  reached,  and  they  fly  close  to  the  ground  in  the  nearest 
pile  or  thicket.  Along  the  edge  of  a  thicket  or  wood  they  sometimes 
expose  themselves  ill  the  weeds  and  grass,  but  upon  the  approach  of 
anjTthing  strange  they  dart  into  the  tangle  of  vines,  briers  and  shrub- 
bery, from  which  it  is  impossible  to  flush  them. 

Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  found  them  not  common  in  Ivnox  County, 
about  the  middle  of  May,  1881.  They  frequented  the  borders  of 
«wamps,  and  when  surprised,  disappeared  among  the  button  bushes 


1088  Kepoet  of  State  Geologist. 

(BuU.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  VII.,  June,  1882).  Mr.  I.  M.  WoodrufE 
observed  several  specimens  in  the  bushes  along  the  shore  of  Wolf 
Lake,  near  Sheffield,  Ind.,  in  May,  1889,  where  he  obtained  a  speci- 
men, May  13,  1894.  Mr.  Euthven  Deane  informs  me  they  were  quite 
common  at  English  Lake,  May  4,  1891.  That  is  the  earliest  date  at 
which  they  have  been  noted  in  the  State.  Although  Mr.  Nelson  re- 
ported it  a  rather  common  migrant  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  more 
recent  observers  have  not  found  it  so.  They  usually  arrive  after  the 
middle  of  May,  and  pass  northward  toward  their  breeding  grounds 
toward  the  close  of  the  month.  They  were  noted  in  Carroll  County, 
May  21,  1883,  and  1885,  and  at  Terre  Haute,  May  17,  1890  (Ever- 
mann);  May  12,  1888  (Blatchley);  Bloomington,  May  18,  1885  (Boll- 
man).  In  Lake  County,  a  specimen  was  found  among  the  bodies,  of 
many  kinds  of  small  birds  that  had  perished  in  a  storm  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan, and  been  cast  up  by  the  waves  on  the  shore,  May  24,  1891  (Coale). 
In  the  fall,  they  reach  northern  Indiana  early  in  September,  and  some- 
times remain  until  the  latter  part  of  the  month.  They  were  found  in 
Lake  County,  September  5,  1880,  and  September  25,  1875  (Coale). 

Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  obtained  one  specimen  in  thick  woods  near 
Wabash,  September  13,  1892.  Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson  found  its  nest 
in  a  log  near  Carberry,  Manitoba,  June  21,  1883.  I  have  given  a 
description  of  it  above.  The  ordinary  song  suggests  the  syllables, 
heecher-beecher-beecher-beecher-heecher-beecher.  "It  is  somewhat  like 
the  song  of  the  Oven-bird,  but  different  in  being  the  same  pitch 
throughout  instead  of  beginning  in  a  whisper  and  increasing  the  em- 
phasis and  strength  with  each  pair  of  notes  to  the  last."  It  also  has 
another  song,  nearly  resembling  the  syllables,  fru-chapple,  fru-chapple, 
fru-chapple,  wJiait,  which  is  uttered  in  a  loud,  ringing  voice  (Proc.  U. 
S.  N.  M.,  Vol.  XIII.,  1890,  pp.  621,  622). 

When  with  us  I  have  never  heard  it  singing. 

Subgenus  Geothlypis  Cabanis. 

286.     (079).     Geothlypis  Philadelphia   (Wils  ). 

Mourning  Warbler. 
Synonym,  Philadelphia  Wabbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  plain  olive-green;  the  head,  and  sides  of  the 
neck,  bluish-gray;  a  black  spot  in  front  of  eye;  eyelids,  blackish;  wings, 
and  tail,  unmarked;  below,  throat  and  breast,  black,  the  feathers  more 
or  less  bordered  with  ashy;  other  under  parts,  yellow.  Adult  Female. — 
Similar,  with  head  smoky-gray^  more  or  less  tinged  with  olive;  the 
throat,  pale  yellowish-gray;  eyelids,  and  an  indistinct  mark  behind  the 
eye,  yellowish. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1089 

Length,  4.90-5.75;  wing,  2.15-2.55;  tail,  1.80-2.25. 

Eange.— America,  from  Colombia  over  eastern  United  States  to 
British  Provinces;  casually  to  Grreenland.  Breeds  from  Nebraska,  On- 
tario and  jSTew  York,  north.    Winters  from  Mexico,  southward. 

Nest  J  in  outskirts  of  woods  or  thickets,  near  ground;  of  weedstalks, 
leaves  and  bark,  lined  with  fine  black  rootlets  or  hair.  Eggs,  3-4; 
creamy-white,  blotched  and  spotted  with,  reddish-brown  and  lilac, 
often  chiefly  arranged  in  more  or  less  distinct  wreath  around  larger 
end;  .71  by  .56. 

The  Mourning  Warbler  is  a  rare  migrant.  Occasionally  there  will 
come  .a  few  years  when  it  is  more  common  in  some  locality.  From  the 
Whitewater  Valley  there  is  but  a  single  record.  They  arrive  some 
years  by  May  6,  and  occasionally  may  be  found  until  June  1.  In  the 
latter  part  of  May  they  are  sometimes  found  associating  with  Geoth- 
lypis  agilis.  Mr.  Robert  Eidgway  says,  at  Wheatland,  they  "became 
suddenly  very  common.  May  6,  1881"  (Bull.  Nutt.  Om.  Club,  1882, 
p.  20).  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  informs  me  that  he  saw  several  in  May, 
1889,  in  the  bushes  along  the  shore  of  Wolf  Lake,  near  Sheffield,  Ind. 
They  were  in  company  with  G.  agilis.  He  also  collected  two  in  Cook 
County,  111.,  on  the  ridge  between  Hyde  and  Wolf  lakes,  near  the 
Indiana  line.  May  29,  1894.  It  seems  to  have  been  rather  common  at 
Bloomington,  the  spring  of  1885.  The  late  Mr.  C.  H.  Bollman  re- 
porljed  it  May  16,  17  and  27.  Mr.  W.  0.  Wallace  says  they  were  rather 
common  at  Wabash,  in  open  thickets,  in  the  spring  of  1892. 

Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  informed  me  that  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Clingman  shot  a 
specimen  in  Lake  County,  June  1,  1879.  This  specimen  was  sent  to 
the  British  Museum,  where  Prof.  R.  B.  Sharpe  identified  it  as 
Geothlypis  macgiUivrayi  (Aud.)  (Cat.  Birds,  Brit.  Mus.,  Vol.  X.,  p. 
365).  Mr.  Coale  and  Mr.  Eidgway  are  both  of  the  opinion  that  the 
specimen  is  undoubtedly  G.  Philadelphia.  From  all  southeastern  In- 
diana, including  the  Whitewater  Valley,  there  is  but  one  record  of  its 
occurrence — Brookville,  May  7,  1881.  It  was  taken  at  Terre*Haute, 
May  10,  1887,  and  May  22,  1890;  and  in  Carroll  County,  May  21, 
1885  (Evermann);  at  Waterloo,  May  8,  1890  (H.  W.  McBride);  Peters- 
burg, Mich.,  May  17,  1888  (Trombley);  Manchester,  Mich.,  May  20, 
1893  (L.  W.  Watkins).  It  has  been  reported  from  Allen  County 
(Stockbridge).  It  may  possibly  be  found  to  breed  within  this  State, 
though  I  have  no  account  of  its  having  done  so.  Mr.  Eidgway  has 
found  it  along  the  borders  of  Fox  Prairie,  Eichland  County,  111.,  early 
in  June,  J.871.  They  may  have  been  late  migrants,  however  (Orn.  of 
111.,  I.,  p.  170).     Mr.  Oliver  Davie  says:    "It  has  been  found  nesting 

69— Ge  l. 


1090  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

in  Illinois,  south  of  latitude  39  degrees''  (N.  and  E.  of  N.  A.  B.,  1889, 
p.  382).  Mr.  Walter  Faxon  says  its  song,  as  most  often  heard,  "re- 
sembles the  syllables  thur-ree,  thur-ree,  thur-ree.  (Sometimes  the  repe- 
tition was  four  times  instead  of  three)."  To  this  was  sometimes  added 
a  refrain;  at  others,  the  song  was  different.  They  also  sing  an  aerial 
song.  Their  habits,  in  some  respects,  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Mary- 
land Yellow-throat,  but  they  are  not  so  quick-motioned,  and  are  to 
be  found  at  times  more  up  in  the  bushes  or  even  the  low  limbs  of  trees. 
They  pass  south  in  August  and  September.  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke  says: 
"It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Illinois  even  south  of  latitude  39  de- 
grees" (Bull.  No.  2,  Div.  of  Economic  Ornithology,  IT.  S.  Dept.  Agr.. 
p.  258). 

*287.     (681).    Gebthlypis  trichas  (Linn.). 

Maryland  Yellow-throat. 
Head  of  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  male.    Natural  size. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  plain  olive-green;  a  black  band,  bordered  be- 
hind with  gra5rish-white,  from  the  ear  coverts  along  the  side  of  neck, 
through  the  eye  and  across  the  forehead;  no  markings  on  wings  or  tail; 
throat  and  breast,  rich  gamboge-yellow;  belly,  sides  and  flanks,  dull 
yellowish-white.  Adult  Fernale. — No  black  about  head;  below,  less 
yellow;  sides,  somewhat  brownish.  Immature  Male. — With  black 
markin*gs  more  or  less  restricted;  young  birds,  resembling  the  females, 
but  browner  above. 

Length,  4.40-4.65;  wing,  1.90-2.20;  tail,  1.85-2.20;  bill,  .38-.42: 
tarsus,  .71-.80. 

EanCtE. — Eastern  Xorth  America,  from  Panama,  eastern  Mexico 
and  West  Indies  to  Labrador  and  Ontario.  Breeds  from  Georgia, 
north.    Winters  from  South  America  and  Gulf  States,  south. 

Nest,  in  thicket,  often  near  water,  swamp,  on  or  near  ground,  in 
grass,  sedge,  reeds  or  bush;  of  leaves  or  grass,  lined  with  ^rass  and 
horsehair.  Eggs,  4-5,  rarely  3  or  6;  white  or  creamy-white,  variously 
speckled,  spotted  and  sometimes  lined  with  russet,  burnt  umber  or 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1091 

chestnut,  purplish,  lilac-gray  or  vinaceous  and  black,  principally  con- 
fined to  larger  end;  .77  by  .58,  .61  by  .50,  .63  by  .48;  average,  .67 
by  .52. 

Common  summer  resident  throughout  the  State,  where  it  frequents 
the  tall  grasses,  sedges  and  shrubbery  about  the  swamps  and  damp 
places  and  along  the  valleys  of  streams.  The  first  migrants  arrive 
from  April  15  to  27,  southward,  and  from  April  19  to 
May  17,  northward.  The  males  come  first,  and,  while  most 
of  them  seek  their  favorite  tangles  aad  low  thickets,  some 
wander  away  to  the  hillsides  and  uplands.  They  have  been  recorded 
as  first  arriving  at  Bicknell,  April  17,  1896,  1897;  G-reencastle,  April 
17,  1896,  April  28,  1894;  Frankfort,  April  17,  1896,  May  16,  1895; 
Wabash,'  April  15,  1893;  Brookville,  April  18,  1883,  1896,  May  5, 
1882;  Greensburg,  April  18,  1896,  April  28,  1894;  Sedan,  April  19, 
1889,  April  30,  1887,  1897;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  27,  1888,  May 
5,  1889,  1897;  Chicago,  111.,  April  27,  1896,  May  17,  1884.  Their 
characteristic  voice  betokens  their  coming.  It  is  distinct  and  penetrat- 
ing and  carries  to  quite  a  distance.  The  song  reminds,  one  of  one  of 
the  well  known  utterances  of  the  Carolina  Wren  (T.  ludovicianus ) , 
but  the  difference  is  easily  recognized,  and,  with  care,  one  can  not  be 
deceived.  It  may  be  said  that  all  songs  are  not  alike.  There  is  quite 
a  difference  in  them,  when  close  to  the  singer,  but  when  one  is  some 
distance  away,  a  note  may  be  missed,  and  the  song  would  be  recorded 
•  on  the  memory  without  it.  The  common  interpretation  of  the  song 
of  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat  is  wichity,  wichity,  widiity.  I  find 
many  of  them,  sometimes  all  in  a  locality,  saying  wit-ti-chee,  wit-ti- 
chee,  wit-ti-cJiee.  It  sounds  plainly  at  a  distance  of  twenty  feet.  A 
call  that  came  to  me  from  three  hundred  feet  away  was  plainly 
wi-cJiee.  wi-cJiee,  wi-chee,  wi-chee,  uttered  in  a  fine,  clear  voice.  After 
June  their  voices  are  not. so  commonly  heard.  Though  they  drop  out 
of  the  sounds  of  the  neighborhood,  they  are  not  entirely  gone,  for  one 
is  heard  now  and  then,  perhaps  as  long  as  they  remain. 

I  have  found  them  paired  by  May  (1885)  and  often  with  full  sets 
of  eggs  by  the  latter  part  of  that  month.  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann 
found  a  nest,  with  five  fresh  eggs,  in  Carroll  County,  May  22,  1883, 
and  June  12,  1880,  found  young  able  to  fly.  Sometimes  they  rear 
two  broods.  In  August  they  begin  to  leave  and  often  are  gone  by 
the  middle  of  September.  Other  years  they  remain  until  October. 
The  latest  dates  from  the  following  places  are:  Sedan,  Septembr  16, 
1894:  Brookville,  September  10,  1885;  Bicknell,  October  5,  1896; 
Warren  County,  September  25,  1897;  Greensburg,  October  10,  1896. 

Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  has  in  his  collection  a  three-storv  nest  of  this  bird. 


1092  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

taken  near  Brookville,  Ind.  Two  additional  nests  were  built  upon  the 
original  structure,  burying  beneath  each  the  egg  of  a  Cowbird  (Molo- 
thrus  ater).  Thus  it  outwitted  the  detestable  parasite,"  and  in  the 
third  nest  deposited  her  complement  of  eggs.  Similar  nests  have  been 
found  elsewhere,  showing  that  this  was  not  an  individual  peculiarity, 
but  others  of  its  kind  had  experimented  along  the  same  line. 

Prof.  F.  H.  King  examined  eleven  specimens,  which  he  found  had 
eaten  22  case-bearing  caterpillars  (Coleophora  f),  5  other  larvae  (2  of 
them  caterpillars),  6  small  dragon  flies,  3  moths,  3  dipterous  insects, 
3  very  small  hymenopterous  insects,  3  beetles  (among  them  a  squash 
beetle),  3  spiders,  2  small  grasshoppers,  1  leaf  hopper,  2  hemipterous 
insects,  and  2  insect  eggs  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  508).  As  a  result  of 
^uch  examination  as  has  been  made,  it  seems  that  the  prevailing  Yel- 
low-throat in  Indiana  is  the  Maryland^ — this  bird.  Mr.  Robert  Ridg- 
way  informs  me  that  the  Maryland  Yellow-throats  in  the  Smith- 
sonian collection  from  Indiana  (Wheatland  and  Vincennes)  are  either 
true  G.  trichas,  or  else  that  form  approaching  G.  t.  occidenfalis.  More 
recently  I  have  sent  him  a  series  of  Yellow-throats,  containing  speci- 
mens from  Indiana,  northern  Illinois,  Jamaica  and  the  Valley  of 
Mexico.  All  of  these,  after  comparison,  he  decides  to  refer  to  G. 
trichas.  He  adds:  "The  Mississippi  Valley  birds  and  those  from 
Mexico  (valley)  are  in  reality  intermediate  between  Irickasi  and  occi- 


*288.     (681a).     Geothlypis  trichas  occidentalis   Brewster. 

Western  Yellow- throat. 

Similar  to  G.  trichas,  but  averaging  larger;  the  lower  parts,  yellow 
and  not  part  whitish. 

Length,  4.75-5.85;  wing,  2.10-2.40;  tail,  2.15-2.40;  bill,  .40-.45; 
tarsus,  .75-.83. 

Range. — Western  North  America,  from  Central  America  and  west- 
ern Mexico  over  western  United  States  to  Manitoba  and  British  Co- 
lumbia, east  to  Illinois  and  Indiana. 

Nest  and  Eggs  as  in  last  species. 

The  Western  Yellow-throat  is  a  summer  resident,  like  the  last, 
wherever  found.  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Eliot  Blackwelder  and  Mr. 
J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  that  this  is  the  prevailing  form  in  Cook  County,  111., 
and  the  last  named  gentleman  says  it  is  the  same  in  Lake  County,  Ind., 
where  he  has  taken  specimens  at  Liverpool.  Mr.  Parker  says  it  is 
abundant  in  low  ground  bordering  our  marshes  and  along  the  banks 
of  our  creeks  and  rivers.  Arrives  May  1  to  15.  It  is  possible  that 
the  form  inhabiting  the  prairie  districts  may  be  found  to  approacli 
more  closely  to  this  bird. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1093 

161.    Gknus  ICTERIA  Vieillot. 

289.     (683).    Icteria  virens  (Linn.). 

Yellow-breasted  Chat. 


Head  of  Yellow-breasted  Chat.    Natural  size. 

Adult. — Size,  large;  above,  olive-green;  black  spot  in  front  of  eye; 
ring  around  eye  and  stripe  to  nostril,  white;  below,  throat,  breast  and 
edge  of  wing,  gamboge-yellow;  white  stripe  on  sides  of  throat;  belly 
and  under  tail  coverts,  white.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  colors  less 
bright;  grayer  markings,  less  distinct. 

Length,  6.75-7.50;  wing,  2.90-3.35;  tail,  2.90-3.35. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Costa  Rica  over  eastern 
United  States  to  Massachusetts,  southern  Ontario  and  southern  Min- 
nesota, west  to  Plains.  Breeds  from  Gulf  States,  north.  Winters 
from  Mexico,  south. 

Nest,  in  thickets,  second  or  scrub-growth,  in  solitude;  on  brier 
bush  or  sapling,  2  to  5  feet  up;  of  leaves,  grapevine  bark  or  grass; 
long  and  bulky.  Eggs,  63  sets — 9  of  3,  53  of  4,  1  of  5;  white,  often 
glossy,  spotted  and  blotched  in  different  patterns,  sometimes  wreath 
around  one  end,  with  different  shades  of  red  and  brown,  and  often 
lilac;  .92  by  .63. 

The  Yellow-breasted  Chat  is  a  comman  and  well  known  summer 
resident  in  the  southern  half  of  the  State,  and  locally  even  farther 
north.  In  the  northern  half  it  is  usually  not  common,  becoming  less 
numerous  as  one  approaches  the  northern  boundary,  where  it  is,  most 
places,  usually  rare.  It  breeds  throughout  its  range  in  this  State. 
They  are  common  at  Richmond  (Hadley),  Anderson  (Smith),  and 
Laiayette  (Test  Bros.);  tolerably  common  at  Frankfort  (Ghere)  and 
Laporte  (Barber);  not  common  at  Wabash  (Ulrey  and  Wallace);  rather 
rare  in  Carroll  County  (Evermann);  rare  in  Allen  County  (Stock- 
bridge),  Dekalb  County  (Hon.  R.  W.  McBride),  Starke  County 
(Deane),  Elkhart  County  (H.  W.  McBride). 

Prior  to  1893  it  was  almost  unknown  in  the  northwestern  portion  of 
the  State,  and  the  same  may  be  said  along  the  northern  State  line  in 


1094  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

both  Indiana  and  Michigan.  Hitherto  there  had  been  but  one  record 
from  Lake  County,  but  Prof.  E.  Ij.  Moseley  saw  one  at  East  Chicago, 
Ind.,  July  2,  1893.  July  13,  1894,  Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruff  took  a  nest 
at  Grand  Crossing,  Cook  County,  111.,  and  on  the  17th  saw  two  birds 
at  Shefl&eld,  Ind.  He  also  informs  me  that  Mr.  Geo.  K.  Cherrie  saw 
two  and  took  one  at  Hyde  Lake,  June  16,  1896,  probably  in  Indiana. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  considerable  extension  of  their  numbers 
northward  in  1894.  It  was  taken  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  the  spring  of 
1894  (L.  W.  Watkins);  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  two  were  taken  May  3, 
and  two  May  17,  1894;  two  nests  were  also  found.  It  had  not  been 
taken  before  since  1877  (J.  Trombley).  One  was  seen  at  Cedar  Point, 
near  Sandusky,  0.,  June  23,  1894,  and  another  at  Huron  River,  twelve 
miles  south  of  Sandusky,  July  10,  1894.  They  arrive  in  southern  In- 
diana from  April  23  to  May  4,  and  those  found  farther  north  reach 
there,  generally,  after  the  latter  date.  The  first  arrivals  were  noted 
at  Bicknell,  April  23,  1897,  April  27,  1894;  Brookville,  April  24, 
1897,  May  4,  1882;  Moore's  Hill,  April  29,  1893;  Spearsville,  April 
27,  1895,  April  29,  1894;  Greensburg,  April  25,  1896,  April  30,  1895; 
Greencastle,  May  2,  1894,  1895,  May  9,  1896;  Wabash,  May  10,  1892. 

Every  one  who  is  acquainted  with  brier  patches,  thickets  and  bushy 
clearings,  knows  this  bird.  If  they  do  not  know  its  name,  they  know 
it  as  the  bird  which'  fills  the  thicket  with  such  sounds  as  no  other 
bird  ever  dreamed  of.  It  is  more  often  heard  than  seen.  Were  it  not 
that  occasionally  its  yellow  breast  comes  into  view,  we  should  think 
it  but  a  voice  among  the  bushes.  They  are  great  ventriloquists.  Often 
a  person  unacquainted  with  their  habit  will  look  long  in  the  direction 
from  which  the  sound  seems  to  come  and  not  see  the  author,  who  is 
elsewhere.  They  have  quite  a  variety  of  notes,  which,  with  their 
strange  antics,  render  them  the  most  interesting  summer  birds  among 
the  bushes.  At  mating  time  they  devote  much  time  to  aerial  evolu- 
tions,' which  are  always  interesting  because  of  their  oddity,  but  at 
times  become  exceedingly  ludicrous.  While  performing  these  various 
evolutions  they  give  voice  to  a  multitude  of  strange  sounds,  that  seem 
to  come  from  here,  there  and  everywhere,  except  the  throat  of  the 
odd  and  awkward  bird  descending  towards  the  clump  of  bushes  near 
by.  The  late  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton  gives  the  following  excellent  expres- 
sion of  his  feelings  regarding  this  bird: 

"When  migrating,  no  bird  is  more  shy  and  retiring  than  the  Chat. 
They  skulk  along  silently  in  thickets,  along  the  banks  of  streams,  or 
on  the  edges  of  upland  woods.  But  no  sooner  has  pairing  been  effected 
than  their  whole  nature  seems  changed,  and  the  silent  bird  becomes 
the  noisiest  of  the  wood.    His  shyness  gives  way  to  an  audacity  that  is 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1095 

surprising.  If  he  discovers  the  approach  of  a  human  being,  even  at 
a  considerable  distance,  he  prepares  to  resent  the  intrusion;  and, 
giving  three  short,  loud  whistles,  very  low  in  tone,  as  a  warning,  he 
advances  toward  him,  all  the  while  careful  that  he  should  be  heard 
and  not  seen.  Then  follows  a  medley  of  sputtering,  cackling,  whisper- 
ing and  scolding  notes,  frequently  interspersed  with  loud  whistles, 
and  continued  as  the  bird  runs,  hops  or  flies  in  the  deepest  thicket, 
with  a  pertinacity  which  knows  no  fatigue.  He  tells  you  that  your 
gun  won't  shoot,  that  it  is  a  flint-lock,  that  your  ramrod  is  broken, 
that  you  shot  it  at  a  buzzard,  that  you  haven't  got  a  gun;  that  you  are 
a  bald-headed  cripple;  that  there  is  a  horrid  suicide  in  the  bushes,  and 
a  big  snake  and"  a  nasty  skunk;  that  your  baby  is  crying,  your  house  is 
afire  and  the  bridge  broken  down;  that  you  have  missed  the  road  to 
the  reform  farm,  and  that  the  poor  house  is  over  the  creek,  and  he  calls 
the  dogs;  says  that  you  have  gone  to  seed;  go  west  and  grow  up  with 
the  country;  that  you  are  taking  up  too  much  of  his  valuable  time, 
that  you  must  excuse  him  for  a  moment. 

"During  all  this  time  he  remains  invisible,  or,  at  most,  his  black  eye 
and  mask,  or  golden  breast,  appear  for  a  moment  as  he  peers  at  you 
from  the  tangled  branches  of  the  brambles,  or  'flashes  from  branch  to 
branch,  dancing  an  accompaniment  to  his  fantastic  notes.  At  the 
last  he  suddenly  appears  on  the  top  of  a  bush,  not  ten  feet  from  you, 
makes  a  profound  bow  with  a  derisive  whisk  of  his  long  tail,  exposes 
his  immaculate  white  crissum  and  dives  again  into  the  deepest 
thickets.  You  take  a  long  breath  and  wipe  your  face,  and  he  returns 
to  the  assault  from  the  rear.  Should  you  move  on,  he  follows,  and 
if  you  approach,  he  retires,  and,  keeping  at  a  respectful  distance,  he 
laughs  defiance,  shouts  mockery  and  tantalizing  sarcasm.  He  is  a  fear- 
ful scold,  and  it  is  no  wonder  the  inside  of  his  mouth  is  black.  But 
this  is  when  he  knows  that  he  has  the  advantage.  Sometimes  he  may 
be  surprised,  as  he  sings  in  the  upper  branches  of  a  tree.  He  then  sits 
motionless,  continuing  his  song  as  if  unaware  of  any  intrusion  upon 
his  privacy,  and  so  resonant  and  varying  are  his  notes  that  they  con- 
fuse the  ear  as  to  the  spot  from  which  they  come,  while  his  yellow 
breast  so  completely  harmonizes  with  the  green  leaves  and  sunlight 
that  he  is  with  difficulty  discovered.  It  is  to  his  rapid  and  sonorous 
notes,  quick  motions  or  perfect  quiet,  with  harmonious  surroundings, 
that  he  owes  the  reputation  for  ventriloquism  which  he  has  obtained; 
and  it  may  be  said  of  his  reputation  for  mimicry  that  he  has  no  need 
to  borrow  notes  from  any  other  bird,  and  does  not  knowingly  do  so. 
Before  the  breeding  season  is  over  it  becomes  as  silent  as  during  the 
spring  migration,  and  leaves  for  the  south  as  stealthily  as  it  came." 


1096  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

They  sing  until  the  young  leave  the  nest,  usually  from  the  latter 
part  of  June  until  the  middle  of  July;  and  then,  for  a  time,  the  family 
keeps  together. 

After  the  singing  is  over,  the  only  note  heard  is  the  single  note, 
chat,  from  which  the  Yellow-breasted  bird  takes  its  name. 

I  have  found  them  mating  April  27,  1885,  and  found  a  nest,  with 
eggs.  May  25,  1882.  June  11,  1892,  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test 
.found  two  nests  near  Lafayette.  Each  contained  four  eggs,  and  in  ad- 
dition had  two  eggs  of  the  Cowbird.  They  usually  leave  in  September 
— Brookville,  September  7,  1886;  Bicknell,  September  27,  1894— but 
occasionally  remain  much  later.  I  shot  one,  December  1,  1881,  when 
it  was  feeding  upon  pokeberries,  from  which  its  plumage  was  stained. 

Two  excellent  accounts  of  the  Chat  are  given,  one.  by  Dr.  Coues — 
Birds  of  Colorado  Valley — the  other  by  John  Burroughs,  in  '•Wake 
Robin." 

162.    Gknus  SYLVANIA  Nuttall. 

ai.  Tail  feathers  blotched  with  white.  S.  mitrata  (Gmel.j.     290 

a* .  Tail  feathers  dusky,  not  blotched  with  white. 

6^.  Above  plain  olive  grpen ;  male  with  blue  black  patch'on  crown. 

S.  pusilla(Wils.).     291 

6^.  Above  plumbeous  gray;  crissum  white  ;  male,  crown,  forehead  and  sides  of 

throat  spotted  black.  S.  canadensis  (Linn.).     292 

*290.     (684).    Sylvania  mitrata  (Gmel.). 

Hooded  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Head,  neck  and  throat,  deep  black;  a  gamboge-yellow 
band  across  the  forehead  and  along  the  side  of  head,  including  the 
eye  and  the  ear  coverts;  other  upper  parts,  olive-green;  other  lower 
parts,  bright  yellow;  three  or  four  pairs  of  outer  tail  feathers,  with 
white  markings;  wings,  unmarked.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  usu- 
ally with  less  black  on  head.  Immature  Male. — Varying  from  the 
decided  black  markings  of  adult  male  to  almost  no  black;  the  yellow, 
however,  conspicuous.    Immature  Female. — Lacking  black  markings. 

Note. — It  seems  evident  that  it  requires  three  years  for  this  Warbler 
to  attain  perf-ect  plumage;  therefore,  specimens  will  be  found  at  dif- 
ferent seasons  in  different  stages  of  color  development. 

Length,  5.00-5.70;  wing,  2.50-2.75;  tail,  2.20-2.40. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Panama  and  West  Indies 
to  Massachusetts,  southern  Ontario,  southern  Michigan  and  southern 
Wisconsin,  west  to  Kansas.  Breeds  from  Texas  and  North  Carolina, 
north.    Winters  south  of  United  States. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1097 

Nest,  in  woods,  low  bush  or  tree,  three  feet  up;  in  wet  swamp,  one 
foot  up;  of  bark,  moss,  vegetable  fibre,  leaves  and  grasses,  lined  with 
the  finer  material.  JSggs,  4,  rarely  3  or  5;  white  or  creamy- white,  often 
quite  glossy,  marked  with  specks  and  spots  of  light  to  dark  reddish- 
brown  and  lilac.  The  markings  principally  at  larger  end,  where  they 
sometimes  form  wreaths;  .70  by  .51. 

The  Hooded  Warbler  is  generally  a  rare  summer  resident.  How- 
ever, in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley  it  is  said,  in  some  places,  to  be  com- 
mon. On  the  contrary,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  it  is  very 
rare.  Everywhere  it  is  more  numerous  during  the  migrations.  They 
arrive,  in  spring,  from  April  16  to  May  16.  They  were  first  noted  at 
Greensburg,  April  16,  1896;  at  Bloomington,  April  20,  1885,  May  8, 


Head  of  Hooded  Warbler.    Natural  Size. 

1886;  Knox  Coimty,  April  25,  1881;  Spearsville,  April  30,  1894; 
Brookville,  Aprir30,  1881,  May  16,  1884;  Carroll  County,  May  5, 
1885;  Sedan,  May  15,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  April  28,  1884.  They  fre- 
quent woods  in  which  there  is  a  dense  undergrowth,  being  found 
among  the  bushes  and  lower  branches  of  the  trees.  There  they  are 
quite  active,  especially  when  mating  begins.  The  male  goes  singing 
through  the  bushes  and  flitting  from  branch  to  branch  of  the  over- 
shadowing trees,  singing  its  song,  and  all  the  while  opening  and  closing 
its  tail,  exposing  the  white  of  the  feathers.  An  insect  comes  within 
easy  range,  the  song  stops  suddenly,  the  tail  remains  closed,  the  insect 
is  caught,  and  then  the  song  and  the  peculiar  motions  of  the  tail  are 
resumed.  The  song,  as  given  by  Mr.  Langille,  is  ^^che-reek,  che-reek, 
clie-reek,  chi-di-ee;"  the  first  three  notes  with  a  loud  fell-like  ring, 
and  the  rest  in  very  much  accelerated  time  and  with  the  falling-  in- 
flection/' 

It  also  has  another  less  common  song  and  a  peculiar  chip.  Dr.  Hay- 
mond  reported  it  as  a  summer  resident  in  Franklin  County  (Ind.  Greol. 
Rept.,  1869,  p.  217),  but  it  must  be  rarely  such,  for  I  have  not  found 
it  at  that  season.  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  has  noted  it  as  a  summer  resi- 
dent in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Xat.  Hist.,  July, 


1098  Keport  of  State  Geologist, 

1880,  p.  123).  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  says,  in  Knox  County,  it  is. 
"rather  common  in  deep  woods,  but  much  less  so  than  in  the  vicinity 
of.  the  cypress  swamp  farther  south"  (Bull.  Nutt.  Om.  Club, 
Vol.  VII.,  1882,  p.  20).  He  writes  me  they  breed  in  Knox  and  Gib- 
son counties.  In  another  place  he  says:  "In  all  rich,  damp  woods, 
both  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  I  have  found  the  beautiful  Hooded 
Warbler  a  more  or  less  common  species.  In  the  woods  of  Knox  and 
Gibson  counties,  Indiana,  immediately  opposite  Mt.  Carmel,  it  is  par- 
ticularly abundant,  so  much  so,  in  fact,  as  to  be  one  of  the  most  char- 
acteristic species"  (111.  Orn.,  I.,  pp.  174,  175).  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann 
reports  it  not  common  in  Vigo  County.  On  the  contrary,  they  were 
quite  common  in  the  valley  of  Sugar  Creek,  in  Parke  and  Montgomery 
counties,  May  19  and  20,  1887.  At  Bloomington,  Mr.  G.  G.  William- 
son found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  a  bush,  containing  six  young,  May 
26,  1886.  It  seems  to  occur  there  regularly.  It  is  reported  from  De- 
catur (Shannon)  and.  Brown  (Barnett)  counties.  Mr.  N.  H.  Coale  ob- 
tained one  at  Davis  Station,  Starke  County,  May  31,  1885,  but  pre- 
viously, May  24,  1879,  had  recorded  it  from  still  farther  north.  On 
the  latter  date  he  found  tlie  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  Lake  County, 
lined  with  the  bodies  of  many  small  birds  that  had  perished  in  the 
lake  during  the  recent  storm.  The  record  of  its  destruction  was  before 
him,  and  among  the  bodies  of  the  victims  he  found  a  Hooded  Warbler. 
In  Dekalb  County,  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  has  noted  it  a  few  times,  twice 
in  October.  The  last  time  was  October  5,  1893.  They  begin  to  leave 
in  August,  and  through  September  and  early  October  they  are 
vagrants,  changing  their  homes  as  whim  or  necessity  dictates,  but  all 
the  while  working  back  towards  the  south.  Dr.  Langdon  found  it  at 
Cincinnati,  May  4,  and  Messrs.  Dury  and  Freeman,  May  30,  1879. 
It  was  taken  at  Wabash,  September  13,  1893;  at  Bicknell,  September 
16,  1894;  at  Lebanon,  four  were  seen,  October  20,  1894,  and  it  was 
observed  at  Brookville,  October  20,  1884. 

Their  habit  of  taking  their  insect  food  upon  the  wing  has  been  noted 
by  all  observers,  though  they  doubtless  also  take  other  insects. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1099 

291.    (685).    Sylvania  pusilla  (Wils.). 

Wilson's  Warbler. 

Synonyms,  Green  Black-capped  Fly-catching  Warbler,  Black-capped 
Yellow  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Crown,. glossy  blue-black;  stripe  over  eye  and  across 
forehead,  yellow;  other  upper  parts,  bright  olive-green;  below,  clear 
yellow;  wings  and  tail,  with  no  white  markings.  Adult  Female. — 
Similar  to  male,  but  crown  patch  usually  less  conspicuous,  sometimes 
wanting.    Immature. — With  no  black  on  head. 

Length,  4.25-5.10;  wing,  2.15-2.35;  tail,  2.05-2.25. 

Eange. — North  America,  east  of  Pacific  coast,  from  Panama  to 
Labrador,  Alaska  and  Siberia.  Breeds  from  Nova  Scotia,  Ontario, 
Minnesota  and  along  Rocky  Mountains  from  Colorado,  north.  Win- 
ters from  eastern  Mexico,  south. 

Nest,  in  damp  woods,  on  ground;  of  leaves  and  grass,  lined  with  fine 
grass  or  hair.  Eggs,  4-5;  white  or  creamy- white,  speckled  with  red- 
dish-brown, pale  lavender  or  lilac-gray. 

Wilson's  Warbler  occurs  throughout  the  St-ate  as  a  migrant.  Usu- 
ally, in  the  spring,  they  are  rather  rare,  but  are  more  common  in  the 
fall.  This  reverses  the  migratory  period  with  the  Connecticut  Warbler, 
which  is  almost  unknown  in  fall  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  but  is 
common  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Like  that  species,  Wilson's  Warbler 
arrives  late  in  spring,  usually  after  May  10,  and  remains  until  the 
close  of  that  month.  The  earliest  Indiana  record  is,  Bloomington, 
May  8,  1886.  Other  dates  where  it  was  first  observ^ed  in  spring  are: 
Greensburg,  May  13,  1894;  Richmond,  May  16,  1897;  Terre  Haute, 
May  10,  1890;  Carroll  County,  May  18,  1885;  Lafayette,  May  12, 
1892,  May  13,  1893;  Sedan,  May  10,  1894;  Lake  County,  May  18, 
1895;  Chicago,  111.,  May  6,  1886,  last  seen  May  30,  1894.  About  the 
lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan  they  are  sometimes  not  uncommon 
(Parker).  They  were  tolerably  common  at  Greensburg  in  May,  1894, 
being  last  noted  May  29  (Shannon);  at  Greencastle,  in  1893,  where 
€ight  were  noted  May  13  (Earlle);  at  Sedan,  May  20,  21  and  22,  1890 
(Mrs.  Hine).  They  have  been  also  noted  from  Wabash,  the  spring  of 
1892,  and  there  is  a  specimen  in  the  State  Museum  at  Indianapolis, 
from  Boone  County.  .  Prof.  F.  H.  King  notes  that  one  was  killed  in 
Wisconsin  by  a  cold  wave  in  May,  1882.  I  found  one  in  May,  1887, 
with  a  number  of  other  lifeless  birds  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan, 
where  they  had  been  cast  up  by  the  waves  after  losing  their  lives  in  a 
storm. 


1100  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

It  frequents  the  undergrowth  of  woodlands  and  the  wooded  Ijorders 
of  streams,  in  spring,  but  in  fall  it  is  often  found  frequenting  the  same 
ground  with  Tennessee  Warblers,  weedy  woods-pastures  and  more 
open  woodland,  and  even  bushy  fencerows.  They  are  quite  active, 
taking  much  of  their  insect  food  upon  the  wing.  Nuttall  says  their 
song  sounds  like  'tsh-tsh-tsh-Hshea. 

292.     (686).    Sylvania  canadensis  (Linn.). 

Canadian  Warbler. 
Synonym,  Canadian  Fly-catching  Warbler. 


Head  of  Canadian  Warbler. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  gray;  wings,  brownish;  forehead  and  crown, 
spotted  with  black;  stripe  from  bill  to  eye  and  ring  around  eye,  yellow; 
below,  yellow;  lower  tail  coverts,  white;  a  black  streak  on  each  side  of 
throat,  united  by  a  row  of  black  spots  across  the  breast;  wings  and 
tail,  not  marked  with  white.  Adnlt  Female. — Similar,  but  the  mark- 
ings less  distinct.  Young. — Similar  to  female,  but  black  marks  want- 
ing; breast,  streaked  with  dusky. 

Length,  5.00-5.75;  wing,  2.50-2.65;  tail,  2.20-2.40. 

Range. — America,  from  Ecuador  north  over  the  eastern  United 
States  to  Labrador  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  Massachusetts,  Penn- 
sylvania, Ontario  and  Minnesota,  north.    Winters  from  Mexico,  south. 

Nest,  in  woods  or  low  growth,  on  the  ground,  in  a  depression  or 
among  roots;  of  leaves,  dry  weed  stalks,  roots  and  hair.  Eggs,  4-5; 
white,  finely  marked  with  dots  and  small  spots  of  brown,  pui-ple  and 
reddish,  in  varying  shades;  rufous  and  rufous-bro^vn,  heaviest  at 
larger  end;  .68  by  .51. 

The  Canadian  Warbler  is  a  tolerably  common  migrant,  varying  in 
numbers  with  the  years.  It  is  usually  much  more  common,  sometimes 
even  abundant,  in  fall.  It  rarely  arrives  before  May  1,  and  often  re- 
mains until  the  last  of  that  month.  Like  the  other  two  species  of  this 
genus,  which  are  less  common  than  this,  they  frequent  low  situa- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1101 

tions,  bushes  and  imderbrush,  seldom  going  higher  than  the 
branches  of  short-bodied  trees.  This  species  frequents  the  edges  of 
woodlands  and  thickets  along  streams  and  on  waste  land.  There  they 
may  be  found  industriously  catching  insects,  taking  most  of  them  on 
the  wing.  Its  song  may  be  heard  about  its  haunts  morning  and  even- 
ing. It  is  a  characteristic  voice  that  instantly  draws  one's  attention 
to  it.  Often  it  has  called  me  away  into  some  little  thicket  in  a  woods 
pasture  or  among  the  low,  drooping  limbs  of  some  unpromising  look- 
ing beech  trees  in  the  edge  of  heavy  timber.  Those  which  seem  the 
most  unpromising  places  to  men  are  often  attractive  to  birds.  Several 
times,  as  I  can  recall,  the  best  take  of  the  day  or  the  season  was  found 
in  some  uninviting  spot,  to  which  I  was  drawn  merely  incidentally. 

Mr.  Earnest  E.  Thompson  notes  its  loud  and  striking  song  as  rup~ 
H-cJie,  rup-it-che,  rup-it-chitt-it-litt/'  The  earliest  spring  record  is- 
from  Knox  County,  where  Mr.  Robert  Eidgway  took  it,  April  18^ 
1881.  It  has  been  first  noted  in  spring  at  Bloomington,  April  27,, 
1886;  Brookville,  May  2,  1881,  May  16,  1884;  Richmond,  May  16, 
1897;  Lafayette,  May  16,  1897;  Carroll  County,  May  12,  1885;  Wa- 
bash, May  10,  1892;  Starke  County,  May  11,  1884;  Lake  County,  May 
9,  1877,  May  16,  1880;  Chicago,  111.,  May  1,  1886,  May  18,  1896; 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  11,  1888,  May  16,  1893.  May  21,  1892,  one 
was  caught  in  the  office  of  Purdue  University,  at  Lafayette  (L.  A.  and 
C.  D.  Test).  They  have  remained  at  Greencastle  until  May  26,  1895; 
at  Spearsville,  May .24,  1894;  Lafayette,  May  25,  1893;  Carroll  County, 
May  24,  1883;  Chicago,  111.,  May  30,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  June  1, 
1893.  When  they  return  in  the  fall  they  are  songless.  They  arrive 
some  years  late  in  August  and  most  of  them  pass  through  early  in 
September,  though  one  occasionally  lingers  into  the  beginning  of  Oc- 
tober. They  were  tolerably  common  about  Chicago,  August  26  to 
September  5,  1895  (Blackwelder),  and  were  common  near  Cincinnati 
the  last  of  August  and  the  first  of  September,  1879  (Dury  and  Free- 
man). The  last  fall  note  at  Sedan  is  September  7,  1889;  at  Lafayette, 
September  4,  1894;.  Warren  County,  September  12  and  15,  1897;  Lake 
County,  September  18,  1881.  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  informs  me  he  ob- 
tained a  specimen  at  Sandusky,  0.,  October  2,  1896. 

It  has  not  been  found  in  this  State  later  in  summer  than  the  dates 
^•iven  above.  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke,  in  his  report  on  Birds  of  Michigan 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley  for  1884  and  1885,  says  it  has  been  known 
to  breed  in  northeni  Illinois.  I  do  not  know  of  its  breeding  farther 
south  in  Michigan  than  Bay  City,  where  Mr.  N.  A.  Eddy  took  a  nest 
and  four  eggs,  June  2,  1885  (Cook,  B.  of  M.,  p.  138). 

Prof.  F.  H.  King  examined  three  .specimens  and  found  they  liad 
oaten  flies,  a  hymenopterous  insect,  beetles  and  larvfp. 


1102  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

163.    Genus  SETOPHAGA  Swainson. 

*293.     (687).    Setophaga  ruticilla  (Linn.). 

American  Redstart. 
Synonym,  Kedstart. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  and  throat  and  breast,  lustrous  black;  ])a5e? 
of  all  the  quills,  except  the  first  and  last,  salmon;  bases  of  all  the  tail 
feathers,  except  the  middle  pair,  salmon;  sides  of  breast,  vermillion- 
red;  belly,  white,  tinged  with  reddish;  bill  and  feet,  black.  Adult  Fe- 
male.— Above,  olive-green;  below,  throat  and  breast,  brownish- white; 
the  salmon  and  red  replaced  by  yellow;  spot  in  front  of,  and  ring 
around,  eye,  grayish-white.  Young. — Similar  to  female.  This  species 
requires  three  years  for  the  male  to  acquire  full  plumage;  consequently 
they  are  to  be  found  in  all  stages  between  the  immature  and  perfect 
plumage. 
,    Length,  4.75-5.75;  wing,  2.40-2.55;  tail,  2.30-2.45. 

Eange. — America,  from  Ecuador  and  West  Indies  to  Hudson  Bay 
and  Mackenzie  Valley  (Ft.  Simpson);  rarely  west  of  Rocky  Mountains. 
Breeds  from  North  Carolina  and  Missouri,  north. 

Nest,  in  fork,  on  limb  of  tree  or  sapling,  6  to  20  feet  up;  of  bark 
shreds,  grass  and  weeds,  lined  with  hair  or  plant  down.  Eggs,  3-5; 
white,  greenish- white  or  bluish-white,  spotted,  mostly  at  larger  end, 
with  brown  and  lilac;  .63  by  .48. 

The  American  Eedstart  is  one  of  the  characteristic  birds  of  the 
woodland.  Wherever  there  are  woods,  it  may  be  found  at  the  proper 
seasons.  It  is  generally  common,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
is  abundant.  In  some  of  its  habits  it  much  resembles  the  Hooded 
Warbler.  Instead  of  keeping  near  the  ground,  it  frequents  all  kinds 
of  woody  growth,  from  lowest  bush  to  tallest  tree.  While  it  makes  its 
home  among  the  dense  forest,  at  times  it  may  be  found  in  little  fring- 
ing woods  or  shaded  glens,  and,  during  the  spring  migrations,  it  occa- 
sionally comes  into  the  orchards.  Its  song,  as  given  by  Nuttall,  is 
Hsh,  tsh,  tshee,  tshe,  tshe,  tshea,  YSLijing  to  that  of  the  Yellow  Warbler, 
which  he  interprets  as  'tsh,  Hsh,  HsJi,  tshitshee.  It  is  a  wandering  min- 
strel, giving  its  song  free  as  air  for  all  who  are  in  the  woods.  It  does 
not  skulk;  it  is  not  shy,  but,  through  the  bushes  at  one^s  feet  or 
through  the  branches  overhead,  it  pursues  its  way,  now  seizing  a  cater- 
pillar, then  chasing  a  moth  or  dashing  into  a  swarm  of  gnats  or  flies. 
Its  wings  are  carried  partly  open,  its  eye  is  active,  its  tail  opens  and 
closes,  showing  with  each  movement  its  beautiful  coloration — a  fan 
of  salmon  and  black.  The  name  little  fantail  would  be  an  appropriate 
one  for  it. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1103 

Its  habits  combine  those  of  the  Flycatchers  and  the  Warblers,  and 
the  wingless  insects  upon  the  trees  are  in  as  much  danger  as  are  the 
flies  beneath  the  shade.  Among  other  insects,  they  are  known  to  prey 
upon  ichneumon  flies,  moths,  caterpillars,  beetles,  leafhoppers  (King, 
Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  510). 

Sometimes  it  arrives  in  spring  by  April  15;  again  it  does  not  appear 
before  May  5,  while,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  it  may  be  ten 
days  later  than  those  dates.  At  Eichmond  it  arrived  April  15,  1897; 
at  Brookville,  April  20,  1896,  May  5,  1893;  Bloomington,  April  21, 
1885,  May  12,  1886;  Greensburg,  April  29,  1897,  May  8,  1893;  Frank- 
fort, April,  16,  1896,  May  2,  1894,  and  1895;  Lafayette,  April  29,1897, 
May  8,  1893;  Sedan,  April -30,  1894,  May  7,  1889;  Petersburg,  Mich., 
April  24,  1897,  May  14,  1893;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  April  30,  1896,  May 
6,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  May  2, 1896,  May  17, 1897.  The  year  1896  they 
arrived  unusually  early.  In  1893  their  movements  were  early  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  and  very  late  northward.  The  year  1895 
was  medium  early.  I  have  seen  them  begin  to  pair  by  May  4  (1882), 
and  May  15,  of  the  same  year,  I  found  a  nest.  Prof.  Evermann  notes 
a  nest  and  eggs  from  Carroll  County,  June  13,  1883,  and  Messrs.  L. 
A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  a  nest  and  four  ieggs  in  an  elder  bush,  6  feet 
up,  at  Lafayette,  June  15,  1892.  The  nests  usually  are  placed  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet  high  in  the  fork  of  a  limb.  In  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  State  they  are  very  numerous  and  may  be  found  breeding  in 
almost  every  patch  of  oak  timber  of  any  size. 

Although  so  numerous  as  to  be  a  nuisance  to  the  collector,  so  often 
are  they  in  front  of  his  gun  when  it  is  discharged  during  the  Warbler 
season,  it  is  a  source  of  pleasure  to  him  who  likes  to  study  their  busy 
life;  they  are  unknown  to  the  average  person,  as  are  the  inhabitants  of 
the  planet  Mars,  for  to  him  has  not  been  given  the  power  of  seeing. 
But  some  years  even  the  initiated  notice  their  absence,  for  their  num- 
bers, for  some  reason,  are  very  few.  In  1886  Prof.  W.  S.  Blatchley 
noted  their  extreme  scarcity  at  Bloomington.  The  spring  of  1894 
they  were  very  rare.  None  were  found  that  year  at  Lafayette  (Test); 
they  were  unusually  scarce  at  Sedan  (Mrs.  Hine);  but  one  was  seen 
at  Greensburg  (Shannon);  and  but  two  were  reported  from  Bicknell 
(Chansler).  In  August  they  begin  to  move.  Their  numbers  are  in- 
creased by  those  from  the  north,  and  through  September  they  are 
found,  with  other  migrants,  making  their  journey  southward — a  time 
of  feasting  and  good-fellowship.  The  first  heavy  frosts  bid  them  de- 
part, and  they  are  gone.  The  latest  records  I  have  are:  Greensburg, 
September  16,  1894;  Bicknell,  September  4,  1895;  Lafayette,  October 
3,  1896;  Sedan,  October  11,  1889;  Chicago,  111.,  October  1,  1895. 


1104  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

XL VII.     Family  MOTACILLID^.     Wagtails. 

a^.  Tail  shorter  than  wing;  usually  much  streaked  below.  ,      Anthus.     164 

164.    Gbkus  anthus  Beckstein. 
Subgenus  Akthus. 

294.     (697).    Anthus  pensylvanicus  (Lath.). 

American  Pipit. 
Synonym,  American  Titlark. 


Bill  and  foot  of  American  Pipit.    Natural  size. 

Adult. — "Points  of  wings  formed  by  the  four  outer  primaries,  the 
fifth  being  abruptly  shorter;  hind  claw,  nearly  straight,  nearly  or  quite 
equal  to  its  digit;  above,  dark-brown,  with  a  slight  olive  shade,  most 
of  the  feathers  with  dusky  centers;  eyelids,  line  over  eye,  and  under 
parts,  pale  buffy  or  ochrey-brown,  variable  in  shade;  breast  and  sides 
of  neck  and  body,  thickly  streaked  mth  dusky;  wings  and  tail,  black- 
ish; inner  secondaries,  pale-edged;  one  or  more  outer  tail  feathers, 
wholly  or  partly  white."    (Mcllwraith). 

Length,  6.00-7.00;  wing,  3.20-3.50;  tail,  2.65-2.83. 

Eange. — jS[ori;h  America,  from  Guatemala  and  Bermudas  to  Arctic 
Ocean.  Breeds  from  Colorado,  above  timber  line  on  mountains,  and 
Labrador,  nori:h.    Winters  from  southern  Illinois  and  Nevada,  south. 

Nest,  of  grass  and  moss,  on  the  ground.  £Jgf/s,  4-6;  Avhitish,  almost 
hidden  by  thick  specks  of  brown;  .78  by  .57. 

The  Titlark,  familiar  to  every  plowman  in  early  spring,  is  one  of 
those  birds  that  frequent  the  wet  fields  in  flocks  and  give  forth  a 
mellow  pee-de,  pee-de,  as  they  rise  and  when  on  the  wing.  They  arise 
from  the  meadow  and  frequently  fly  a  long  distance,  or  ascend  to  a 
great  height,  and,  after  various  evolutions,  return  almost  to  the  spot 
from  which  they  started.  One  who  is  acquainted  with  their  call  can 
recognize  them  by  it  as  they  pass  overhead,  even  when  they  are  out 
of  sight.    "Wliile  sometimes  a  few  individuals,  or  a  few  pairs,  are  asso- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1105 

ciated  together,  they  are  generally  found  in  flocks  of  from  twenty  to 
a  hundred  birds,  frequenting  meadows,  open  pastures,  fields,  prairies 
and  the  shores  of  lakes.  They  are  abundant  migrants,  and  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  may  occasionally  be  winter  residents.  They 
have  been  reported  from  southern  Illinois  in  winter.  In  southern 
Indiana  they  appear  in  force  some  years  as  early  as  March  3.  Al- 
though they  move  about  a  great  deal,  they  make  slow  progress  north- 
ward. They  were  first  noted  at  Brookville,  March  3,  1893,  and  April 
19,  1889;  at  Spearsville,  March  6,  1894;  Wabash,  March  16,  1894; 
Lafayette,  April  1,  1892;  Richmond,  April  22,  1897;  Kouts,  April 
15,  1894;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  April  24,  1896,  May  2,  1893;  Chicago,  111., 
April  25,  1896.  The  latest  spring  records  are  Richmond,  May  4, 
1897;  Spearsville,  May  10,  1894;  Waba§h,  May  15,  1894;  Plymouth, 
]\Iich.,  May  24,  1892.  Sometimes  before  they  leave  in  the  spring  they 
begin  mating. 

Late  in  September  they  become  common  about  the  low^er  end  of 
Lake  Michigan,  remaining  until  well  into  October  and  sometimes  into 
N^ovember.  They  were  present  in  Cook  County,  111.,  from  September 
26  to  October  3,  1896;  from  September  28  to  October  19,  1895.  The 
latest  records  I  have  are  as  follows:  Liverpool,  Ind.,  October  18, 
1895;  Chicago,  111.,  :Nrovember  3,  1894;  Plymouth,  Mich.,  October  20, 
1892.  At  English  Lake,  Ind.,  November  16,  1892,  hundreds  of  Tit- 
larks were  seen  rushing  along  in  flocks  of  twenty  to  a  hundred,  over 
the  marshes  (Deane). 

XLVIIL     Family  TROGLODYTID^.     Wrens,  Thrashers,  Etc. 

a^.  Rictal  bristles  well  developed;  wing  3.50  or  more. 
6^.  Tail  longer  than  wing. 

e^.  Bill  not  shorter  than  middle  toe  without  claw;  our  species  brown  above. 

Harporhynchus.     167 
c^.  Bill  decidedly  shorter  than  middle  toe  without  claw. 

d^.  Tail  partly  white.  Mimus.     165 

d^.  Tail  with  no  white.  Galeoscoptes.     166 

a^.  Rictal  bristles  not  evident;  bill  not  notched;  wing  less  than  3.50. 

e^.  Back  streaked  lengthwise;  outer  tail  feathers  reaching  little  beyond 
the  tips  of  lower  tail  coverts.  Cistothorus.     170 

e~.  Back  not  streaked  lengthwise;  outer  tail  feathers  reaching  decidedly 
beyond  the  tips  of  longest  lower  tail  coverts. 
/■^.  Lower  mandible  curved  downward;  back  without  crossbars ;  super- 
ciliary streak  distinct.  Thryothorus.     168 
f^.  Lower  mandible  straight;    back  with  more  or  less  distinct  cross- 
bars; no  distinct  superciliary  streak.  Troglodytes.     169 

70-Geol. 


1106 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


Subfamily  MIMING.     Thrashers. 
165.    Gknus  MIMUS  Boik. 

^295.     (703).    Mimus  polyglottus  (Linn.). 

Mockingbird. 


Mockingbird. 
(Judd.— Year  Book,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895,  p.  415. 

Adult. — Above;,  ashy-gray;  below,  whitish;  wings  and  tail,  blackish, 
the  former  with  two  white  wing-bars  and  large  white  spot  at  base  of 
primaries,  latter  with  one  or  three  outer  feathers  more  or  less  white; 
bill  and  legs,  black. 

Length,  9.00-11.00;  wing,  4.10-4.90;  tail,  4.50-5.75. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Mexico  (Tehnantepec),  and  Baha- 
mas, regularly  to  southern  Indiana,  Maryland  and  Colorado;  rarely  to 
Massachusetts,  Maine,  Ontario,  northern  Illinois  and  Wyoming.  Resi- 
dent, and  breeds  throughout  its  ii?ual  range. 

Nest,  of  twigs,  weeds  and  grass,  lined  with  grass  and  roots;  in  bush 
or  tree,  often  in  thicket  or  orchard;  sometimes  in  comer  of  fence. 
Eggs,  4-6;  pale  greenish-blue,  spotted  with  chocolate  and  yellowish- 
brown,  often  mostly  grouped  at  larger  end;  .97  by  .69. 

The  Mockingbird  is  well  known  in  song  and  story,  but  as  a  native 
bird,  to  most  of  the  people  of  Indiana,  it  is  unknown.  Other  birds 
are  called  by  its  name,  sometimes  with  a  qualifying  term.  The  Cat- 
bird is  called  the  Carolina  Mockingbird,  the  Brown  Thrashers,  the 
Brown  or  English  Mockingbird,  though  w^hy  English,  I  cannot 
imagine.  These  birds  are  classed  with  our  famous  bird  because  of 
their  musical  ability,  but  the  Loggerhead  Shrike  is  often  called  Mock- 
ingbird because  in  its  flight  it  somewhat  resem_bles  that  species.  Often 
the  present  bird  is  called  the  Southern  Mockingbird. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1107 

In  the  lower  Wabash  Valley  it  is  a  resident,  at  least  north  to  Terre 
Haute,  but  is  much  more  common  in  summer.  Elsewhere  in  the 
southern  half  of  the  State,  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident,  and  farther 
north  it  is  of  accidental  occurrence,  extending  even  into  Michigan. 
There  they  develop  the  migratory  habit,  passing  a  little  further  south 
usually  in  winter,  although  some  of  them  seem  to  become  vagrants, 
wandering  at  that  season  in  the  opposite  direction.  In  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  State  it  has  been  reported  as  breeding  at  Guilford, 
Dearborn  County  (Hughes).  Dr.  Haymond  noted  its  occurrence  in 
Franklin  County  (Ind.  Geol.  Rept.,  1869,  pp.  219,  220),  and  June  29, 
1880, 1  obtained^ young  scarcely  able  to  fly,  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  Brookville.  In  Monroe  County  they  breed,  but  are  rare  (Blatchley^, 
Evermann),  while  in  Vigo  County  they  breed  commonly  (Kendrick). 
They  seem  to  range  farther  north  in  numbers  in  the  prairie  districts 
of  Illinois  and  western  Indiana  than  farther  eastward.  In  addition, 
they  have  been  reported  as  breeding  in  the  following  counties:  Posey 
(Elliott),  Knox  (Ridgway,  Chansler),  Gibson  (Ridgway),  Floyd  (Yeno- 
wine).  Prof.  Blatchley  found  it  in  Vigo  County,  February  14,  1888, 
and  Prof.  Evermann  in  the  same  county  in  January.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale 
informs  me  he  found  one  in  Starke  County,  January  1,  1884.  They 
have  also  been  reported  from  the  following  counties:  Brown,  March 
10,  1892  (Barnett);  Putnam,  1888  (Clearwaters);  Cass,  Logansport, 
spring  of  1881  (Prof.  E.  E.  Fish);  Hamilton,  May  13,  1897  (Brokaw). 
Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  reports  one  from  Sandusky,  0.,  May  20,  1893, 
and  Mr.  C.  H.  Morris  has  written  me  fully  of  a  pair  nesting  on  the 
rail  of  a  fence  near  McConnelsville,  0.,  in  June,  1896.  He  says  there 
were  also  two  other  pairs  in  the  same  neighborhood.' 

Mr.  Morris  tells  me  the  young  were  taken  from  the  nest  and  put 
into  a  cage  and  left  exposed.  The  parents  fed  them,  and  four  days 
after  they  were  taken  began  building  a  new  nest,  also  on  the  fence, 
some  thirty  yards  from  the  first.  They  also  continued  to  care  for 
the  young  in  the  cage. 

When  they  appear  in  a  new  locality  for  the  first  time,  their  remark- 
able voices  soon  attract  attention.  They  sing  by  day  and  also  on 
moonlight  nights;  on  the  wing  as  well  as  in  the  trees.  There  are 
other  birds  that  far  exceed  it  in  melody  and  surpass  it  in  sweetness, 
but  as  a  mocker  it  is  without  a  peer.  At  morning  or  evening,  from 
the  top  of  a  tree,  a  fence  stake,  or  a  wh^at  stack,  it  begins  its  mar- 
velous imitations.  It  may  begin  with  the  notes  of  a  Bob  white,  then 
follow  with  the  song  of  a  Carolina ,  Wren,  and  succeed  these  with 
recognizable  productions  of  the  Whip-poor-will,  Robin,  Wood  Thrush, 
Phoebe,  Cardinal,  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  and  Flicker.    It  seem?  to 


1108  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

have  practiced  on  nearly  all  the  bird  songs  and  calls  in  the  neighbor- 
hood and  confidently  undertakes  their  reproduction.  The  Mocking- 
bird prefers  the  neighborhood  of  residences,  the  vicinity  of  orchards, 
groves  and  trees  along  fences.  Sometimes  it  builds  in  vines  about 
houses.  When  a  pair  take  up  their  residence  about  a  farm-house,  they 
are  valuable  in  assisting  in  keeping  predaceous  birds  away.  They  are 
great  fighters.  No  Hawk  or  Crow  can  come  about  the  premises  with- 
out a  conflict.  They  are  also  valuable  as  insect  destroyers.  Through- 
out the  breeding  season  and,  in  fact,  all  summer  long,  they  live  chiefly 
upon  insects.  Prof.  Forbes  noted  that  sixty  per  cent,  of  those  he 
examined  consisted  of  orthoptera  (grasshoppers,  crickets,  etc.).  They 
.also  had  eaten  spiders,  harvestmen,  beetles,  including  curculios,  bugs 
and  ants. 

There  was  no  evidence  that  they  had  eaten  fruit  (Bulletin  Xo.  3, 
111.  S.  Lab.,  X.  H.,  pp.  415,  416).  Fifteen  specimens  examined  by 
Mr.  Judd  were  principally  taken  in  autumn  and  winter,  when  the 
proportion  of  vegetable  food  is  the  greatest.  Of  this  food  they  had 
eaten  "the  skin  and  pulp  of  some  large  fruit,  together  with  seeds  or 
beri'ies  of  sumac,  smilax,  black  alder,  poison  ivy,  Virginia  creeper,  red 
cedar,  pokeberry,  mulberry  and  bayberry.  The  animal  food  consisted 
wholly  of  spiders  and  insects.  Among  the  latter  were  ants,  caterpil- 
lars, beetles  and  grasshoppers"  (Year  Book  I".  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  1895, 
pp.  415,  416). 

166.    Gends  GALEOSCOPTES  Oabanis. 

'296.     (704).    Galeoscoptes  carolinensis  (Linn.). 

Cat  Bird. 

Adult. — Above,  dark  slate-color:  somewhat  lighter  below;  crown 
of  head  and  tail,  black;  wings,  but  little  shorter  than  tail;  under  tail- 
coverts,  dark  chestnut. 

Length,  8.00-9.35;  wing,  3.45-3.75;  tail,  3.70-4.25. 

Range. — E.  North  America,  from  Panama  and  Cuba  north  to  Brit- 
ish Columbia  and  Saskatchewan;  rare  west  of  Rocky  Mountains. 
Breeds  from  Gulf  States  north.    Winters  from  Illinois  south. 

Nest,  in  bush  or  low  in  tree;  of  twigs,  bark,  grass,  leaves,  strings  and 
rags.    Eggs,  4-5;  bluish-green;  .98  by  .75. 

The  Catbird  is  too  well  known  a  summer  resident  to  require  an 
account  of  its  habits.  He  goes  little  farther  south  than  our  southern 
boimdary,  as  it  is  sometimes  a  winter  resident  in  southern  Illinois. 
Ever}^  boy  who  lives  in  the  country  or  ranges  the  fields  near  some 
small  town  knows  this  plainly-clad,  many-voiced  bird,  and  can  give  a 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1109 

good  account  of  its  doings.  He  can  tell  of  his  own  prejudice  against 
it,  whicli  is  but  an  expression  of  a  general  antipathy  to  this  familiar 
bird.  Why  this  is  so,  I  am  sure  I  cannot  tell,  for  the  Catbird  is 
deserving  of  respect  and  good  treatment. 

They  frequent  swamps,  thickets,  bushy  ravines  and  similar  places 
in  the  less  settled  localities,  but  are  most  abundant  where  the  country 
is  more  thickly  populated,  frequenting  gardens,  orchards,  briers,  vine- 
yards, lawns,  and  even  coming  into  our  towns. 

The  Catbird  is  not  a  poor  singer.  Many  are  the  utterances  he 
makes,  ranging  from  his  mewing  call  among  the  hedges  to  his  ecstatic 
love  song  from  the  top  of  a  neighboring  tree. 


Cat  Bird. 
(Judd.— Year  Book,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895,  p.  407.) 

Its  notes  have  attracted  many  a  singer  and  made  of  him  an  admirer. 
My  good  friend.  Prof.  W.  H.  Venable,  of  Cincinnati,  0.,  has  been  an 
appreciative  auditor  and  has  fitly  pictured  him  in  verse,  a  most  diffi- 
cult task,  which  he  has  satisfactorily  accomplished. 

AAHien  the  first  ones  arrive  after  the  winter  is  past",  they  frequent 
the  thickets,  hedges  and  small  fruit  bushes,  and  are  songless.  They 
appear  some  years  in  southern  Indiana  before  the  end  of  March,  but 
generally  it  is  well  into  April  before  they  are  seen,  and  near  the  end 
of  that  month  before  they  reach  the  Michigan  boundary.  The  year 
of  1896  some  of  them  arrived  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  at 
an  unprecedentedly  early  date.  But  the  migration  of  the  greater  num- 
ber was  stayed  until  near  the  usual  time.     That  year  they  appeared 


1110  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

at  Ellsworth,  March  26;  at  Dunreith,  March  30;  Greensburg,  April  1, 
and  Sandusky,  0.,  April  11.  They,  however,  were  not  noted  at  La- 
fayette until  April  26,  at  Laporte  until  April  25,  or  at  Chicago  until 
May  2.  In  1893  the  first  one  was  noted  at  Brookville,  April  20;  at 
Greensburg  and  Moore's  Hill,  April  26;  Sandusky,  0.,  May  6;  Laporte, 
May  8. 

In  the  Wabash  Valley  they  move  earlier  than  in  the  southeastern 
portion  of  the  State.  The  severe  storm  of  May  20  and  21,  1883,  de- 
stroyed many.  They  begin  mating  not  long  after  arrival.  Prof.  W.  P. 
Shannon  found  a  nest  begun  April  30,  1896,  and  another  pair  began 
their  home  next  day.  The  latter  nest  was  completed  and  one  egg  laid 
May  13.  An  egg  was  laid  daily.  I  have  found  its  nest  and  eggs  May  23 
(1883),  and  Prof.  Evermann  found  one  in  Carroll  County,  May  21. 
I  found  young  just  able  to  leave  the  nest  July  24,  1896.  After  nesting 
they  cease  singing,  usually  towards  the  end  of  June  or  early  in  July. 
While  with  us  they  vary  their  diet.  At  times  they  eat  many  insects. 
and  again  they  live  largely  upon  vegetable  food.  Of  213  stomachs 
examined  by  Mr.  Sylvester  D.  Judd,  44  per  cent,  of  their  contents  wa^ 
insects  and  56  per  cent,  vegetable  food.  Ants,  beetles,  caterpillars 
and  grasshoppers  constituted  three-fourths  of  the  aninial  food,  the 
remainder  being  made  up  of  bugs,  miscellaneous  insects  and  spiders. 
One-third  of  the  vegetable  food  consisted  of  such  fruits  as  are  culti- 
vated, though  they  may  have  been  of  wild  growth,  strawberries,  rasp- 
berries and  blackberries.  The  rest  was  mostly  wild  fruits,  including 
cherries,  dogwood,  sour  gum,  elderberries,  greenbrier,  spice  berries, 
black  alder,  sumac  and  poison  ivy  (Year  Book  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr., 
1895,  pp.  406-411).  The  Catbird,  while  it  eats  much  fruit,  does  much 
good.  The  fruit  season  is  not  long,  while  the  insect  crop  is  abundant 
throughout  all  its  stay  with  us.  (Also  see  Forbes^  Bulletin  N"o.  3,  111. 
State  Mus.  of  N.  H.,  pp.  107-118;  King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  477.) 
After  the  song  season  is  past,  attention  is  not  drawn  so  much  to  this' 
inhabitant  of  tangled  thickets,  which  grow  more  rank  and  impene- 
trable to  man,  yet  jdeld  an  increasing  supply  of  such  food  as  Catbirds 
like.  In  September  they  begin  to  leave,  but  still  some  are  found  well 
into  October.  •  Brookville,  October  4,  1884;  Greensburg,  October  11. 
1894. 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


1111 


167.    Genus  HARPORHYNCHUS  Cabanis. 
Subgenus  Methrioptbrus  Reichenbach. 

*297.     (705).    Harporhynchus  rufus  (Linn.). 

Brown  Thrasher. 

Synonyms,  Brown  Thrush,  Tawny  Thrush,  Brown  Mockingbird,  French 
Mockingbird,  English  Mockingbird.  ' 


Brown  Thrasher. 
(Judd.— Year  Book,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895,  p.  412.) 

Adult. — Above,  rufous;  wings,  with  two  white  bars;  below,  white, 
tinged  more  or  less  with  buff,  streaked  with  dark  brown,  except  on 
the  chin  and  middle  of  the  belly. 

Length,  10.50-12.00;  wing,  4.10-4.60;  tail,  5.00-5.75. 

Kange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  eastern  Texas  and  Florida 
north  to  Maine,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  throughout  its  range. 
Winters  from  Illinois  and  Virginia  south. 

Nest,  in  bush  or  vine,  low  down,  sometimes  on  ground;  of  sticks, 
leaves  and  rootlets.  JEggs,  4-5;  greenish  or  soiled  white,  more  or  less 
covered  with  reddish-brown  dots;  quite  variable  in  pattern;  1.03  by 
.80. 

Common  summer  resident,  doubtless  some  years  remains  in  the 
extreme  southern  part  of  the  State  all  winter,  as,  perhaps,  the  last 
mentioned  species  also  does  more  rarely.  Both  occasionally  winter  in 
southern  Illinois.  The  Brown  Thrasher  is  a  shy  and  retiring  inhabi- 
tant of  thickets  and  bushy  land,  therefore  is  liable  to  be  overlooked 
before  its  season  of  song  begins.     In  its  migration  it  skulks  along 


1112  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

through  close  cover,  apparently  moving  earliest  in  the  river  valleys. 
In  the  "Wabash  Valley  it  migrates  earlier  than  elsewhere.  The  earlier 
arrivals  seek  the  greater  expanses  of  the  valley  where  there  is  alike 
shelter  from  cold  winds  and  considerable  exposure  to  the  sun.  There 
they  may  be  found  sometimes  from  one  to  two  weeks  earlier  than  in 
nearby  neighborhoods.  In  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  State 
they  appear  in  March;  in  the  middle,  usually  from  March  17  to  April 
1,  and  in  the  extreme  northern  portions,  usually  from  April  1  to  15. 
There  is  a  difference  of  about  a  month  between  the  arrivals  at  Bick- 
nell,  Ind.,  and  Chicago,  111.,  and  Petersburg,  Mich.  The  Brown 
Thrasher  was  observed  at  Hanover,  February  25,  1897,  by  Prof.  Glenn 


Head  of  Brown  Thrasher.    Natural  size. 

Culbertson.  This  is  the  earliest  it  has  been  noted  in  the  State.  It 
was  reported  from  Bicknell,  March  8,  1894,  and  March  28,  1895: 
Spearsville,  March  17,  1894,  March  31,  1895;  Greencastle,  March  22, 
1894,  April  3,  1893;  Brookville,  March  24,  1894,  April  18,  1881: 
Richmond,  March  30,  1897;  Lafayette,  March  25,  1893;  Laporie,  April 
1,  1893,  April  15,  1894;  Dekalb  County,  April  11,  1896,  April  20, 
1895;  Chicago,  April  11,  1896,  April  28,  1894;  Petersburg,  Mich., 
April  7,  1889,  1893,  April  20,  1897. 

The  spring  of  1894  they  migrated  very  early,  while  in  1893  they 
moved  late  over  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  but  pushing  north- 
ward rapidly  made  early  records  there.  I  have  observed  theni  mating 
by  March  31  (1884),  and  sometimes-  it  is  kept  up  until  April  23 
(1889).  Years  when  they  arrive  at,  or  after  the  average  time,  they 
-eek  at  once  the  old  quarters  occupied  by  them  no  one  knows  hoM- 
many  years.    Those  arriving  after  April  1  are  usually  paired. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1113 

There,  upon  the  topmost  limb  of  honey  locust,  elm,  or  oak,  the  male 
at  once  begins  a  serenade.  In  the  early  morning  and  at  late  afternoon 
he  mounts  his  favorite  perch  and  sings  by  the  hour.  This  song  period 
does  not  last  long.  After  courtships  are  over  they  are  heard  less  and 
less,  until  in  June  they  become  rare  and  finally  cease.  I  have  found 
their  nest  containing  eggs  at  Brookville  by  April  29  (1881),  and  Prof. 
Evermann  reports  one  in  Ca*rroll  County,  May  4,  1885.  Usually,  they 
build  their  nest  in  a  bush  in  a  retired  place.  I  knew  a  pair  to  occupy 
a  sweetbrier  bush  at  the  side  of  a  well-traveled  public  road  year  after 
year. 

May  28,  1897,  I  saw  a  nest  which  was  found  built  on  the  ground  by 
Mr.  C.  D.  Test,  near  the  site  of  old  Post  Ouiatanon,  below  Lafayette. 
It  was  in  a  rye  patch  at  the  foot  of  a  stool  of  rye,  and  contained  four 
eggs.  He  informed  me  that  he  and  his  brother  had  once  before  found 
a  nest  built  on  the  ground.  From  there  southward  in  this  State  I  have 
never  heard  of  a  nest  being  built  on  the  ground.  Yet  farther  north, 
in  the  old  prairie  region,  and  in  Michigan,  such  nesting  sites  are  not 
rare. 

Mr.  Sylvester  D.  Judd  reports  an  examination  of  1*21  stomachs  of 
the  Brown  Thrush  showed  36  per  cent,  of  vegetable  and  64  per  cent. 
of  animal  food.  The  latter  was  practically  all  insects.  Half  of  them 
were  beetles  and  the  remainder  mostly  grasshoppers,  caterpillars,  bugs 
and  spiders.  Eight  per  cent,  of  its  food  was  small  fruits,  such  as  are 
cultivated,  while  of  grain,  perhaps  obtained  from  scattered  kernels, 
but  the  trifle  of  3  per  cent,  was  found.  The  Brown  Thrasher  stands 
its  trial  with  the  judgment  "useful  bird"  written  on  the  records  (Year 
Book  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  1895,  pp.  411-415).  (As  to  food,  see  also 
Forbes'  Bulletin  No.  3,  111.  State  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.,  pp.  118-127.)  Prof. 
Forbes  found  in  an  orchard  infested  with  canker-worms  that  this  bird 
made  23  per  cent,  of  its  food  of  those  insects  (Kept.  Mich.  Hort.  Soc, 
1891,  p.  204).  Generally  they  are  reported  to  have  left  in  September, 
or  early  October,  but  some  continue  with  us  until  November,  and 
possibly  longer. 

The  latest  records  are  from  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  September  15,  1894; 
Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  20,  1894;  Chicago,  October  2,  1895; 
Lafayette,  September  14,  1895,  October  8,  1894;  Brookville,  October 
25,  1894;  Greensburg,  November  3,  1894;  A¥arren  County,  September 

25,  isg*::. 


1114  Eepokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Subfamily  TROGLODYTIN^.     Wrens. 
168.   "Gknus  THRYOTHORUS  Vikillot. 

a^.  Tail  not  longer  than  wings,  its  feathers  all  brown  with  fine  black  bars. 

Subgenus  Th^yothorus.     T.  ludovicianus  (Lath.).     298 

a^.  Tail  longer  than  wings,  its  feathers  mostly  blackish,  the  middle  one  grayish) 

barred.     Subgenus  Thryomanes  Sclater.  T.  bewickii  (And.).     299 


Carolina  Wren. 
Subgenus  Thryothorus. 

^298.     (718).    Thryothorus  ludovicianus  (Lath.). 

Carolina  Wren. 
Synonyms,  Great  Carolina  Wren,  Mocking  Wren,  Large  Wood  Wren. 

Exposed  portion  of  the  bill  shorter  than  the  head.  Above,  reddish- 
brown,  most  vivid  on  the  ramp;  a  whitish  streak  over  the  eye,  bor- 
dered above  with  dark  brown;  throat,  whitish;  rest  of  under  parts, 
pale  yellow-rusty,  darkest  toward  the  under  tail-coverts,  which  are 
conspicuously  barred  with  black;  exposed  surface  of  wings  and  tail 
(including  the  upper  coverts),  barred  throughout  with  brown,  the 
outer  edges  of  tail  feathers  and  quills  showing  series  of  alternating 
whitish  and  dusky  spots;  legs,  flesh-colored.    (B.  B.  and  E.) 

Length,  5.^5-6.00;  wing,  2.18-2.50;  tail,  1.80-2.35. 

Range. — Northeastern  Mexico  and  United  States  east  of  Plains: 
north  to  Nebraska,  southern  Michigan,  southern  Ontario  and  Con- 
necticut.    Resident  throughout  its  range. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1115 

Nest,  in  woods  and  thickets,  in  hollows  and  cavities  in  logs,  stumps, 
and  trees,  or  in  and  about  buildings;  of  grass,  straw,  moss  and  leaves. 
Eggs,  4-6;  white  or  creamy- white,  sometimes  pinkish,  thickly  spotted, 
principally  about  the  larger  end,  with  reddish-brown;  .75  by  .58. 

The  Carolina  Wren  is  the  largest  Wren  in  the  eastern  United  States. 
It  is  an  abundant  resident  in  southern  Indiana,  decreasing  in  num- 
bers from  there  northward  in  some  localities,  notably  the  northwestern 
and  the  east  central  portion  of  the  State,  almost  or  entirely  wanting. 
;N"orthward  in  some  places  they  are  only  reported  as  stragglers  or  sum- 
mer residents,  while  elsewhere  they  also  occur  in  winter.  They  are 
abundant  north,  at  least  to  Knox  (Chansler)  and  Franklin  counties, 
where  they  are,  if  any  difference,  more  numerous  in  winter.  They  are 
common  as  far  as  Terre  Haute  (Blatchley)  and  rather  common  at 
Bloomington  (Blatchley),  and  Lafayette  (L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test);  quite 
frequent  in  Morgan  County  (A.  M.  Hadley).  They  are  rare  at  Rich- 
mond (E.  Test),  Spearsville  (Barnett),  Greencastle  (Clearwaters),  Wa- 
bash (Wallace),  Carroll  County  (Evermann),  and  Michigan  City  (Byr- 
kit).  They  have  heretofore  been  rare  in  Dekalb  County,  but  Mrs. 
Hine  informs  me  they  are  increasing  in  numbers,  and  are  found  both 
winter  and  summer,  and  breed. 

At  Petersburg,  Mich.,  Mr.  Jerome  Trombley  noted  one  bird  in  May, 
1889,  and  he  said  he  had  seen  but  one  other  bird  in  a  period  of  fifteen 
years;  and  in  1892  a  pair  nested  there.  There  is  a  general  increase  in 
their  numbers  and  extension  of  their  range.  May  19,  1887,  I  found 
them  in  Parke  County.  Mr.  V.  H.  Barnett  reports  them  tolerably 
common  in  Vermillion  and  Warren  counties  in  August  and  September, 
1897.  The  winter  of  1895-6  for  about  four  weeks  from  February  27 
to  March  24,  1896,  these  Wrens  seemed  to  all  be  absent,  about  Brook- 
ville.  Other  years  they  have  stayed  through  the  severest  weather, 
even  perishing  from  cold.  January  4,  1884, 1  found  one  frozen.  They 
frequent  both  town  and  country.  Ten  to  fifteen  years  ago  this  was 
the  House  Wren  of  the  Whitewater  Valley.  They  nested  more  often 
about  houses  and  outbuildings  than  in  thickets,  brush  piles,  fence  cor- 
ners and  fallen  timber.  !N'ow  it  is  changed.  Bewick^s  Wren  has  ap- 
peared upon  the  scene  and  has  became  the  domestic  Wren. 

They  remain  paired  throughout  the  year,  and  the  breeding  season 
appears  to  extend  almost  the  year  around.  I  have  known  them  to 
begin  singing  February  3  (1892),  and  mate  at  once.  March  1,  1889, 
I  found  them  house-hunting.  In  1884  a  pair  built  their  nest  in  a 
fleece  of  wool  that  hung  on  the  back  porch  of  my  house,  within  two 
feet  of  the  door.  The  nest  was  begun  March  13,  was  almost  finished 
March  19,  contained  one  egg  March  23;  the  fifth  and  last  Qgg  was 


1116  Eeport  of  State  GtEologist. 

laid  March  29.  The  bird  began  sitting  March  30;  four  eggs  were 
hatched  April  11,  and  the  young  left  the  nest  April  25. 

Mr.  G.  E.  King  informs  me  of  a  pair  that  two  successive  years  nested 
in  the  winter  in  a  box  beneath  a  shed  adjoining  his  drug  store  in 
Brookville.  Both  years  he  examined  the  nest.  They  had  four  eggs 
about  December  1,  1895.  The  same  site  had  been  used  the  three 
preceding  springs. 

The  Carolina  Wren  has  several  songs.  It  is  a  noisy  bird  at  all 
times  of  the  year,  and  one  or  another  of  its  efforts  may  be  heard  any 
day  that  is  bright  and  cheerful,  and  even  at  times  when  the  clouds  are 
dark  and  lowering  this  energetic  little  fellow  would  whistle  good 
cheer  into  one's  cheerless  feelings. 

Kurs-t  is  its  common  exclamation.  Whee-o-now,  whee-o-now,  or  Jew- 
Pet-er.,  Jew-Pet-er,  may  give  some  idea  of  the  elements  of  its  best- 
known  song.  This  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  song  of  the  Mary- 
land Yellow-throat.  It  also  has  a  rendering  with  four  notes,  which  a 
little  boy  once  interpreted:  '^McJc-'er  moth-er,  kick-er  mother'' 
Again,  its  notes  seem  to  say,  sweet-heart,  sweet-heart,  reminding  one 
somewhat  of  the  louder  whistling  of  the  Cardinal.  He  is  just  as  active 
as  he  is  tuneful,  and  will  not  stay  long  in  the  neighborhood  without 
making  himself  known.  A  large  part  of  the  food  of  this  bird  is  insects 
and  spiders.  It  searches  logs,  stumps,  fences,  among  the  bushes  of 
gardens  and  yards,  wood  piles,  outbuildings,  everywhere  diligently 
looking  for  insects.  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  told  me  of  a  pair  of  the  birds 
that  frequented  his  premises  a  few  winters  ago  and  became  very  tame. 
In  January  he  was  splitting  some  honey  locust  logs  and  the  Wrens, 
which  sat  within  three  feet  of  him,  would  hop  down  among  the  sticks 
when  they  were  split  and  pick  out  the  larvne  that  infested  them. 

Subgenus  Thryomanbs  Selater. 

*299.    (719).    Thryothorus  bewickii  (Aud.). 

Bewick's  Wren. 
Synonyms,  Long-tailed  House  Wken,  Long-tailed  Wren. 

Adult. — Above,  dark  cinnamon-brown;  tail,  long,  middle  feathers, 
grayish,  barred  with  black;  outer  feathers,  black,  marked  with  whitish; 
rump,  with  concealed  white  spots;  secondaries  only,  barred  with  black; 
line  over  the  eye,  white;  below,  ashy. 

Length,  5.00-5.50;  wing,  2.05-2.25;  tail,  2.10-2.40. 

Range. — Eastern  United  States,  from  Texas  and  Georgia  to  eastern 
Kansas,  eastern  Nebraska,  southern  Minnesota,  southern  Michigan, 
southern  Ohio.     Rare  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  where  it  occurs  north 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1117 

to  Maryland  and  Delaware.  Breeds  throughout  its  range.  Winters 
from  southern  Illinois  south. 

Nest,  almost  anywhere  about  buildings,  fences,  brush  piles,  logs, 
etc.;  of  ^ass,  straw,  sticks,  etc.  Eggs^  5-9;  white,  sometimes  pinkish, 
with  fine  specks  of  reddish-brown  and  lavender;  .67  by  .50. 

Bewick^s  Wren  is  a  common  summer  resident  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  southern  Indiana  and  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley,  at 
least,  north  to  Knox  County,  is  a  resident,  though  much  rarer  in 
winter.  They  frequent  to  some  extent,  fence  rows,  more  open  timber 
land,  thickets  and  orchards,  but  in  many  localities  outside  the  breeding 
range  of  the  House  Wren  have  become  the  "House  Wren."  At  Brook- 
ville  they  now  occupy  that  position,  which  was  held  formerly  by  the 
Carolina  Wren,  and  nest  about  buildings  and  fences,  woodpiles,  in  short, 
in  all  such  places  as  a  Wren  would  select.  The  recent  extension  of  the 
range  of  this  species  is  notable.  In  1879  Dr.  Wheaton  announces  it 
had  not  been  authentically  reported  from  Ohio  (Birds  of  0.,  p.  230); 
it  was  unknown  to  him  that  Mr.  Chas.  Dury  took  it  that  year  at 
Cincinnati.  It  was  almost  wholly  unknown  in  Franklin  County,  Ind., 
until  recent  years.  In  1869  Dr.  Eufus  Haymond  had  seen  but  a  few 
specimens.  None  were  noted  from  that  year  until  1877,  when  Mr. 
E.  R.  Quick  identified  several  specimens.  From  that  date  to  1881, 
an  occasional  one  was  seen.  Since  the  last  mentioned  year,  however, 
when  they  became  common,  they  have  been  annually  increasing  in 
number,  and  now  they  are  abundant.  The  spring  of  1897,  I  found 
six  pairs  breeding  in  an  area  of  one-half  mile  by  a  mile,  in  Brookville. 
Up  to  1890  it  had  reached  Vigo  and  Putnam  counties,  where  it  was 
rather  common,  and  had  been  reported  from  Marion  County.  North 
of  the  points  named  it  was  unknown. 

It  was  first  noted  at  Lafayette  in  1890,  where  a  pair  bred  (Dr.  F.  C. 
Test),  and  they  became  common  in  1892  (L,  A.  and  C.  D.  Test). 
They  were  first  reported  from  Wabash  in  1891,  and  were  common  in 
1S94  (Wallace).  One  was  seen  at  Springport,  Henry  County,  April 
29,  1894  (Williamson).  They  were  first  reported  and  said  to  breed 
at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  May  15  and  16,  1894.  They  were  still  rare  there 
in  1897  (Trombley).  The  first  record  from  Richmond,  Ind.,  is  in  the 
spring  of  1S97,  and  it  is  given  as  rare  (Hadley).  I  believe  they  are 
extending  their  winter  residence  northward,  and  beyond  that  limit 
the  date  of  their  spring  migration  is  becoming  earlier.  They  were 
not  observed  at  Brookville  from  1877  to  1888  before  April  1,  but 
in  1889  they  appeared  March  1,  and  were  common  by  March  7.  Since 
then  they  have  generally  appeared  in  March.  They  usually  arrive 
wherever  found  in  this  State  before  the  middle  of  April.     They  mate 


1118  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

soon  after  arrival,  in  fact,  some  years  arrive  mated.  I  have  seen 
them  looking  for  a  nest  site  March  25  (1897).  Prof.  Shannon  found 
a  nest  containing  one  egg  at  Greensburg,  April  12,  1896,  and  I  have 
fonnd  young  just  out  of  the  nest  early  in  July.  They  return  every 
night  to  roost  in  the  nest  after  they  are  able  to  fly.  The  period  of 
incubation  is  fourteen  days.  They  persistently  return  to  the  same 
nesting  place.  Mr.  John  Wright,  of  Bartholomew  County,  told  me 
of  a  pair  that  nested  on  an  old  mantel  in  a  deserted  house  three  years 
in  succession.  The  first  two  years  they  built  in  a  tin  can,  but  the 
third  year,  that  having  been  removed,  they  built  on  the  mantel.  Mr. 
E.  R.  Quick  informs  me  in  1897,  at  his  house,  a  pair  nested  and  reared 
their  first  brood  of  six  in  a  gourd.  The  second  set  of  5  eggs  were 
laid  in  a  ball  of  twine  in  a  binder.  Then  the  female  was  interrupted. 
She  laid  another  set  of  six  in  the  gourd  first  occupied;  with  these 
were  put  the  five  found  in  the  binder,  and  out  of  the  eleven  were 
hatched  eight  young,  making  a  total  of  fourteen  young  hatched  by  one 
pair  of  Wrens  in  a  season.  The  same  cA^reful  observer  in  the  spring 
of  1891  found  a  pair  building  a  nest  in  the  drawbar  of  a  freight  car, 
which  was  standing  on  a  siding  at  Brookville.  Their  songs  were 
heard  at  Brookville  March  30,  1896,  and  in  1897  continued  until 
August  30.  In  fact,  one  sang  a  few  notes  October  14,  1897,  which 
is  the  latest  I  have  found  them  in  the  fall.  They  have  a  finer  rattling 
note  than  that  uttered  by  the  Carolina  Wren.  The  common  alarm  note 
is  plit.  It  has  several  songs,  all  accompanied  by  a  greater  or  less  num- 
ber of  stridulations.  I  give  a  few  attempts  to  interpret  its  songs. 
But  I  must  confess  that  often  the  attempted  interpretations  by  others 
convey  no  meaning  to  me.  One  song  I  have  written  chip,  chip,  chip, 
te-da-a,  te-dee;  another,  cheep,  cheep,  che-we-e-e-e.  A  third  song  sounds 
something  like  luhee-to-weet,  a-her,  che-chee;  while  one  of  its  most  famil- 
iar efforts  seems  to  be  expressed  by  cliicl;  clich,  for  me-K  for  you. 
They,  too,  are  great  insect  catchers. 

169.    Genus  TROGLODYTES  Vieillot. 

a^.  Wings  folded  nt>t  reaching  end  of  tail.     Subgenus  Troglodytes. 
6^.  Above  umber  brown  ;  back  usually  indistinctly  barred. 

T.  aedonVieill.    300 
6^.  Above  grayish  brown  ;  back  usually  distinctly  barred. 

T.  aedon  aztecus  Baird.     301 
a^.  Wings  folded  reaching  nearly  or  quite  to  end  of  tail. 

Subgenus  Anorthoura  Rennie.     T.  hiemalis  Vieill.     302 


Birds  of  Indiana. 


1119 


Subgenus  Troglodytes. 

^300.    (721).    Troglodytes  sedon  (Vieill.). 

House  Wren. 
Synonym,  Short- tailed  House  Wren. 

^f0     !.  .  :M:i>fyi 


House  Wren. 
(Judd.— Year  Book,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895,  p.  417.) 

Adult. — Above,  umber-brown,  the  head  darker,  rump  and  tail. decid- 
edly rusty;  back  usually  with  indistinct  dusky  bars  (sometimes  entirely 
wanting);  wings  and  tail,  distinctly  barred;  rump  with  concealed  white 
dot;  an  indistinct  stripe  over  the  eye;  sides  of  head,  whitish;  below, 
whitish  or  grayish,  often  shaded  with  brown;  sides  and  under  tail 
coverts,  barred  with  dusky. 

Length,  4.35-5.25;  wing,  1.90-2.15;  tail,  1.72-2.08;  bill,  .46-.52. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Gulf  Coast  to  Maine  and 
Ontario,  west  to  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri  and  Texas.  Breeds  from 
central  Indiana,  central  Illinois,  southern  Ohio  and  District  of  Colum- 
bia, north;  also  in  Florida.     Winters  chiefly  south  of  lat.  35°. 

Nest,  preferably  about  buildings,  in  a  hole  or  box.  Eggs,  7-9; 
white,  thickly  spotted  with  reddish-brown;  .65  by  .50. 

The  House  Wren  is  known  over  much  of  southern  Indiana  only 
as  a  migrant,  and  there  may  be  found  in  thickets,  along  fences,  about 


1120  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

drift  piles  or  the  fringing  vegetation  of  our  streams.  They  are  com- 
mon summer  residents,  and  breed  at  Eichmond,  Connersville,  Indian- 
apolis, Spearsville,  Greencastle,  Sullivan,  Terre  Haute,  Wheatland  and 
Yincennes.  North  of  that  line,  except  in  the  extreme  northwestern 
part  of  the  State,  they  breed  commonly,  but  south  of  it  rarely  nest. 
Mrs.  Hine  informs  me  they  first  appeared  in  Dekalb  County  in  1883, 
and  are  now  common.  In  some  parts  of  the  State  it  is  local  in 
distribution.  I  know  of  two  instances  where  they  nested  at  Brook- 
ville,  and  Prof.  Evermann  informs  me  they  are  rare  summer  rcvsidents 
at  Bloomington. 

Mr.  Robert  Eidgway  informs  me  that  this  is  the  species  occurring 
in  the  vicinity  of  Wheatland  and  Yincennes,  where  Bewick's  Wren 
is  also  found  commonly,  but  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  this  species  does  not 
occur,  and  its  place  is  taken  by  Bewick's  Wren.  In  general  they  may 
be  said  to  breed  north  of  the  range  of  the  latter  species.  They  are 
said  to  winter  north  to  southern  Illinois,  and  may  possibly  be  found 
at  that  season  along  our  southern  border.  They  migrate  a  little  later 
than  the  last  mentioned  species.  The  earliest  date  at  hand  is  from 
Brookville,  March  11,  1-887;  the  latest  at  that  station,  April  28,  1883.' 
At  Spearsville,  they  appeared  March  14,  1897,  March  29,  1895;  Yigo 
County,  April  2,  1896,  April  6,  1897;  Sedan,  April  13,  1894,  May  4, 
1895;  Laporte,  March  31,  1896,  April  4,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  April  27, 
1896;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  xipril  24,  1897,  May  5,  1888.  They  rear 
two. broods  in  a  season.  In  selection  of  nesting  sites  and  in  many  of 
their  habits  they  are  similar  to  the  last  mentioned  species.  These 
are  much  more  persistent  birds.  At  times  it  seems  that  no  amount 
of  discouragement  will  turn  them  from  their  plans.  Mr.  A.  H.  Ken- 
drick  informs  me  of  one  which  persistently  attempted  to  build  its 
nest  in  a  pump  spout  at  Edwards.  He  also  tells  me  of  another  one 
that  built  her  nest  in  the  air  shaft  of  a  coal  mine,  but  the  eggs  did 
not  hatch.  The  reason  he  suggests  is  that  they  were  chilled  by  the 
cold  air  blasts.  Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  found  them  building 
April  29,  1892.  Mr.  J.  0.  Snyder  reported  one  breeding  April  20, 
1886,  at  Waterloo.  On  the  other  hand,  I  found  them  breeding  at 
Brookville,  July  3,  1888.  The  song  begins  soon  after  arrival,  and 
Mr.  Bicknell  says  it  is  sometimes  continued  until  August.  It  is  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  other  Wrens,  yet  the  listener  is  impressed  when 
he  first  hears  that  no  bird  other  than  a  Wren  could  sing  such  a  song. 
It  is  very  sprightly,  consisting  of  a  few  loud  notes,  followed  by  an 
exceedingly  melodious  trill.  The  decision  of  those  who  have  studied 
its  foods  is  that  the  House  Wren  is  entirely  beneficial.  Mr.  Sylvester 
D.  Judd  says  of  52  specimens  examined,  92  per  cent,  of  their  food 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  1121 

was  insects  and  their  allies,  and  only  2  per  cent,  was  vegetable  (Year 
Book  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  1895,  pp.  416-418).  It  pays  to  put  up 
boxes  and  other  nesting  sites  for  these  and  other  friendly  birds.  They 
are  thus  encouraged  to  build  about  homes  and  gardens  and  in  orchards, 
where  their  usefulness  is  greatly  increased.  They  leave  in  September, 
but  occasionally  linger  into  October.  In  1894  the  last  one  was  ob- 
served at  Plymouth,  Mich.,  September  19;  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  Sep- 
tember 26;  Warren  County,  Ind.,  September  11,  1897.  In  1886  they 
were  found  migrating  at  Brookville,  September  8,  and  in  1897  one 
was  seen  as  late  as  October  5.  Mr.  Kidgway  notes  that,  in  a  pair 
observed,  nest  building  occupied  12  days;  egg  laying,  8  days;  incuba- 
tion, about  14  days,  and  14  days  later  the  young  left  the  nest  (B.  of 
111.,  I.,  p.  96). 

301.    (7216).    Troglodytes  aedon  aztecus  Baird. 

Western  House  Wren. 

Similar  to  T.  aedon,  but  "above  rather  grayish-brown,  the  rump 
and  tail  slightly  more  rusty,  and  the  back  and  rump  generally  very 
distinctly  barred  ^ith  dusky  (very  rarely  plain)"  (Ridgway).  Averag- 
ing larger. 

Length,  4.25-5.25;  wing,  2.00-2.25;  tail,  1.85-2.12;  bill,  .45-.55. 

Eange. — Western  North  America,  except  Pacific  Coast,  from  Mex- 
co  (State  of  Vera  Cruz)  to  Manitoba  and  Great  Slave  Lake;  east  to 
Minnesota,  Illinois  and  Indiana.     Winters  from  Texas,  south. 

Nest  and  eggs  similar  to  the  last. 

The  Western  House  Wren  ranges  into  northwestern  Indiana  and, 
perhaps,  other  portions  of  the  State,  where  there  were  originally 
prairies,  and  is  there  a  summer  resident.  It  seems  to  be  bspecsull^ 
attracted  to  prairie  districts.  Mr.  Ridgway  notes  this  form  from 
Illinois  also,  where  he  tells  me  the  House  Wrens  he  has  seen  from 
the  prairie  region — Richland  County,  about  thirty  miles  west  of  Vin- 
cennes,  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  etc. — are  this  form,  while  at  Mt. 
Carmel,  111.,  and  Vincennes,  Ind.,  the  House  Wrens  are  the  eastern 
form.  Farther  north  in  Indiana,  where  the  country  is  more  of^n, 
he  should  expect  to  find  aztecus. 

Specimens  from  Vigo  County  are  of  the  eastern  form. 

Mr.  F.  M.  Woodruft',  of  Chicago,  informs  me  that  two  pairs  fiiken 
near  Hammond,  Ind.,  June  4,  1897,  were  submitted  to  Prof.  J.  A. 
Allen  for  examination.  He  writes  they  agree  with  T.  ce.  aztecus,  even 
comparing  them  with  specimens  from  Arizona.  The  birds  were  nest- 
ing in  an  old  stump  within  fifty  yards  of  the  electric  street  car  line, 

71 — Geol. 


1122  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

about  half  way  between  Hammond  and  Roby.  Specimens  from  north- 
western Indiana,  also  from  farther  south  along  the  western  border  of 
the  State,  are  desirable,  in  order  that  the  limits  of  the  range  of  this 
form  may  be  determined.  Doubtless  in  some  localities  both  forms 
will  be  found. 

« 

Subgenus  Axorthura  Rennie. 

302.     (722).    Troglodytes  hyemalis  Vieill. 

Winter  Wren. 
Synonym,  Bunty  Wren. 


Winter  Wren. 

Adult. — Deep  brown  above,  darkest  on  the  head,  brightest  on  the 
rump  and  tail;  obscurely  waved  with  dusky,  and  sometimes  with 
whitish  also;  tail  like  rump;  -wings,  dusky,  edged  with  color  of  back, 
and  dark  barred;  several  outer  primaries  also  whitish  barred;  a  super- 
ciliary line  and  obscure  streaks  on  sides  of  head  and  neck,  whitish; 
below,  pale  brown;  belly,  flanks  and  under  tail  coverts,  strongly  barred 
with  dusky  (Mcll wraith). 

Length,  3.50-4.12;  wing,  1.75-2.00;  tail,  1.15-1.40. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America.  Breeds  from  mountains  of 
North  Carolina,  Ohio,  Michigan,  Illinois  and  Iowa,  northward.  Win- 
ters from  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Ohio,  south  to  the  Gulf  States. 

Nest,  in  dehse  woods,  about  logs  or  overthrown  trees;  a  ball  of  moss, 
lined  with  feathers  or  fur.  Eggs,  5-7;  white,  with  reddish-brown 
spots;  .69  by  .50. 

The  Winter  Wren  is  a  common  migrant,  and  over  the  southern 
half  of  Indiana,  at  least,  is  a  winter  resident.  It  frequents  all  sorts 
of  places — woods,  thickets,  bushy  fence  rows,  dark  ravines,  and  even 
at  times  orchards,  outbuildings  and  woodpiles.     I  have  seen  both  this 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1123 

and  the  Carolina  Wren  about  my  woodhouse  at  the  same  time.  There 
are  four  Wrens,  then,  that  are  seen  about  onr  homes.  The  large 
reddish-brown  one — the  largest  one  we  have — ^is  the  Carolina  Wren. 
The  dark  brown,  slim,  long-tailed  one  is  Bewick^s  Wren,  The  dark 
brown,  slim,  short-tailed  one  is  the  House  Wren,  and  the  little  bunty 
Wren  that  apparently  has  almost  no  tail  is  the  Winter  Wren. 

They  begin  to  arrive  from  their  breeding  ground,  a  little  farther 
north,  in  September.  Over  most  of  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
they  are  almost,  or  entirely  wanting  during  the  coldest  months,  but 
farther  south  they  are  to  be  found  all  winter,  some  years  scarce,  some 
years  common.  They  are  reported  as  winter  residents  as  far  north  as 
the  following  places :  Brookville,  Moore^s  Hill,  Greensburg,  Blooming- 
ton,  Greencastle,  Carroll  County.  It  probably  sometimes  winters  in 
Wabash  County  (Ulrey  and  Wallace,  I.  A.  S.,  1895,  p.  158).  They 
arrived  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  28,  1896,  and  the  latest  date 
reported  is  October  12, 1895.  At  Sedan,  Ind.,  they  arrived  September 
19,  1894,  and  were  seen  there  November  6,  1889.  They  were  noted 
at  Lafayette  September  13,  1894,  which  is  the  earliest  appearance  in 
the  State.  They  arrived  at  Warren  County,  September  22,  1897;  at 
Brookville,  October  8,  1885;. at  Greensburg,  October  7,  1894;  at  Bick- 
nell,  October  3,  1894;  at  Bloomington,  October  4,  1885.  The  last 
record  in  the  spring  from  Bicknell  is  April  16,  1881;  Greensburg, 
April  2,  1895;  Brookville,  April  16,  1881;  Bloomington,  April  18, 
1885;  Sedan,  April  11,  1894;  Lafayette,  April  21,  1897;  Irvington, 
April  29,  1889;  Eichmond,  May  5,  1897. 

This  Wren  has  been  found  breeding  in  Ohio  (Wheaton);  in  Mich-  * 
igan  (Cook);  Ontario  (McIlwTaith),  and  Illinois,  where  Mr.  H.  A. 
Klein    says    he    took  a  nest    near  Polo  (W.  W.  Cooke,  Bird  Mig., 
Miss.  Valley,  p.  273). 

Prof.  Evermann  thinks  it  breeds  in  Carroll  County  (The  Auk,  Jan., 
1889,  p.  29).  They  are  quiet  usually.  The  only  sound  heard  with 
us  is  a  cliurr.  But  at  their  breeding  grounds  they  sing  a  pretty  song. 
They  are  most  often  seen  when  one  is  quiet,  about  a  pile  of  river 
drift,  a  stone  wall  in  a  thicket,  a  windfall  in  the  forest,  the  exposed 
tree  roots  and  fallen  brush  along  a  ravine.  There  the  little  investi- 
gator may  be  seen  diligently  looking  for  its  meal.  This  it  expects  to 
make  up  of  insects,  and  it  has  selected  a  spot  where  they  may  be 
found  with  least  effort.  Ants,  caterpillars,  beetles,  dragon  flies,  moths, 
spiders,  flies  and  larvae  have  been  found  forming  their  food. 


1124  Report  of  State  Geologist. 


170.    Uknus  CISTOTHORUS  Cabants. 


a^.  Bill  about  half  as  long  as  head;  no  white  stripe  over  eye. 

Subgenus  CiSTOTHORUS.     C.  stellaris  (Licht.).     303 

a^.  Bill  slender,  about  as  long  as  head;  a  conspicuous  white  stripe  over  the  eye. 

Subgenus  Telmatodytes  Cabanis.     C.  palustris  (Wils,).     304 

Subgenus  Cistothobus. 

303.     (724).     Cistothorus  stellaris  (Light.). 

Short-billed  Marsh  Wren. 

Adult. — Bill  very  slender,  less  than  a  half  inch  long;  "dark  brown 
above;  crown  and  middle  of  the  back,  blackish,  nearly  everywhere 
conspicuously  streaked  with  white;  below,  buffy- white,  shading  into 
pale  brown  on  the  sides  and  behind;  wings  and  tail,  barred  with 
blackish  and  light  brown;  flanks,  barred  ^dth  dusky;  throat  and  mid- 
dle of  belly,  whitish"  (Mcll wraith). 

Length,  3.75-4.50;  wing,  1.72-1.90;  tail,  1.58-1.70;  bill,  .40. 

Range. — North  America,  east  of  Plains,  from  Gulf  States  to  south- 
em  New  Hampshire,  Ontario  and  western  Manitoba.  Breeds  locally 
throughout  its  range.     Winters  from  Gulf  States,  south. 

Nest,  in  wild  grass,  12  to  18  inches  in  height,  or  on  ground; 
placed  8  to  10  inches  from  top  of  grass;  globular,  hole  in  side,  made 
of  dried  grass,  lined  with  down  of  cat-tails  or  other  plants;  the  grow- 
ing grass  so  woven  over  and  around  it  that  it  is  hard  to  see.  Eggs, 
5-8;  white,  unmarked;  .63  by  .45.     Two  broods. 

The  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren  is  a  migrant  and  summer  resident. 
It  breeds  in  restricted  localities,  where  the  marshes  are  suitable,  and 
in  places  is  found  in  some  numbers.  It  is  much  more  numerous  in 
the  northwestern  portion  of  the  State.  They  have  been  found  breed- 
ing in  Putnam  County.  In  the  Whitewater  Valley  I  have  only  found 
it  once.  September  22  and  23,  1879,  I  saw  several  and  took  two 
specimens  from  a  swampy  hollow  about  three  miles  from  Brookville. 
Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  informs  me  a  nest  of  this  species,  containing 
eggs,  was  taken  by  an  employe  of  their  club  at  English  Lake,  the 
spring  of  1889.  In  the  collection  of  Mr.  G.  Fream  Morcom,  Los 
Angeles,  Gal.,  is  a  set  of  five  eggs  of  this  Wren  taken  at  Davis  Station, 
Ind.,  June  3,  1887.  Mr.  L.  A.  Test,  of  Lafayette,  has  received  an  egg 
of  this  kind  from  Mr.  B.  F.  Beekman,  who  took  it  from  a  nest  near 
Bi'unswick,  Lake  County,  in  the  summer  of  1893.  Three  nests  were 
found  in  the  rank  grass  along  a  small  ditch  when  they  were  making 
hay.  I  am  indebted  to  my  friend,  Mr.  B.  T.  Gault,  of  Glen  Ellyn, 
111.,  for  the  following  very  carefully  prepared  notes  on  the  Short-billed 


Birds  OF  Indiana.  ♦       1125 

Marsh  Wren:  "This  spring  (1889)  I  made  the  following  observations 
on  the  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren:  June  3,  several  were  noted  in  the 
grassy  marshes  near  Sheffield,  Ind.,  and  two  adult  birds  were  taken 
that  day.  I  was  at  first  attracted  by  their  song,  which  is  altogether 
different  from  that  of  C.  palustris. 

"In  the  manner  of  delivery  it  forcibly  reminds  one  of  the  song  of 
the  Dickcissel  (Spiza,  americana),  although,  of  course,  it  wgfe  not 
near  as  loud.  They  were  quite  shy,  but  would  allow  one  to  approach 
within  forty  or  fifty  feet  of  them,  when  they  would  dart  down  into 
the  thick  grass,  from  which  it  was  almost  impossible  to  dislodge  them. 
The  specimens  that  I  secured  were  shot  from  small  bushes  on  the 
edge  of  marsh,  these  being  the  favorite  stands  occupied  by  the  males 
in  song.  Their  stomachs  contained  the  remains  of  small  beetles  and 
other  insects;  testes  were  greatly  swollen. 

.  "Nine  (9)  birds  in  all  were  seen  and  heard  that  day,  and  which 
no  doubt  were  nest  building.  On  June  14,  I  again  visited  the  same 
locality.  Some  new  and  last  year's  nests  were  found,  and  three  or 
four  pairs  were  apparently  nesting  there.  Like  all  Wrens,  I  found 
them  to  have  a  very  irascible  disposition,  and  they  scolded  me  con- 
tinually while  I  was  nest  hunting.  My  efforts,  however,  to  secure 
eggs  were  unsuccessful. 

"Several  old  nests  examined  were  found  to  be  lined  with  pieces  of 
wasps'  nests,  bog  moss  and  vegetable  substances.  June  28,  I  visited 
the  marsh  again,  and  soon  I  learned  to  my  regret  that  I  had  overlooked 
the  nests  containing  eggs  on  my  last  visitation  (June  14),  but  which 
at  that  period  even  would  have  been  of  little  use  to  me,  considering 
the  advanced  state  of  eggs  and  their  extreme  fragility.  I  found  in 
their  stead  that  at  least  one  brood  had  hatched,  one  young  a  day  or 
two  from  the  nest  being  taken.  Another  was  discovered,  but  which 
succeeded  in  getting  away  from  me  in  the  thick,  rank  grass.  It  was 
quite  a  while  before  I  successfully  located  these  little  fellows,  although 
they  were  chipping  around,  seemingly  within  a  foot  or  two  of  me, 
for  some  time,  and  at  least  a  half  hour  was  consumed  in  the  search 
before  I  was  fully  rewarded  with  the  capture  of  one.  Two  (2)  new 
nests,  evidently  prepared  for  the  second  brood,  were  found,  and  a 
piece  of  shell  from  one  egg  Just  hatched  was  picked  up  in  an  adjoining 
marsh  the  same  day.  This  species  is  a  clever  creeper  in  the  dense 
grass,  and  is  able  to  move  around  at  a  lively  rate  without  showing 
itself"  (Jan.  18,  1892). 

Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  writes  me  that  he  found  them  in  the  marshes  bor- 
dering sloughs  in  Lake  County  in  May,  1871. 


1126        •  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Hancock  informs,  me  it  was  noted  at  Hammond,  April 
9,  1887,  by  Mr.  Graham  Davis.  Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  has  twice  reported 
it  from  Lake  County:  May  9,  1877,  and  July  4,  1881.  July  24,  1894, 
Mr.  Alexander  Black  obtained  a  pair  of  these  birds  from  among  the 
sedge  about  an  old  mill  pond,  near  Greencaetle.  From  the  actions 
of  the  bird,  he  suspected  a  nest.  The  next  day  he  found  a  nest  after 
some  Search.  It  was  built  in  a  bunch  of  grass  about  eighteen  inches 
above  the  ground.  The  nest  was  made  of  grass  blades  worked  into 
the  form  of  a  ball,  and  was  covered  with  the  "saw  grass"  blades  which 
had  been  drawn  and  fastened  upon  the  nest.  There  was  a  small 
opening  in  the  side.  The  nest  was  freshly  built  and  contained  no 
eggs.  From  July  24  to  September  6,  several  young  Marsh  Wrens 
were  taken  there,  some  of  them  just  able  to  fly.  On  the  last  date 
mentioned,  he  and  Mr.  Jesse  Earlle  found  a  nest  and  one  addled  egg. 
Once  before,  during  migration,  these  birds  had  been  taken  in  that 
county. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Slonaker  reports  it  from  Vigo  County,  May  8,  1889. 

Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  noted  it  April  24,  1888,  from  Dekalb  County. 

Subgenus  Tklmathodytks  Cabanis. 

*304.      725)     Cistothorus  paluatris  (WiLs.). 

LiGng-billed  Iffiarsh.  Wren. 

Adult. — Bill  over  a  half  inch  long;  "dark  brown  above;  crown  and 
middle  of  the  back,  blackish,  nearly  everywhere  conspicuously  streaked 
with  white;  below,  buify- white,  shading  into  pale  brown  on  the  sides 
and  behind;  wings  and  tail,  barred  with  blackish  and  light  brown; 
flanks,  barred  with  dusky;  throat  and  middle  of  belly,  whitish''  (Mc- 
nwraith). 

Length,  4.25-5.50;  wing,  1.80-2.12;  tail,  1.60-1.90;  bill,  .54. 

Eange. — Eastern  I^^orth  America,  from  eastern  Mexico  north  to 
Massachusetts,  Ontario  and  Manitoba;  west  to  Rocky  Mountains. 
Breeds  locally  from  Gulf  coast,  north.  Winters  from  South  Carolina, 
south. 

Nest,  an  oblong  ball  of  marsh  grass-,  sometimes  plastered  with  mud, 
attached  to  reeds,  usually  above  the  water,  lined  with  fine  grass  or 
vegetable  down.  Bggs,  6-10;  chocolate-brown,  sometimes  marked 
with  darker  brown;  .66  by  .46. 

The  Long-billed  Marsh  Wren  is  an'  abundant  resident  wherever 
there  are  marshes.     Elsewhere  it  is  only  a  migrant  and  is  rarely  seen. 

Throughout  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  and  along  the  Wabash 
Yallev,  wherever  there  are  suitable  localities,  it  breeds  in  numbers. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1127 

I  do  not  know  that  it  has  been  found  elsewhere  breeding  in  southern 
or  central  Indiana.  Along  the  Whitewater  Valley  I  have  occasionally 
seen  it  among  the  bushes  fringing  the  streams,  and  even  creeping  about 
among  the  river  drift  that  had  accumulated  in  piles  from  some  pre- 
vious freshet.  They  are  reported  to  occasionally  winter  as  far  north 
as  southern  Illinois.  In  Indiana,  the  earliest  date  I  have  is  from 
Terre  Haute,  April  12,  1890.  At  Brookville  I  have  taken  it  April 
27,  1887,  and  May  10,  1885.  At  Bloomington  it  was  noted  May  13, 
1886;  Richmond,  May  17,  1897;  Dekalb  County,  May  12,  1890,  May 
20,  1897;  Chicago,  111.,  April  15,  1886,  May  26,  1897. 

They  have  nothing  to  draw  them  aside  in  their  migration.  We 
see  only  the  occasional  straggler  which  falls  by  the  way.  The  bulk 
press  on  to  their  breeding  grounds,  where  also  they  get  their  favorite 
food.  Therefore,  the  probability  is  that,  could  we  carefully  observe 
their  favorite  grounds,  we  would  find  they  arrive  as  early,  possibly 
earlier  than  the  scattered  data  along  the  route  shows.  They  breed 
among  the  sedges,  grasses  of  marshy  places  and  among  the  reeds  in 
shoals  in  lakes.  They  are  not  confined  to  restricted  localities,  where 
a  small  company  breeds,  but  are  generally  distributed  among  the 
marshes  and  about  the  lakes.  They  often  build  quite  a  number  of 
nests  and  only  occupy  one.  Mr.  J.  Grafton  Parker  says:  "Hardly 
one  nest  in  twenty  contains  eggs.  The  birds  must  build  many  nests 
before  laying,  as  the  nests  are  much  more  plentiful  than  the  birds." 
This  observation  is  a  common  one,  though  the  number  of  false  nests 
varies.  Usually  from  six  to  a  dozen  have  been  found,  where  I  have 
examined  them,  to  one  that  was  occupied.  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  says: 
'Hi^iile  the  female  is  incubating,  the  male  is  constantly  employed 
upon  the  construction  of  several  unfinished  nests,  until  often  a  pair 
may  boast  the  possession  of  a  dozen  unoccupied  tenements"  (Bull. 
Essex  Inst.,  Vol.  VIIL,  1876,  p.  97).  The  last  of  May  I  have  found 
their  nests  in  Fulton  County,  apparently  completed,  but  containing 
no  eggs.  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane  has  found  them  breeding  abundantly 
at  English  Lake  in  June  and  July.  He  has  also  noted  them  building 
August  4,  1889.  They  raise  two  and  possibly  three  broods  in  a  sea- 
son. They  have  been  also  reported  as  breeding  in  the  following 
•counties:  Lake,  Laporte,  Dekalb,  Kosciusko,  Knox  and  Gibson  (Ridg- 
way),  and  Vigo  (Evermann).  The  return  migration  occurs  in  Sep- 
tember and  October.  They  were  last  recorded  from  Hillsdale,  Mich., 
September  24,  1894;  Cincinnati,  0.,  September  21,  1879;  Chicago, 
111.,  October  19,  1895; 'Lake  County,  Ind.,  October  16,  1896,  and 
Mr.  Deane  has  found  them  at  English  Lake  as  late  as  October  27. 


1128  Report  op  State  Geologist. 

They  have  a  scraping,  scolding  note  that  is  most  familiar  to  those 
who  intrude  upon  their  haunts,  but  also  sing  a  little  song  that  the 
casual  visitor  does  not  recognize. 

Mr.  Bicknell  says  they  cease  singing  early  in  August,  but  have  an- 
other song  period  in  September  or  October. 

XLIX.     Family  CERTHIID^.     Creepers. 

a^.  Characters  same  as  family.  Certhia.     171 

171.    Genus  CERTHIA  Linn.bus. 


Head,  foot  and  tail  feather  of  Brown  Creeper.    Natural  size. 

305.     (7i6).    Certhia  familiaris  americana  (Bonap.). 

Brown  Creeper. 

Adult. — Bill  about  the  length  of  the  head;  above,  dark  brown,  with 
a  slightly  rufous  shade,  each  feather  streaked  centrally,  but  not 
abruptly,  with  whitish;  rump,. rusty.  Beneath,  almost  silky  white; 
the  under  tail  coverts  with  a  faint  rusty  tinge;  a  white  streak  over 
the  eye;  the  ear  coverts  streaked  with  whitish;  tail  feathers,  brown 
centrally,  the  edges  paler  yellowish-brown;  wings  with  a  transverse 
bar  of  pale  reddish-white  across  both  webs  (B.  B.  and  R.). 

Length,  5.00-5.75;  wing,  2.40-2.70:  tail,  2.30-2.90. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Gulf  States,  north.  Breeds 
from  Minnesota,  Indiana,  Pennsylvania  and  Maine,  north. 

Nest,  under  loose  bark  of  dead  tree;  of  lichens,  usnea,  moss,  feath- 
ers, grass  and  rootlets.  Eggs,  5-6;  profusely  spotted  with  bright 
brown;  .60  by  .48. 

The  Brown  Creeper  is  a  very  common  migrant  throughout  the 
State.  It  is  an  irregular  winter  resident  in  all  parts  of  the  State, 
being  much  more  regular  and  some  winters  common  southward.  In 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  State  it  is  known  to  breed,  and  may 
be  there  a  rare  resident.  At  any  rate,  tbere  its  winter  range  and 
breeding  range  meet. 

This  Creeper  is  colored  so  near  the  markings  on  the  trees  that  few 
people  see  it,  and  to  most  persons  it  is  a  rare  bird.     When  its  piping 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1129 

notes  are  known,  one  realizes  that  before  he  was  often  in  a  woods 
peopled  with  interesting  birds,  but  beyond  occasionally  seeing  one  fly 
from  one  tree  to  another,  he  did  not  know  of  their  presence.  They 
usually  fly  from  a  higher  to  a  lower  place;  from  some  distance  up 
on  one  tree  to  near  the  ground  on  another,  and  then  begin  creeping 
over  the  trunk,  sometimes  ascending  in  an  approximately  straight  line, 
often  climbing  spirally,  going  several  times  around  the  tree  in  making 
the  ascent.  Mr.  William  Brewster  says  of  their  song  at  breeding 
time:  "Their  notes  are  varied  and  warbling,  and  somewhat  confused; 
some  of  them  are  loud,  powerful  and  unsurpassingly  sweet,  others  are 
more  feeble  and  plaintive.  Their  song  usually  ends  with  their  accus- 
tomed cry,  which  may  be  represented  by  cree-cree-cre-ep"  Their  songs 
we  do  not  hear  in  southern  Indiana,  but  in  March  and  April,  during 
the  spring  migration,  and  in  October,  when  they  return,  we  hear 
their  well-known. calls.  I  found  them  industriously  hunting  and  ut- 
tering their  cry  October  19,  1896.  In  the  fall  they  sometimes  asso- 
ciate with  those  little  mixed  parties  of  Chickadees,  Titmice,  Downy 
Woodpeckers  and  other  chosen  spirits,  but  often  then,  as  they  usually 
do  in  spring,  very  often  associate  themselves  with  little  flocks  of 
Golden-crowned  Kinglets.  I  never  saw  so  many  birds  of  these  two 
species  as  I  did  April  12,  1897.  The  woods  were  alive  with  them. 
They  were  everywhere.  Their  tiny  voices  made  music  in  all  parts  of 
the  forest  growth.  In  one  thicket,  where  I  stood  quietly  for  a  few  mo- 
ments to  watch  the  passing  of  the  little  birds,  I  observed  at  the  same 
rime  three  Brown  Creepers  on  a  small  tree  and  six  Golden-crowned 
Kinglets  among  the  bushes,  all  within  thirty  feet  of  me,  and  very  tame. 
The  greater  number  of  them  are  migrants  with  us.  They  begin  to 
appear  about  the  middle  of  September  some  years,  and  most  have  passed 
by  the  latter  part  of  October.  They  have  been  reported  as  making 
their  first  appearance  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  13,  1895;  Cincinnati, 
0.,  September  21,  1897;  Warren  County,  September  15,  1878;  Lafay- 
ette, Ind.,  October  2,  1896;  Sedan,  October  5,  1889;  Greensburg,  Sep- 
tember 27,  -1896;  Brookville,  October  6,  1884. 

In  the  spring,  through  the  last  half  of  March  and  early  April,  they 
are  frequently  very  common.  Some  of  them  linger  until  the  last  of 
that  month  or  even  into  May.  They  have  been  noted  at  Brookville 
as  late  as  April  21,  1890;  Greensburg,  April  2u,  1895;  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  April  27,  1879;  Sedan,  April  23,  1889;  Lafayette,  May 
3,  1893.  At  Bloomington  it  has  been  noted  as  late  as  May  30, 
1888,  by  Mr.  G.  G.  Williamson.  Hon.  R.  Wes.  McBride  has 
given  the  following  account  of  its  breeding  in  Steuben  County: 
"In  my  notebook  I  find  the  following,  under  date  of  May  8,  1882: 


1130  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

'Brown  Creeper;  taken  near  Golden  Lake,  Steuben  County,  Indiana. 
Nest  in  crevice,  where  the  bark  had  started  from  a  dead  tree,  about  4 
feet  from  the  ground,  in  a  swampy  tract  in  "Crane  Town."  Xest  com- 
posed of  sticks,  bark  and  feathers.  Six  eggs,  beauties.  Incubation 
commenced.  Embryos  half  developed.^  I  have  a  very  distinct  recol- 
lection of  the  matter.  The  X^rane  Town'  referred  to  in  the  matter 
is  a  heronry  which  we  were  exploring.  The  water  was  high,  and  we 
were  in  a  boat.  I  placed  my  hand  against  a  tree  to  push  the  boat  past 
it,  when  the  bird  flew  off  the  nest,  which  was  within  a  few  inches  of 
my  hand.  The  bird  remained  near  me  until  after  I  had  secured  the 
eggs  and  examined  the  nest.  The  appearance  and  characteristics  of 
the  Brown  Creeper  are  so  marked  that  it  could  hardly  be  mistaken 
for  any  other  bii-d.  I  could  not  possibly  be  mistaken  in  its  identifica- 
tion. In  addition  to  this,  the  location  and  construction  of  the  nest 
and  the  eggs  themselves  are  all  typical  and  characteristic. 

"Another  nest  and  set  of  eggs  were  taken  in  May,  1883,  at  Fox  Lake, 
near  Angola,  by  my  sons,  Charles  H.  and  Herbert  W.  The  identifica- 
tion in  this  case  was  as  satisfactory  and  unmistakable  as  in  the  other. 
Since  that  time,  while  I  have  frequently  seen  them  during  the  breed- 
ing season,  both  in  Steuben  and  Dekalb  counties,  I  have  found  no 
other  nests.^' 

Mr.  H.  W.  McBride  thinks  it  also  breeds  in  Dekalb  County.  It  has 
been  found  breeding  in  about  the  same  latitude  in  Monroe  County, 
Mich.  (Cook,  B.  of  M.,  p.  145),  and  Mr.  Otto  Widmann  found  its  nest 
and  eggs  in  Missouri,  the  spring  of  1895. 

It  has  been  found,  in  winter,  tolerably  regularly  in  the  following 
counties  of  southern  Indiana:  Franklin,  Decatur,  Brown,  Monroe  and 
Knox.  Some  winters  it  is  found  also  in  Tippecanoe,  Carroll  and  Wa- 
bash counties.  The  winter  of  1896-7  they  remained  in  the  vicinity 
of  Chicago  and  were  reported  from  Kouts  and  Miller^s,  Ind.,  by  Mr. 
J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  and  they  remained  the  winter  of  1889-90  at  Sedan, 
Dekalb  County,  where  they  were  observed  by  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine. 
They  also  have  been  noted  in  Michigan  at  all  seasons  (Cook,  B.  of  M., 
p.  145). 

Their  principal  food  is  insects,  particularly  those  species  affecting 
the  trunks  of  trees.  Among  other  things,  they  have  been  found  to 
have  eaten  beetles,  bugs,  other  insects,  spiders,  pine  seeds  and  fungi. 


Birds  of  Ixdiaxa.  1131 

L.     Family  PARID^.     Nuthatche-j  and  Titp. 

a^.  Bili  long  and  slender,  the  lower  mandible  slanting  upward;  tail  siiort. 

vSubfamily  Sittin.e.     Sitta.     172 
a^.  Bill  short  and  stout ;  tail  long.     Subfamily   Pakinm^.  Pakus.     173 

SuKFAMiLY  .SITTIN^E.     Nuthatches. 
m.    Gknus  sitta  Linn.^us. 

■a^  White  below.  S.  carolinensis  Lath.     306 

r(2.  Rusty  brown  below.  S.  canadensis  Linn.     307 

''306,     (727).     Sitta  carolinensis.     Lath. 

White-breasted   Nuthatch. 
Synonyms,  White-Bellied  .Nuthatch,  Carolina  Nuthatch,  Tomtit. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  bluish-gray;  crown,  glossy  black;  seeondaries, 
marked  with  black,  the  quills  with  some  white;  side  of  head,  stripe 
over  the  eye  and  most  of  the  lower  parts,  white;  the  lower  tail  coverts, 
partly  rufous;  tail,  black  and  white.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  top 
of  head,  dark  gray,  black  behind. 

Length,  5.25-6.15;  wing,  3.50-3.75;  tail,  1.95-2.20. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Georgia  and  Texas  north 
-to  New  Brunswick,  Ontario  and  Minnesota;  west  to  Kansas.  Kesident 
throughout  most  of  its  range. 

Nest,  in  natural  or  artificial  hole  in  tree  or  stub,  4  to  90  feet  up;  of 
hair,  fur,  feathers,  moss,  bark  or  lichens.  Eggs,  8,  sometiines  5  or  7, 
rarely  9  or  10;  white,  creamy- white,  pinkish-white,  spotted  with  chest- 
nut, ha^el  or  vinaceous,  and  distinctly  or  obscurely  with  lilac-gray; 
markings  heavier  at  larger  end;  .72  by  .56.    Often  two  broods.. 

The  Carolina  Nuthatch  is  a  common  resident  throughout  Indiana. 
In  the  extreme  northern  portion  of  the  State,  they  are  fewer  in  num- 
bers during  the  winter.  All  that  season  they  are  to  be  found,  keeping 
•company  with  Chickadees,  Tufted  Titmice,  Downy  Woodpeckers,  Jun- 
cos  and  Tree  Sparrows.  An  interesting  group,  moving  about  for  the 
sake  of  food  and  enjoying  each  other's  company.  They  are  to  be 
found  at  this  season  almost  everywhere,  clambering  over  fences  and 
creeping  about  trees,  as  often  with  the  head  down  as  otherwise,  dili- 
gently searching  for  insects,  which  Had  thought  they  had  found  secure 
winter  retreats.  The  energy  with  which  the  Nuthatch  hunts  and  the 
vigor  with  which  it  pursues  an  insect,  often  pounding  like  a  Wood- 
pecker to  detach  a  piece  of  bark  or  break  through  into  a  burrow,  shows 
that  even  those  who  think  themselves  safe  are  sometimes  deceived. 
Their  work,  like  that  of   the  Brown  Creeper  and  the  Red-breasted 


1132  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Nuthatch,  is  to  keep  in  subjection  the  host  of  insects  that  infest  the 
trunks  and  limbs  of  trees.  They  have  a  large  contract  on  hand  and 
are  kept  continually  busy.  Their  call  is  yank,  yank,  which  may  be 
heard  at  most  seasons,  being  almost  or  wholly  wanting  in  late  summer. 
In  spring  they  vary  this  with  a  monotonous  calling,  which  they  may 
think  is  a  song.  Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman  gives  it  as  a  "tenor  hah-hah-hah- 
hah — sounding  strangely  like  mirthless  laughter.^^ 

In  April,  after  the  mixed  company  has  broken  up,  each  member  to 
attend  to  business  of  his  own,  the  Nuthatches  become  more  retiring, 
and  frequent  the  woods,  groves,  thickets  and  timber  in  the  river  bot- 
toms, where,  in  holes  in  snags,  stumps,  trees,  fenceposts,  etc.,  they 
nest.  Sometimes  they  make  homes  about  our  orchards,  and  Mr.  L.  F. 
Meyer  tells  me  of  a  nest  in  Lake  County,  built  in  a  house  which  was 
occupied  by  a  family  having  ten  children.  Prof.  F.  H.  King  exam- 
ined 25  specimens;  14  had  eaten  32  beetles;  1,  2  ants;  1,  2  caterpillars; 
1,  2  grubs  of  a  beetle;  1,  a  spider;  1,  a  chrysalid;  1,  small  toadstools; 
5,  acorns;  1,  com  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  486).  This  beneficial  species 
should  be  carefully  protected  and  encouraged.  Placing  suitable  nest- 
ing sites  about  country  homes  will  doubtless  lead  them  to  seek  these 
if  they  are  in  retired  places,  as  the  area  of  woodland,  year  after  year, 
diminishes. 

'""SOT.     (728).    Sitta  canadensis  Linn. 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 
Synonym,  Red-bellied  Nuthatch. 

Adult  Male. — Smaller  than  last;  above,  bluish-gray;  crown,  glossy 
black;  stripe  over  eye,  white;  black  stripe  through  the  eye;  secondaries, 
not  marked  with  black;  below,  rusty  or  ochraceous;  throat,  white;  tail, 
black  and  white.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  crown  and  stripe 
through  the  eye,  dark-gray. 

Length,  4.12-4.75;  wing,  2.60-2.85;tail,  1.58. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Gulf  States  north  to  Hudson  Bay 
Territory.  Breeds  from  Virginia  (in  the  Alleghany  Mountains), 
Maine,  northern  Michigan  and  Manitoba,  northward.  "Winters  from 
Minnesota  and  northern  Michigan,  southward. 

Nest,  in  a  hole  excavated  in  an  old,  well  rotted  snag,  4  to  35  feet  up; 
of  chips,  lined  with  finely  shredded  bark  or  fine  grass.  Eggs,  3-6;  rosy- 
white,  thickly  dotted  or  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  sometimes  very 
pale;  markings  mostly  at  larger  end;  .60  by  .47. 

The  Red-breasted  Nuthatch  is  a  bird  of  very  irregular  and  peculiar 
distribution.    It  is  usually  a  rather  common  migrant  late  in  April  and 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1133 

early  in  May,  and  again  in  September.  Sometimes,  however,  it  will 
be  found  migrating  early  in  March,  and  will  be  abundant  in  October. 
Other  years,  it  will  occur  locally  as  a  rare  winter  resident,  not  only 
as  far  north  as  our  northern  boundary,  but  still  farther  north  in  Illi- 
nois— Lake  Forest  (Parker),  and  on  beyond  to  Palmer,  on  the  upper 
peninsula  of  Michigan,  where,  Mr.  0.  B.  Warren  informs  me,  it  is  a 
permanent  resident.  It  also  sometimes  breeds  in  Indiana.  Dr.  A. 
W.  Brayton  has  so  reported  it  from  the  northern  part  of  the  State, 
and  Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  found  young  just  able  to  fly  in  Carroll 


Head  of  Red-breasted  Nuthatch.    Natural  size. 

County,  in  August,  1878.  About  Brookville  I  have  found  them,  some 
years,  quite  common  between  April  30  (1-885)  and  May  15  (1879). 
Then  they  frequent  the  denser  woodland  and  may  be  readily  recog- 
nized either  by  sight  or  sound.  Their  drawled,  nasal  utterance  is 
quite  different  from  that  of  the  larger  species,  just  mentioned.  It  has 
been  expressed  by  Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman  as  yna,  yna.  It  has  been 
taken  during  the  spring  migrations  at  Lafayette,  March  13,  1897,  May 
4,  1897;  English  Lake,  March  18,  1894;  Greensburg,  March  29,  1896, 
May  9, 1893;  Spearsville,  April  11, 1897;  Bloomington,  April  21, 1885; 
Carroll  County,  May  3,  1883,  May  7,  1885;  Eichmond,  May  16,  1897. 

In  the  fall  they  have  been  noted  at  Chicago,  111.,  August  25,  1886; 
Lafayette,  Ind.,  August  30,  1895,  October  31,  1896;  Wabash,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1891;  Cincinnati,  0.,  September  15,  1878;  Bicknell,  October 
11,  1895.  They  were  found  wintering  at  Greensburg  the  winter  of 
1896-7  (Shannon);  at  Bloomington,  the  winters  of  1882-3  and  1885-6 
(Blatchley);  Spearsville,  1894-5  (Barnett);  Lafayette,  1895-6  (Test); 
Waterloo,  1888-9  (H.  W.  McBride);  Cook  County,  111.,  1894-5  (Parker), 
and  were  very  abundant  there  the  winter  of  1866*-7  (Aiken). 

Their  habits  are  much  similar  to  those  of  the  last  mentioned  species. 
Like  it,  they  are  great  creepers  and  are  diligent  insect  hunters. 


1134  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Subfamily  PARIN^E.     Titmice. 
173.    Grsus  PARUS  Ltxn.eus. 

a^.  Head  crested.     Subgenus  Lophophanbs  Kaup.  P.  bicolor  Linn.     308 

a^.  Head  not  crested.     Subgenus  Parus. 

/>^.  Tertials  and  greater  wing  coverts  without  distinct  whitish  edgings;    wing 

under  2.50.  P.  carolinensis  Aud.     310 

b".  Tertials  and  greater  wing  coverts  with  distinct  whitish  edgings;  wing  usu 

ally  over  2.50.  P.  atricapillus  Linn.     309 

,  Subgenus  Lophophanes  Kaup. 

*308.     (731).    Parus  bicolor  Linn. 

Tufted  Titmouse. 
Synonyms,  Peter-Peter,  Sugar  Bird. 

Adult. — Conspicuously  crested;  above,  ashy;  forehead,  black;  below, 
whitish;  sides,  brownish. 

Length,  5.65-6.50;  wing,  3.05-3.45;  tail,  2.80-3.15. 

Eange. — Eastern  United  States  north  to  Connecticut  Valley  and 
southern  Michigan;  west  to  central  Texas  and  Nebraska. 

Nest,  in  Woodpecker's  hole,  or  natural  cavity  in  stump  or  tree,  2  to 
60  feet  from  ground,  generally  5  to  30  feet;  of  leaves,  bark,  moss, 
hair,  feathers,  and  sometimes  snake  skin;  loosely  constructed.  Eggs, 
5-6,  sometimes  as  many  as  9;  white  or  creamy- white,  speckled  and 
spotted,  often  heaviest  near  larger  end,  with  hazel,  rufous,  chestnut 
or  vinaceous,  and  sometimes  lilac;  .71  by  .54. 

An  abundant  resident  in  southern  Indiana  and  north,  at  least  in 
the  Wabash  Valley,  to  Parke,  Warren,  Carroll,  Tippecanoe  and  Wa- 
bash counties.  Northward,  in  many  localities,  it  is  rare,  and  about 
the  southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan  it  is  apparently,  wanting.  Mr.  J. 
G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  it  is  not  uncommon  at  Kouts,  Ind.,  60 
miles  southeast  of  Chicago,  111.,  where  he  took  a  specimen,  November 
23,  1894,  and  a  pair,  December  10,  1896. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  and  in  Michigan  it  is  irregular  in 
its  occurrence.  Some  places  it  appears  occasionally  as  a  straggler  in 
fall,  winter  or  spring;  other  places,  it  is  a  summer  resident,  disappear- 
ing in  the  fall  and  returning  in  the  spring.  In  other  localities  it  is 
present,  some  years,  the  year  round,  and  others  only  in  summer.  It, 
however,*  through  our  northern  counties,  seems  to  be  increasing  in 
numbers,  and  in  some  places,  where  it  was  only  seen  occasionally  cer- 
tain seasons,  has  become  a  permanent  part  of  their  bird  life.  Prior  to 
1890,  the  only  record  I  had  from  Starke  County  was  from  Mr.  H.  K. 
Coale,  who  found  a  pair  there,  January  1,  1884.     At  English  Lake, 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1135 

however,  since  1890,  Mr.  Deane  has  met  with  them  a  number  of 
times  at  almost  all  seasons,  and  it  would  seem  to  be  resident.  In  1887, 
Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  informed  me  it  was  very  rare  in  Dekalb  County, 
and  had  only  been  observed  in  autumn.  They  continued  so  until  the 
winter  of  1890-91,  when  they  began  to  increase.  .  Some  winters  they 
remained  and  others  they  disappeared.  It  is  now  tolerably  common 
there,  and  breeds.  It  also  breeds  in  Elkhart  County,  where  a  nest 
was  taken,  June  13,  1891,  containing  seven  young  birds  (McBride, 
Proc.  I.  A.  S.,  1891,  p.  167).  It  was  very  common  near  Peru  in  Oc- 
tober, 1893,  where  it  is  probably  a  resident  (Dunn).  Mr.  Elwood 
Pleas  informs  me  that  it  is  a  tolerably  common  resident  at  Dunreith, 


Head  of  Tufled  Titmouse.    Natural  size. 


Henry  County.  April  14,  1894,  he  found  one  impaled  on  a  thorn — 
evidently  the  work  of  a  Shrike.  It  is  also  a  rather  abundant  resident 
at  Richmond,  where  it  breeds  (Dr.  E.  Test,  A.  M.  Hadley).  Mr.  G. 
G-.  Williamson  reports  it  from  Muncie,  November  22,  1896.  Mr.  V. 
H.  Barnett  says  it  is  common  and  breeds  in  Vermillion  and  Warren 
counties.  Dr.  A.  W.  Brayton,  of  Indianapolis,  has  a  beautiful  albino 
of  this  species. 

The  Tufted  Titmouse  frequents  all  kinds  of  woodland.  In  summer, 
it  prefers  the  quiet  of  the  denser  forest  or  of  the  trees  along  the  river 
bottoms.  In  winter  they  go  wherever  their  companions  go,  or,  rather, 
they  lead  the  company  where  they  will.  Through  woods,  thickets, 
tangled  ravines,  along  the  old  worm  fence,  into  the  orchard,  then 
among  the  garden  shrubbery.  Their  loud  whistle  sounds  peto,  peto, 
peto,  petOy  and  when  one  comes  upon  them  to  see  what  is  the  matter, 
the  Downy  Woodpecker  calls  quit,  quit.  This  Titmouse  utters  de-de- 
de-de,  and  thus  reminds  one  by  his  call  of  his  relationship  to  the  Chick- 
adees.    The  warm,  sugar-making  days  of  early  spring,  they  proclaim 


1136  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

their  happiness  throughout  all  the  woods,  and  the  sugar-makers  know 
them  then  as  "Sugar  Birds."  I  have  ohser\''ed  them  mating  as  early  as 
April  8  (1887),  and  have  found  them  nest-building  May  16  (1884). 
The  nest  is  usually  in  a  hole  in  a  tree,  snag,  fencestake  or  post.  Messrs. 
Dury  and  Freeman  found  an  unusual  nest.  May  25,  1878,  near  Cin- 
cinnati, 0.  A  Tufted  Titmouse  selected  as  its  breeding  place  the 
discarded  nest  of  some  large  bird,  in  the  top  of  a  tall  sapling.  The 
bird  had  deposited  six  eggs  (nearly  hatched  when  found)  on  a  layer  of 
dry  grass,  which  nicely  lined  a  large  hole  which  she  had  excavated  in 
the  side  of  the  rough  structure  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  N.  H.,  1879).  The 
Tufted  Titmouse  is  not  only  a  hunter  of  insects  over  the  trunks  and 
among  the  limbs  of  trees,  but  it  examines  the  ground  and  explores  the 
rank  shrubbery.  It  also  visits  the  orchards,  and  sometimes  makes  its 
home  there.  There  it  is  very  busy  about  the  blossoms,  leaves  and 
fruit,  not  only  gathering  insects  for  itself,  but  also  to  supply  the  wants 
of  its  young. 

Subgenus  Parus  Linnaeus. 

*309.     (735).    Parus  atricapillus  Linn. 

Chickadee. 
Synonym,  Black-capped  Chickadee. 

Adult. — Above,  plain  grayish;  crown  and  throat,  deep  black;  greater 
wing  coverts,  distinctly  edged  with  whitish;  sides  of  head  and  neck, 
and  other  lower  parts,  white,  the  latter  buffy  on  the  sides;  tail  and 
wing,  usually  about  equal  in  length. 

Length,  4.70-5.75;  wing,  2.50-2.75;  tail,  2.50-2.75. 

Range. — Northeastern  North  America,  from  North  Carolina  (in 
Alleghany  Mountains),  Missouri,  southern  Illinois,  northern  Indiana 
and  Virginia  to  Labrador  and  Ontario.  Breeds  almost  to  the  southern 
limit  of  its  range. 

Nest  and  Eggs,  similar  to  those  of  P.  carolinensis. 

Abundant  resident  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State;  common  win- 
ter resident  for  a  little  distance  south  of  the  area  where  it  is  a  resident. 
Not  often  seen  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  and  then  only  as  a 
winter  visitor.  In  the  absence  of  a  series  of  specimens  it  is  impossible 
to  define  the  limits  of  the  range  of  this  species  southward,  or  of  the 
next  bird  northward.  However,  to  most  persons,  they  appear  to  be 
the  same  bird;  and,  as  their  habits  are  practically  the  same,  the  only 
ones  who  will  regret  this  lack  of  detail  will  be  the  naturalists.  This 
Chickadee  is  a  common  resident  in  Lake  County  (Parker);  Dekalb 
County    (Mrs.    Hine);    Tippecanoe    County    (Test);    Starke    County 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1137 

(Coale,  Deane);  Wayne  County  (Hadley).  In  Carroll  County,  it  is 
the  most  common  form  (Evermann).  In  Wabash  County,  it  is  an 
abundant  winter  resident  (Ulrey  and  Wallace):  and  in  Monroe  County 
it  has  also  been  noted  in  winter  (Evermann,  Blatchley).  I  have  never 
taken  it  in  Franklin  County. 

The  note  of  this  species  is  lower  and  more  slowly  given  than  that 
of  Garolinensis.  It  consists  of  three  notes,  which  sound  like  chich-a- 
dee,  or  as  others  say,  te-derry.    At  other  times  they  call  day,  day,  day. 


Chickadee. 

Twelve  specimens  examined  by  Prof.  King  had  eaten  14  larvag  (10  of 
which  were  caterpillars),  13  beetles,  2  spiders,  5  insect  eggs,  some 
other  insects,  and  a  few.  seeds  (Geol.  of  Wis,,  I.,  p.  484).  They  are 
also  very  destructive  to  leaf-rolling  caterpillars,  tent  caterpillars,  and 
other  noxious  forms  also. 

Prof.  Forbes  found  those  that  frequented  an  orchard  infested  with 
canker-worms  made  75  per  cent,  of  their  food  of  those  insects  (Kept. 
Mich.  Hort.  Soc,  1881,  p.  204). 

*310.     (736).    Parus  carolinensis  Aud. 

Carolina  Chickadee. 

Adult. — Similar  to  P.  atricapillus,  but  tail  decidedly  shorter  than 
wing;  greater  wing  coverts,  not  distinctly  edged  with  whitish. 
Length,  4.25-4.60;  wing,  2.40-2.60;  tail,  2.10-2.50. 

72— Geol. 


1138  Repokt  of  State  Geologist. 

Range. — Southern  United  States,  north  to  N^ew  Jerse}^  and  central 
Indiana;  west  to  Texas  and  Indian  Territory.  Resident  throughout 
its  range. 

Nest,  in  cavity  in  tree,  stump,  post  or  rail,  usually  not  over  10  feet 
up;  of  grass,  bark  shreds,  feathers  and  hair.  Eggs,  5-8;  white,  speckled 
with  light  reddish-brown,  markings  heaviest  at  larger  end;  .57  by  .45. 

The  Carolina  Chickadee  is  an  abundant  resident  throughout  south- 
ern Indiana,  where  it  replaces  the  last  mentioned  form.  This  bird  ex- 
tends, at  least  in  the  Wabash  Valley,  two-thirds  of  the  way  across  the 
State.  In  Carroll  County,  both  forms  are  found  resident,  but  this  is 
least  compion.  Doubtless  they  occasionally  are  found  north  to  our 
northern  limit.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  he  has  a  specimen 
taken  at  Lake  Forest,  111.,  December  12,  1890. 

The  Chickadee  proclaims  itself  by  its  note,  chicka-dee-dee,  which 
is  louder  than  that  of  the  Blackcap.  They  also  have  a, call — day,' day 
— very  similar  to  the  last  species,  and  a  two-note  utterance  that  sounds 
something  like  hey-de,  hey-de. 

I  have  seen  them  mating,  March  31  (1884),  and  full  sets  of  eggs 
are  sometimes  found  late  in  April  and  early  in  May.  The  following 
description  of  a  nest  taken  at  Richmond,  Ind.,  May  12,  1889,  by  Mr. 
H.  N.  McCoy,  from  a  hole  six  inches  deep  in  a  fence  rail  lying  against  a 
fence,  is  characteristic  both  as  to  nest  and  location  in  localities  where 
worm  fences  are  commonly  found.  Xest:  outside  diameter,  3^  inches; 
inside  diameter,  2  inches;  depth.  If  inches;  lower  part,  green  moss;  up- 
per part,  vines,  bark,  cowhair  and  a  little  wool,  all  woven  together 
closely.  Contained  6  fresh  eggs.  Another  favorite  nesting  place  is  in  a 
dead  willow  stub,  along  a  stream.  In  those  and  the  dead  trunks  of  other 
soft-wood  trees  they  can  readily  excavate  a  nest.  A  hole  made  by  a 
Downy  Woodpecker  is  often  handy,  and  they  promptly  occupy  it.  In 
winter  they  use  excavations  made  by  themselves  and  other  birds  afi 
protected  quarters,  and  there  keep  snug  and  dry,  though,  with  the 
weather  below  zero  and  no  fire,  we  may  express  our  sorrow  for  the 
poor  little  mite.  On  the  morrow,  however,  he  is  still  able  to  sing  his 
merry  song.  Their  food  is  similar  to  that  of  the  last  mentioned  species. 
Often  they  may  be  seen  clinging  to  the  blossom  end  of  a  large  apple, 
inspecting  it  for  larvae,  and  when  they  are  found,  drawing  them  forth. 
It  likes  the  worm,  and,  if  it  gets  it,  is  willing  to  leave  to  the  farmer 
the  apple. 


Birds  of  Indian^a.  1139 

LI.     Family  SYLVIID^.     Kinglets  ani>  Gnatcatchers. 

a^.  Front  of  tarsus  with  transverse  scales  at  extreme  lower  portion  only ;  wings 
longer  than  tail ;  tail  without  white ;  nostrils  concealed  by  small  feathers. 

Subfamily  Regulix^.     Regulus.     174 
a^.  Front  of  tarsus  covered  with  transverse  four-sided  scales;  wings  not  longer 
than  tail ;  tail  more  or  less  white. 

Subfamily   Polioptilin^e-.     Polioptila      175 

Subfamily  REGULIN^E.     Kixglets. 
174.    Genus  REGULUS  Cuvier 

a^.  Nostril  hidden  by  a  single  small  feather;  crown  with  a  black  stripe  on  each 

side.     Subgenus  Regulus.  R.  satrapa  Licht.     311 

o^.  Nostril  with  a  tuft  of  small  bristle-like  feathers;  crown  without  black  stripes. 

Subgenus  Phyllobasileus  Cabauis.     R.  calendula  Linn.     312 

311.     (748).    Regulus  satrapa.     Licnr. 

Golden-cro"wiied  King-let. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  olive-green;  brighter  on  rump  and  wings; 
crown,  yellow,  with  an  orange  center  and  a  black  stripe  on  each  side; 
forehead  and  stripe  over  eye,  whitish;  beneath,  dull  whitish.  Adult 
Female. — Similar,  but  lacking  the  orange  center  in  the  yellow  crown. 

Length,  3.15-4.55;  wing,  2.10-2.25;  tail,  1.60-2.00. 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Mexico  (State  of  Vera  Cruz)  north, 
at  least  to  Labrador.  Breeds  from  North  Carolina,  in  Alleghany 
Mountains,  and  Massachusetts,  north;  also  south  along  the  Eocky 
Mountains  into  Mexico.  Winters  from  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Massa- 
chusetts, south. 

Nest,  in  evergreen,  6  to  60  feet  up;  of  mosses  and  lichens,  lined  with 
bark  fibres,  fine  rootlets  and  feathers.  Eggs,  9;  creamy- white  or  cream, 
sprinkled  with  numerous  markings  of  wood-brown  and  occasionally 
a  few  of  lavender;  .55  by  .44.    (Brewster). 

The  Golden-crowned  Kinglet  is  an  abundant  migrant  in  early  spring 
and  late  fall.  Over  the  southern  half  of  the  State,  at  least,  they  are 
irregularly  rare  winter  residents.  They  begin  to  arrive  about  the 
southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan  sometimes  as  early  as  September  17, 
and  the  first  arrivals  axe  found  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State 
such  a  season  by  October  8.  The  year  1896  was  one  of  early  fall  mi- 
gration. That  year  they  arrived  at  Chicago,  September  17;  at  Bick- 
nell,  October  8;  and  Greensburg,  October  9.  Prof.  K  L.  Moseley 
informs  me  that  thousands  of  Creepers  and  Kinglets  must  have  been 
in  Sandusky,  0.,  October  2,  1896,  tjie  first  pleasant  morning  after  a 
long  nocturnal  storm. 


1140  Repokt  of-  State  Geologist. 

They  usually  pass  south  through  October,  though  sometimes  they 
remain  in  our  northern  counties  well  into  November,  and  perhaps, 
favorable  seasons,  all  winter.  They  were  noted  at  Chicago,  111.,  No- 
vember 1,  1896  (Bollman),  November  28,  1883  (Parker);  Sedan,  Ind., 
November  5,  1894  (Hine);  Lafayette,  November  21,  1895,  where  they 
probably  winter  (Test).  Prof.  Evermann  thinks  it  probable  a  few 
remain  all  winter  in  Carroll  County.  They  are  reported  as  winter 
residents  from  Brookville;  Bicknell  (Chansler);  Greensburg  (Shan- 
non); Bloomington  (Evermann,  Blatchley);  and  Wabash  County 
(Ulrey  and  Wallace).  Prof.  Cook  reports  it  as  occasional,  in  winter, 
in  Michigan  (B.  of  M.,  p.  148). 


Golden-f-rowned  Kinglet. 

The  migrants  usually  begin  their  return  journey  in  March,  and  are 
very  numerous  the  latter  part  of  that  month.  They  may  be  found 
any  place,  often  associated  with  Brown  Creepers  and  more  rarely  with 
one  of  those  social  groups  of  Titmice,  Chickadees,  Downy  Wood- 
peckers and  other  companionable  birds.  The  bushes  beside  a  stream 
are  as  attractive  as  the  thickets  along  a  deep  ravine;  the  evergreens 
about  our  homes,  even  in  towns,  are  visited  as  well  as  the  native 
growth  of  red  cedar;  the  garden  shrubbery  and  trees  in  the  orchard 
are  sometimes  their  feeding  ground,  but  not  so  often  as  the  brush  piles 
and  more  numerous  trees  of  the  dense  woods.  At  all  times  they  have 
a  little  tinkling  note,  but  as  April  comes  on,  their  song  begins.  Mr. 
H.  K.  Coale  has  interpreted  it  as  ^He-tze-tze-tze."  This  is  much  elabor- 
ated when  they  reach  their  breeding  grounds.  It  is  very  similar  to 
that  of  the  Brown  Creeper.  Sometimes  they  appear  in  the  greatest 
abundance.    April  12,  1897, 1  found  both  these  little  birds  and  Brown 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  1141 

Creepers  in  such  numbers  as  I  never  saw  before.  They  were  every- 
where— in  woods,  thickets,  orchards  and  dooryards — and  all  in  full 
song. 

Spring  migrants  were  noted  at  Greensburg,  March  21,  1894;  Rich- 
mond, March  26,  1897;  Laporte,  March  23,  1893;  Chicago,  111.,  March 

23,  1894.  Usually  they  reach  northern  Indiana  about  April  1,  and 
leave  between  the  middle  and  last  of  the  month.  The  latest  spring 
records  at  hand  are:     Brookville,  April  24,  1884;  Greensburg,  April 

24,  1895;  Richmond,  April  27,  1897;  Lafayette,  April  29,  1893;  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  May  5,  1894,  and  Miss  H.  E.  Colfax  observed  it  in  Porter 
County,  June  8,  1884.  Their  food  is  entirely  insects.  Many  of  these 
it  takes  on  the  fly,  and  others  are  obtained  about  the  trunks  and  limbs 
of  trees.  They  are  full  of  energy,  which  is  utilized  from  dawn  till 
dark.  They  put  in  full  time  and  are  all  the  time  doing  useful  work. 
"Of  9  specimens  examined,  2  had  eaten  12  small  diptera  (flies  etc.);  3, 
9  small  beetles;  1,  5  caterpillars;  1,  a  small  chrysalid;  and  3,  very  small 
insects,  too  fine  to  be  identified"  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  L,  p.  482). 

312.     (749).    Regulus  calendula  (Linn.). 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  olive-green,  brighter  on  the  rump;  crown,  with 
a  patch  of  vermillion-red  in  the  center;  no  black  stripes  on  each  side; 
below,  dull  whitish.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  with  crown  patch 
smaller  or  wanting.    Immature. — Similar,  but  with  no  crown  patch. 

Length,  3.75-4.60;  wing,  2.20-2.30;  tail,  1.85-1.90. 

Range. — North  America,  from  Mexico  (Valley  of  Mexico)  north  to 
the  limit  of  trees  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  Breeds  from  Colorado,  in 
the  higher  mountains,  and  Oregon,  northern  Michigan  and  Quebec, 
northward.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois,  South  Carolina  and 
Texas,  south. 

Nest  J  in  evergreen,  10  to  20  feet  up,  semi-pensile,  quite  bulky;  of 
bark,  moss,  weed  fibres,  spider  webs,  lined  with  feathers.  Eggs,  8; 
dirty  cream-color,  darker  sometimes,  faintly  spotted  at  the  larger  end; 
.55  by  .43. 

The  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  is  a  common  migrant,  as  a  rule,  arriving 
*and  remaining  later  than  the  last  species  in  the  spring  and  arriving 
and  departing  earlier  than  in  the  fall.  However,  in  the  fall,  they  occur 
together,  and  more  frequently  associated  than  in  the  spring,  and  the 
difference  in  time  is  not  so  much  noted.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  they  are  very  rare  winter  residents.  They  have  been  noted,  in 
winter,  in  Monroe  County  by  Profs.  Evermann  and  Blatchley.     This 


1142  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

^Kinglet  is  less  hardy  than  the  other  species  and  winters  farther  south. 
Snmichrast  mentions  specimens  in  the  collection  of  Sr.  Botteri,  from 
Orizaba,  Mexico  (La  Naturaleza  Tomo,  V.,  p.  241),  and  I  have  found 
them  in  numbers  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico.  They  begin  to  return  to 
southern  Indiana,  May  30,  and  reach  the  extreme  north  of  the  State 
some  years  by  April  11.  They  are  most  numerous  the  latter  part  of 
that  month,  when  the  bulk  passes  northward. 

Some,  however,  are  usually  seen  after  May  1.  These  are  mostly  in 
immature  plumage.  I  always  associate  them  in  my  mind  with  the 
blooming  of  the  apple  trees,  about  which  they  are  often  seen.  The 
follomng  are  some  early  and  late  records,  showing  the  extremes  of  the 
period  of  spring  migration:  Greensburg,  March  31,  1895;  May  6, 
1893;  Brookville,  April  6,  1883,  May  9,  1885;  Spearsville,  April  3, 
1895,  April  26,  1894;  Richmond,  April  12,  1897,  May  1,  1897;  La- 
fayette, April  1,  1893,  May  9,  1894;  Sedan,  April  11,  1889,  May  4, 
1889,  and  1894;  Laporte,  April  11,  1896;  Chicago,  111.,  April  13,  1896, 
May  12,  1895;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  14,  1897,  May  15,  1888. 

Miss  H.  E.  Colfax  reports  it  from  Michigan  City  at  the  unusually 
lat€  date,  June  8,  1884. 

When  with  us  they  have,  like  the  Ruby-crown,  a  squeaky  note — ti — 
often  coupled,  two  or  three  together.  When  many  are  in  company, 
and  not  too  close  to  the  listener,  there  is  a  peculiar  tinkling  effect. 
At  the  latter  part  of  their  spring  visit  they  occasionally  favor  a 
strolling  bird-lover  with  their  love  song.  Of  this  song,  which  few 
have  heard,  and  known  the  author,  Audubon  said:  "When  I  tell  you 
that  its  song  is  fully  as  sonorous  as  that  of  the  Canary  bird,  and 
much  richer,  I  do  not  come  up  to  the  truth,  for  it  is  not  only  as 
powerful  and  clear,  but  much  more  varied  and  pleasing.'^ 

Their  habits,  in  general,  resemble  those  of  the  Golden-crowned 
Kinglet  at  the  same  season,  except  they  seem  to  keep  in  little  com- 
panies more  to  themselves,  and  are  not  so  frequently  associated  with 
the  other  birds;  and  they  frequent  more  often  the  higher  limbs  of 
trees,  often  being  seen,  a  tiny  mite,  about  the  topmost  boughs  of  some 
tall  forest  tree..  This  species  is  not  so  numerous  as  the  former  one, 
and  appears  to  be  more  numerous  in  fall  than  spring.  They  occa- 
sionally arrive  in  autumn  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  September. 
Usually,  however,  they  are  most  numerous  the  latter  part  of  that' 
month  and  in  October.  At  Chicago,  111.,  they  were  noted,  September 
3,  1895,  and  last  fall  date  is  October  20,  1894;  Lake  County,  Ind., 
September  11,  1881,  September  25,  1875;  Sedan,  September  25,  1894, 
October  11,  1894;  Lafayette,  October  26,  1895;  Brookville,  October  8, 
1885,  November  11,  1894. 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  114.3 

The  orchards,  shade  trees,  small  fruit  farms  and  woods  are  visited 
by  these  Kinglets,  too,  and  they  do  much  to  decrease  the  number  of 
the  insect  population  there.  "^Of  7  specimens  examined,  2  had  eaten 
4  small  caterpillars;  3,  5  beetles;  1,  ah  ant;  1,  a  chalcis  fly;  and  2  bits 
of  insects  not  identified  (King,  Gleol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  482).  It  has  been 
said  they  ate  the  blossoms  of  maple,  pear,  apple  and  other  fruit  trees. 
Recent  investigations  have  shown  no  evidence  of  this.  It  is  probable 
they  were  observed  when  they  were  engaged,  as  they  often  are,  catch- 
ing insects  about  the  blossoms,  and  were  wrongly  judged  and  then 
misrepresented.  Mr.  E.  R.  Quick  has  published  the  following  interest- 
ing note  concerning  it: 

"On  October  16,  1879,  a  Ruby-crowned  Wren  took  up  its  abode 
in  a  barroom,  in  Brookville,  where  it  remained  until  the  25th,  flying 
about  amongst  the  often  noisy  patrons  of  the  establishment;  and, 
though  it  was  caught  and  handled,  to  thoroughly  identify  it,  this  sum- 
mary proceeding  did  not  cause  it  to  leave,  although  the  door  stood 
open  during  the  entire  day.  During  its  stay  it  subsisted  on  flies,  which 
it  very  expertly  captured,  retuming  to  its  perch  to  eat  them  in  the 
manner  of  the  flycatchers.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  its  sojourn  it 
became  so  much  accustomed  to  its  strange  quarters  as  to  sally  out 
from  its  perch  by  lampHght  after  insects  attracted  by  the  light.  It 
finally  took  its  departure  without  apparent  cause,  probably  to  resume 
its  southward  migration"  (Jonm.  Cin.  Soc.  K.  H.,  July,  1880,  pp.  121, 
122). 

Subfamily  POLIOPTILIN^.     Gnatcatchers. 
175.    Gexus  POLIOPTILA  Sclater. 

*313.     (751).    Polioptila  cserulea  (Linn). 

Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  blue-gray,  bluer  on  the  head,  lighter  on  the 
rump;  forehead  and  line  over  the  eye,  black;  ring  around  the  eye, 
whitish;  below,  whitish;  tail,  black,  three  outer  feathers  with  white. 
Adult  Female. — Siinilar,  but  lacking  black  streak  across  forehead  and 
over  the  eye. 

Length,  4.05-5.50;  wing,  2.00-2.20;  tail,  2.05-2.20. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Guatemala  and  West  Indies 
to  New  York,  Ontario,  southern  Michigan,  northern  Illinois.  Acci- 
dental to  Maine  and  Minnesota,  west  to  Nebraska  and  western  Texas. 
Breeds  from  Gulf  coast,  north.    Winters  from  Florida,  south. 

Nest,  in  woods,  10  to  50  feet  up,  in  fork  or  saddled  on  horizontal 
limb  of  tree;  of  moss,  fibre  or  spiders^  webs,  covered  with  lichens; 


1144 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


lined  with  vegetable  down,  feathers  and  fine  grass;  deep.  JSggs,  4-5; 
greenish  or  bluish-white,  spotted  and  marked  with  different  shades 
of  brown;  .57  by  .44. 

The  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher  is  a  summer  resident;  very  abundant 
southward,  ■  and  in  some  localities  is  rare  or  wanting.  They  are  very 
irregular  in  their  migrations.  Some  years  they  appear  in  southern 
Indiana  late  in  March,  and  others,  not  until  a  month  later.  Some 
seasons,  in  one  locality,  they  appear  very  early,  and  in  others,  quite 
late;  1893  and  1896  were  years  of  early  migration  in  southern  Indiana, 


Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher.    iSatural  size. 


and  1897  was  a  medium  season.  At  Greencastle  they  only  arrived  one 
other  year  as  late  as  they  did  in  1896,  and  the  earliest  is  in  1897, 
which  is  also  the  earliest  record  for  the  State  for  that  year.  It  would 
seem  they  present  an  instance  of  migration  per  saltum;  indeed,  it  is 
probable  that  all  migration  is  by  leaps,  the  later  comers  passing  ahead 
and  becoming  the  van,  and  then,  in  turn,  being  passed  by  the  others; 
and  that  here  we  have  a  good  illustration  of  it.  Early  and  late  dates 
of  first  appearance  at  Greensburg  are,  March  27,  1896,  April  15,  1894; 
Bicknell,  March  28,  1897,  April  10,  1894;  Brookville,  March  31,  1884, 
April  29,  1895;  Greencastle,  April  6,  1893,  April  20,  1895,  1896; 
Lafayette,  April  4,  1897,  April  29,  1893;  Sedan,  April  16,  1896,  May 
1,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  April  15,  1896,  May  4,  1894,  1895;  Petersburg, 
Mich.,  April  20,  1889,  May  5,  1897.  They  are  common,  at  least,  north 
to  Richmond  (A.  M.  Hadley),  Anderson  (C.  P.  Smith),  Wabash  (W. 
0.  Wallace),  Tippecanoe  (L.  A.  and  CD.  Test),  and  in  Vermillion 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1145 

County  (V.  H.  Bamett).  In  Carroll  County  they  are  rather  common 
(B.  W.  Evermann);  at  Waterloo  it  is  common  (F.  P.  Feagler);  Sedan, 
tolerably  common  (Mrs.  J.  L.  Hine).  It  is  rare  in  Allen  County  (C. 
A.  Stockbridge),  and  has  been  reported  from  Starke  County,  and 
breeds  (C  Fream  Morcom,  H.  K.  Coale);  Porter,  summer  resident 
(J.  W.  Byrkit);  Lake,  breeds  (G.  F.  Clingman).  In  Cooke  County, 
111.,  it  is  not  common  and  breeds  (C.  A.  Tallman,  Elliot  Blackwelder). 
It  is  common  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.  (C.  L.  Cass),  and  tolerably  common 
at  Petersburg  (Jerome  Trombley).  I  found  them  at  Brookville,  paired, 
April  4,  1884,  and  they  are  usually  mated  when  they  arrive.  April 
18,  1882,  four  days  after  arrival,  they  were  building.  The  earliest 
completed  nest  I  have  seen  was  April  21,  1883,  seven  days  after  they 
were  first  seen.  A  set  of  eggs  was  noted,  May  10,  1881.  I  have  found 
young  as  late  as  July  9  (1886).  Mr.  E.  E.  Quick  has  found,  at  Brook- 
ville, June  4,  two  well-incubated  eggs  in  a  nest  which  he  thinks  was 
begun  May  21  (Langdon,  Cat.  Birds,  Vic.  Cin.,  1877,  p.  2).  Prof.  B. 
W.  Evermann  obtained  full  sets  of  eggs,  May  17,  from  two  nests  which 
were  commenced  May  5.  He  thinks  they  were  completed  and  the  first 
egg  laid  May  12  (The  Auk,  January,  1889,  p.  29).  The  nest  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  pieces  of  bird  architecture  to  be  found  with  us. 
It  resembles  the  nest  of  the  Euby-throated  Humming-bird,  but  is 
much  larger.  Indeed,  it  seems  from  the  outside  too  large  for  the  size 
of  the  bird,  but  the  cavity  is  comparatively  small,  and  in  order  to  sit 
within  it  the  bird  has  to  erect  her  head  and  tail — apparently  a  very 
uncomfortable  position.  The  nest  is  composed  of  fine  fibres  and  spider 
webs,  and  the  outside  is  covered  with  lichens.  It  is  placed  in  the  fork 
or  saddled  upon  a  limb  of  a  rough-barked  tree  in  the  more  open  woods. 
When  completed,  owing  to  its  resemblance  to  a  lichen-covered  knot, 
it  is  hard  to  find.  While  the  birds  are  building  it — for  both  share  in 
the  work — they  are  very  industrious  and  often  pay  little  attention 
to  a  visitor.  At  other  times,  they  spy  him  when  afar  off,  and,  like  the 
Tufted  Titmou.^e,  joatinue  noisily  to  pay  him  attention  while  he  is  in 
the  vicinity.  The  female  is  the  chief  architect.  Every  little  while 
during  the  course  of  the  construction,  she  settles  herself  into  the  nest 
and,  pressing  her  breast  against  the  inside  wall,  stretches  her  neck 
.jver  the  side,  reaching  with  her  bill  as  far  towards  the  base  as  pos- 
sible, and  presses  it  together  and  works  it  into  shape.  Often  she  works 
half  way  around  the  nest,  apparently  with  much  effort  and  taking 
great  pains.  She  uses  her  bill  in  forming  the  nest  as  a  potter  uses  his 
fingers  in  shaping  the  plastic  clay.  Nests  are  usually  placed  25  to  60 
feet  from  the  ground. 


1146  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

The  ordinary  note  is  something  like  tszee-tszee-tszee,  with  occasional 
squeaks  and  clucks.  Their  call  has  been  compared  to  the  Catbird's 
note  and  their  low,  harmonious  song — the  love  song — which  is  a 
pleasant  surprise  to  one  who  hears  it  for  the  first  time,  to  a  minature 
of  the  Catbirds'  well-known  production. 

The  song,  Dr.  A.  Le  Mo5me  gives  as:  "  ^Twing-twing-twing-twing, 
ree-ree-ree-ree/  first  half  rising  scale,  latter  descending,  followed  by 
the  low  jumble  of  warbles,  which  defies  any  representation.'' 

They  become  quiet  in  July,  and  after  that  do  not  attract  so  much 
attention.  The  following  month  most  of  them  leave,  a  few  lingering 
until  after  the  beginning  of  September.  It  has  been  last  noted  at 
Brookville,  September  6,  1896;  in  Vermillion  County,  September  6, 
1897;  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  September  9,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  August  31, 
1895. 

They  are  restless,  active  little  birds,  which  we  see  first  when  they 
come  and  last  before  they  leave,  among  the  thickets  of  the  more  open 
woodland.  Soon  after  their  arrival  they  are  to  be  seen  among  the 
trees,  and  their  peculiar  notes,  lack  of  shyness,  incessant  activity  and 
long  tail  with  outer  white  tail  feathers,  are  all  marks  that  attract  atten- 
tion. 

The  one  who  named  this  little  fidget  named  it  well.  Its  life  is  spent 
in  catching  small  insects,  mostly  on  the  fly.  In  the  course  of  its 
journey  through  the  woods  it  seems  to  be  half  the  time  in  the  air. 
It  keeps  its  eye  upon  the  intruder,  but  is  determined  that  he  shall 
obtain  a  good  idea  of  its  expertness  in  catching  gnats  and  of  its  ability 
to  gracefully  handle  its  long  tail.  It. performs  remarkable  gyrations, 
and  accompanies  them  with  the  opening  and  folding  of  its  long  tail. 
Every  dart  it  makes  for  an  insect  is  followed  by  a  snap  of  the  bill 
that  is  the  announcement  of  the  end  of  one  small  life,  and  bears  to  the 
ears  of  the  observer  an  emphatic  aUestatioi:  of  the  bird's  ability. 

LII      Family  TURDIDJi^.     Thru-^hes.  Solitaires,  Sjonechats, 
Blukbirds,  Etc 

a^ .  Wings  and  tail  with  no  blue;  wing  less  than  four  times  as  long  as  tarsus. 
b^ .  Tail  without  white  at  base. 

c^ .  Tail  less  than  three  times  as  long  as  tarsus  ;  breast  spotted.     Ti  rdus.     176 
C^.  Tail  more  than  three  times  as  long  as  tarsus;  breast  in  adult  not  spotted. 

Merula.     177 
b^.  Tail  with  basal  portion  white;  plumage  entirely  without  spots  in  adult. 

Saxicola. 
a^.  Wing  and  tail  with  blue;  wing  more  than  five  times  as  long  as  tarsus. 

.       SlALIA.      178 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1147 

SuHFAMiLY  TURDIN^E.     Thrushes. 

176.    Genus  TURDUS  Lij*.v.icus. 
a^  Color  brown  above. 

b^.  Tail  brighter  than  back.  T.  aonalaschkse  pallasii  (Cab.).     319 

b^.  Tail  not  brighter  than  back. 

c^.  Sides  spotted  ;  head,  in  adult, -brighter  than  back. 

T.  mixstelinus  Gmel.    .314 
c2.  Sides  not  spotted;  color  uniform  above. 

d^.  Above  light  tawny  brown  ;  throat  spots  not  darker  than  back. 
'  T.  fuscescens  Steph.     316 

d^.  Above  russet  olive;  throat  spots  darker  than  back. 

T.  fuscescens  salicicola  Ridgw.     316 
a^.  Color  above  olive. 

e^.  Ring  around  the  eye  and  sides  of  head  and  breast  huffy. 

T.  ustulatus  swainsonii  (Cab.).     318 

e^.  No  buffy   ring   ari)un<l   eye;    sides   of   head  grayish;    breast   lighter; 

throat  white.  T.  alicise  Baird.     317 

Subgenus  Hvlocichla  Baird. 

*S14.     (T'J-^)     Turdus  musteliims  Gmel. 

Wood  Thrusll. 


Head  of  Wood  Thrut^h.    Natural  size. 

Adult. — Above,  cinnamon-brown,  brighter  and  more  rufous  on  the 
crown,  more  olive  on  the  tail;  beneath,  including  the  sides,  white,  the 
breast  and  sides  marked  with  roundish  spots  of  black.  Immature. — 
With  the  upper  parts  spotted  and  streaked  with  yellowish  fulvoua. 

Length,  7.50-8.25;  wing,  4.10-4.50;  tail,  3.00-3.30  (Ridgway). 

Eange. — North  America,  from  Plonduras  and  Bermudas  over  the 
eastern  United  States  to  Maine,  Quebec  an.d  Minnesota;  west  to  Kan- 
sas and  ^Niorth  Dakota.  Breeds  from  Greorgia  and  southern  Missouri 
north.     Winters  from  Texas  and  Florida  south. 

Nest,  on  horizontal  branch  or  fork  of  low  tree  or  sapling,  6  to  15 
feet  up;  of  mud,  leaves,  weeds  and  twigs,  lined  with  fine  rootlets. 
Eggs,  2-5;  greenish-blue;  1.00  by  .75. 


1148  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

The  Wood  Thrush  is  a  common  summer  resident.  Throughout  the 
denser  woodland  its  ringing  metallic  notes  may  be  commonly  heard 
from  its  arrival  in  spring  until  July  and  occasionally  into  August. 
Its  well-known  call,  e-o-lie,  is  one  of  the  features  of  our  forests  that 
is  passing  with  the  clearing  of  the  land.  The  flourishing  of  the  magic 
ax  has  wrought  greater  changes  than  seemed  possible  to  our  childish 
mind  by  the  wave  of  a  fairy^s  wand.  I  recall  deep  woods,  from  which 
comes  the  notes  e-o-lie,  that  have  disappeared,  and  from  the  fields  that 
mark  their  site  is  borne  the  sound  of  the  rattle  of  the  mower,  the 
tinkle  of  the  sheep  bell,  or  the  song  of  the  Dickcissel.  The  song  of  the 
Wood  Thrush  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  forest. 

They  usually  appear  in  southern  Indiana  after  the  middle  of  April 
and  are  common  before  May  1.  Towards  our  northern  boundary  they 
arrive  one  year  with  another  near  May  1,  and  are  common  from  the 
10th  to  the  15th  of  fhat  month.  The  year  1897  gives  us  a  remarkably 
early  record — about  two  weeks  earlier  than  they  ever  were  reported. 
At  Edwards,  Vigo  County  (A.  H.  Kendrick),  they  were  noted  April 
3;  at  Brookville,  April  5.  It  was  noted  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  April  8, 
1884  (C.  L.  Cass).  Hitherto,  the  earliest  record  at  Brookville  and 
in  the  State  was  April  15,  1&87,  and  the  latest  first  arrival,  JVIay  3, 
1882.  They  have  first  been  noted  at  Bicknell,  April  21,  1897,  April 
23,  1895;  Lafayette,  April  23,  1897,  April  29,  1893;  Sedan,  April 
28,  1896,  May  3,  1895;  Laporte,  May  1,  1894,  1896;  Petersburg,  Mich., 
April  27,  1888,  May  5,  1897;  Chicago,  111.,  April  28,  1896,  May  11, 
1895.  At  Brookville  they  have  been  seen  mating  April  27  (1894), 
where  I  have  found  them  nesting  as  late  as  July  8,  1886.  Prof.  B. 
W.  Evermann  found  a  nest  with  eggs  at  Bloomington,  May  6,  1886, 
and  in  Carroll  County  found  full  sets  May  24,  1883.  The  nest  is 
placed  in  a  bush  or  sapling  just  beyond  my  reach,  generally  from  eight 
to  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  Like  the  Eobin,  the  Wood  Thrush 
uses  considerable  mud  in  nest  building,  and  its  eggs  resemble  those 
of  that  bird,  but  are  smaller. 

They  are  largely  insectivorous.  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes  found  that  72 
per  cent,  of  their  food  was  insects,  and  the  greater  part  of  them 
ground-inhabiting  forms.  Twenty  per  cent,  of  their  food  was  fruits, 
much  of  which  they  obtain  from  their  haunts.  In  April  and  May, 
during  the  migrations,  insects  formed  84  per  cent  of  their  food.  Ants 
formed  15  per  cent.;  diptera,  principally  craneflies  and  wire-worms, 
12  per  cent.;  lepidoptera,  one-third  of  them  cut-worms,  13  per  cent.; 
beetles,  18  per  cent.  (Bulletin  -No.  3,  111.  S.  Lab.  N.  H.,  pp.  127-129). 
It  is  probable  with  a  little  encouragement  the  Wood  Thrush  could 
be  induced  to  come  into  our  orchards,  fruit  gardens  and  about  the 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1149 

shrubbery  of  larger  farm  yards.  In  fact,  it  has  been  noted  as  so 
doing  in  the  east  (King,  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  p.  474).  While  it  would 
probably  demand  its  toll  in  fruit,  yet  it  would  grind  therefore  an 
enormous  grist  of  insects.  They  begin  to  leave  in  August,  and  often 
are  not  seen  after  the  first  of  September,  while  other  falls  they  occur 
after  the  first  of  October.  The  latest  record  from  Brookville  is  Sep- 
tember 7,  1886;  Lafayette,  September  15,  1894;  Sedan,  October  15, 
1894;  Cincinnati,  0.,  October  7,  1877;  Warren  County,  September  20, 
1897.  While  some  remain  on  our  southern  border,  others  go  as  far 
south  to  winter  as  Honduras  (Biol.^Cent.  Am.  Aves.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  9). 

*315.     (756).    Turdus  fuscescens  Steph. 

Wilson's  Thrush. 
Synonym,  Veery. 

Adult. — Above,  uniform  light  tawny-brown;  below,  white;  breast, 
buffy,  it  and  sides  of  throat  marked  with  wedge-shaped  spots  of  about 
the  same  color  as  the  back,  often  arranged  in  more  or  less  regular  rows; 
sides  of  belly  slightly  grayish. 

Length,  6.45-7.75;  wing,  3.75-4.15;  tail,  2.70-3.30. 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  over  eastern  L^nited  States  to  New- 
foundland and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  North  Carolina  along  the  AUe- 
ghanies,  Penns)dvania  and  Indiana  northward.  Winters  from  Florida 
southward. 

Nest,  on  ground  or  near  it,  loosely  constructed  of  dry  leaves,  bark 
shreds,  grass  and  weeds;  no  mud.  Eggs,  3-5;  grayish-blue;  rarely 
marked;  .85  by  .67. 

Wilson's  Thrush  is  chiefly  a  rare  migrant,  but  occurs  occasionally 
as  a  summer  resident  and  breeds.  Some  places  common.  In  Franklin 
County  it  is  one  of  the  rarest  birds.  But  two  specimens  have  been 
taken  in  twenty  years;  in  Carroll  and  Monroe  counties  it  is  not  very 
common,  and  from  many  localities  where  there  are  active  collectors 
it  has  never  been  reported.  Dr.  F.  W.  Langdon  gives  it  as  "a  rare 
migrant  in  April  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati"  (Jour.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat. 
Hist.,  January,  1879,  p.  169). 

It  is  usually  found  late  in  April  and  early  May,  but  has  appeared 
as  early  as  April  9  and  remained  southward  until  late  in  May.  Mr. 
Robert  Ridgway  informs  me  it  breeds  in  Knox  and  Gibson  counties, 
and  in  Dekalb  County  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Hine  said  "it  will  average  toler- 
ably common.  Abundant  in  a  very  few  localities,  as  about  the  bush 
and  willow-grown  bottom  land  of  Stony  Lake."  In  1897  she  informs 
me  they  are  becoming  rare.     It  possibly  breeds  in  other  localities 


1150  Keport  of  State  Geologist. 

throughout  the  State.     Mr.  Ridgway  noted  their  arrival  in  Knox 
County,  April  21,  1881,  and  they  were  observed  toward  the  last  af 
May  (BuUetin  N.  0.  C:,  I.,  January,  1882,  p.  19).    Mr.  W.  0.  WaUace 
noted  their  arrival  at  Wabash,  April  27,  1894,  where  they  were  still 
found  in  June.    The  earliest  record  from  the  State  is  that  noted  by 
Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  from  Carroll  County,  April  9,  1885  (The  Auk, 
January,  1889,  p.  29).    The  following  additional  dates  of  first  arrival* 
are  given:     Brookville,  April  28,  1897;  Spearsville,  April  29,  1894, 
May  6,  1895;  Moore's  Hill,  May  1,  1893;  Bloomington,  May  13,  1886 
Lafayette,  April  29,  1893,  April  30,  1892;  Richmond,  May  7,  1897 
Sedan,  April  26,  1896;  April  28,  1889,  1897;  Laporte,  Mayl,  1894 
Chicago,  111.,  April  29,  1886;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  April  26,  1889,  1897, 
May  2,  1893. 

Of  these  localities  they  are  reported  as  common  from  Richmond, 
Sedan,  Laporte  and  Petersburg,  Mich.  Mr.  Coale  formerly  found 
it  a  rather  common  migrant  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  but  of  late 
years  it  seems  to  be  very  rare.  Mr.  J.  G-.  Parker,  Jr.,  thinks  it  is  a 
rare  summer  resident  there.  At  its  breeding  places  it  has  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  one  of  the  most  famous  woodland  songsters.  iVt  times 
it  sings  far  into  the  night,  and  has  now  the  name  of  "jSTightingale." 
All  its  notes  are  said  to  be  "clear,  bell-like,  resonant,  distinct,  .yet 
soft  and  of  indescribable  sadness.''  Mr.  Ridgway  says  their  song  con- 
sists of  an  indescribably  delicate,  metallic  utterance  of  the  syllables, 
ta-iveeV-ah,  ta-weeV-ah,  twiV-ah,  tivU-ah,  accompa*nied  by  a  fine  trill 
that  renders  it  truly  seductive.  While  they  are  with  us,  as  migrants, 
we  do  not  hear  their  famous  song.  Their  food  is  largely  insects.  Prof. 
King  found  that  of  eight  he  examined,  seven  ate  2  ants,  9  beetles 
and  one  harvestman,  and  one  ate  raspberries,  and  two,  dogwood  berries 
(Geol.  of  Wis.,  L,  p.  471).  They  begin  passing  south  in  August,  and 
most  have  gone  early  in  September,  but  some  occasionally  linger  until 
October. 

The  latest  record  at  Sedan  is  September  7,  1889;  at  Cincinnati,  0., 
September  1,  1879,  and  at  Lafayette,  Ind.,  they  were  moderately  com- 
mon October  2,  1894. 

316.     (756^/).    Tardus  fuscescens  salicicola  (Rirxnv). 

Willow  Thrush. 

Similar  to  2\  fuscescens,  but  above,  russet-olive;  chest,  very  pale 
buif  with  broader  wedge-shaped  markings  -^-f  sxrown  darker  than  the 
b.ack. 

Length,  wing.  3.80-4.25;  tail,  2.70-3.30. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1151 

Eange. — America,  from  Brazil  north  over  interior  region,  between 
Utah  and  Mississippi  River  to  British  Columbia.    AccidentaF  in  Illi- 
nois, Indiana  and  South  Carolina. 
'  Nest  and  eggs,  similar  to  those  of  last  species. 

This  western  form  of  Wilson's  Thrush  is  of  rare  or  accidental  occur- 
rence during  the  migrations  about  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan. 
Mr.  H.  K.  Coale  obtained  a  specimen  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  16, 
1877.  It  was  submitted  to  Mr.  Eobert  Eidgway,  who  verified  the 
identification.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  informs  me  that  he  took  a  male 
of  this  form  at  Grand  Crossing,  111.,  April  29,  1886,  and  two  at  Liver- 
pool, Ind.,  May  5,  1894. 

317.     (757).    Turdus  aliciae  Baird. 

Gray-cheeked  Thrush. 
Synonym,  Alice's  Thrush. 

Adult. — Above,  uniform  olive;  whitish  ring  around  eye;  sides  of 
head  nearly  uniform  grayish;  below,  white,  the  throat  and  upper 
breast  often  tinged  with  bright  buff,  the  sides  of  the  former  and  all 
the  latter  with  triangular  dark-grown  or  blackish  spots;  the  sides 
washed  with  ashy,  sometimes  tinged  with  brownish. 

Length,  7.00-7.75;  wing,  3.75-4.40;  tail,  2.95-3.40. 

Note. — This  species  is  slightly  larger  and  more  plainly  grayer  on 
sides  of  head  than  T.  ustalatus  swainsonii. 

Eange. — America,  from  Columbia  over  eastern  United  States  to 
Labrador  and  Ala&ka;  also  eastern  Siberia.  Breeds  from  Labrador 
and  Hudson  Bay  north.    Winters  in  Central  America  and  southward. 

Nest,  in  woods,  in  low  bush,  2  to  7  feet  up;  of  moss,  strips  of  bark, 
old  leaves  and  grass.  Eggs,  deep  green,  marked  with  russet-brown 
spots;  .92  by  .67. 

The  Gray-cheeked  Thrush  is  generally  not  a  common  migrant  in 
Indiana. 

Some  places  it  is  very  rare  and  others  it  at  times  is  common.  In 
the  Whitewater  Valley  it  is  very  rare.  I,  myself,  have  never  seen  a 
specimen  in  Franklin  County.  Prof.  Evermann  does  not  give  it  from 
Carroll  County,  but  says  it  is  a  common  migrant  in  Monroe  County 
(Hoosier  Naturalist,  May  1,  1887,  p.  145).  At  Spearsville  it  is  toler- 
ably common,  where  it  has  been  noted  April  14  and  15,  1894,  April 
3  to  10,  1895,  and  May  5,  1897  (Barnett);  and  at  Lafayette,  not  very 
common  (L,  A.  and  C.  D.  Test).  Mr.  Eobert  Eidgway  has  this  to 
say  regarding  its  occurrence  in  Knox  County  in  the  spring  of  1881: 
"The  exact  date  of  the  arrival  of  this  species  was  not  noted,  but  was 


1152  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

somewhere  near  the  20th  of  April.  During  the  last  week  of  April 
and  the  first  three  weeks  of  May  it  was  very  common,  perhaps  more  so 
than  any  of  the  other  small  Thrushes.  Specimens  were  shot  May  23, 
and  others  were  observed  as  late  as  the  28th  of  that  month,  the  date 
of  my  departure''  (Bulletin  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  January,  1882,  p.  19). 
Prof.  B.  W.  Evermann  has  found  it  common  in  Vigo  County.  Prof. 
W.  S.  Blatchley  noted  them  at  Bloomington,  May  1,  1886.  Mr. 
Charles  Barber  notes  it  as  abundant  at  Laporte,  April  10th  to  12th, 
1892,  and  Mr.  C.  E.  Aiken  informs  me  that  he  has  found  it  common 
in  Lake  County,  May  2,  3  and  4,  1894.  Mr.  J.  G.  Parker,  Jr.,  says 
it  is  a  not  uncommon  spring  and  fall  migrant  near  Chicago,  111.  He 
has  noted  it  between  May  13  (1886)  and  May  20  (1896),  and  in  Sep- 
tember. Messrs.  L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test  saw  twelve  at  Lafayette,  Sep^ 
tember.4,  1895,  and  note  it  May  12,  1892.  Mr.  Alden  M.  Hadley 
took  specimens  which  are  in  the  collection  at  Earlham  College,  at 
Eichmond,  September  16  and  19,  1896.  Messrs.  Dury  and  Freeman 
noted  them  at  Cincinnati,  0.,  September  16,  1879,  and  Dr.  F.  W. 
Langdon  has  observed  it  in  that  vicinity  "rather  common  early  in 
October,  feeding  on  the  berries  of  the  sour  gum"  (Journ.  Cin.  Soc. 
Nat.  Hist.,  January,  1879,  p.  169). 

Their  habits  appear  to  be  substantially  the  same  as  the  Olive-back's. 
They  frequent  the  same  localities,  eat  similar  food,  and  are  often 
found  together.  This  species  seems  to  be  more  solitary,  and  more 
retiring  in  its  habits  than  the  other. 

Prof.  Forbes  found  that  the  food  of  ten  specimens  of  this  Thrush 
shot  in  May  consisted  of  five  per  cent,  mollusks,  chiefly  succinea  and 
Helix  lahy'rintJiica;  ninety-three  per  cent.,  insects,  almost  half  of 
these  being  ants,  of  which  each  bird  ate  forty-three  per  cent.  Fifteen 
per  cent,  of  their  food  was  caterpillars;  nine  per  cent.,  craneflies; 
eighteen  per  cent.,  coleoptera.  one-half  being  aphodidce,  and  the  re- 
mainder, wire- worms,  curculios  and  plant  beetles.  Almost  none  of 
its  food  is  beneficial  elements  (Bulletin  No.  3,  111.  State  Lab.  N.  H.,  p. 
130). 

318.     (75 8«).    Turdus  ustulatus  swainsonii  (Cab.). 

Olive-backed  Thrush. 
Synonym,  Savainson's  Thrush. 

Adult. — Above,  uniform  olive;  ring  around  eye  and  light  feathers 
on  head,  buff;  below,  throat  and  upper  breast,  buff,  the  sides  of  the 
former  and  all  the  latter  spotted  with  triangular  dark-brown  or  black- 
ish spots;  other  lower  parts,  white,  spotted  next  the  breast  with  ashy 
and  washed  on  the  sides  with  ashy,  sometimes  tinged  with  brownish. 

Length,  6.35-7.55:  wing,  3.80-4.10;  tail,  2.80-3.10. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1153 

Range. — America.,  from  Bra^zil  and  Ecuador  over  eastern  North 
America  (west  to  Great  Basin)  to  Labrador  and  Alaska.  Breeds  from 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  Alleghanies,  southern  Sierra  Nevadas,  moun- 
tains of  southern  New  England  and  Manitoba  northward. 

Nest,  in  woods  in  bush,  small  tree  or  hollow  stump,  5  feet  up;  of 
rootlets,  bark,  grass,  moss,  lined  with  finer  material.  Eggs,  3-5;  pale 
blue,  spotted  chiefly  at  larger  end  with  reddish-brown,  sometimes 
forming  wreath  about  larger  end;  .93  by  .70. 

The  Olive-backed  Thrush  is  a  common  migrant.  It  is  possible  it 
breeds  rarely  in  the  extreme  northern  portion  of  the  State. 

Dr.  A.  W.  Bray  ton  says  it  is  a  rare  summer  resident  in  the  north  of 
the  State  (Ind.  Birds,  1879,  p.  95). 

Some  springs  they  arrive  in  southern  Indiana  by  April  23  and  reach 
the  northern  part  of  the  State  by  April  28.  Usually,  however,  it  is 
about  the  first  of  May  when  they  are  seen  southward,  and  a  week  or 
ten  days  later  before  they  reach  our  northern  boundary.  Most  of 
them  pass  through  in  from  one  to  two  weeks  after  they  arrive,  but 
individuals  are  found  along  our  northern  border  until  near  the  end 
of  May. 

It  is  well  to  note  that  this,  the  Gray-cheeked  and  Wilson^s  Thrushes, 
are  late  migrants  compared  with  the  Wood  Thrush  and  Hermit 
Thrush.  They  have  been  noted  at  Brookville,  iVpril  26,  1883,  May 
8,  1882;  Richmond,  May  23  and  24,  1897;  Greensburg.  May  1  to  May 
22,  1894;  Spearsville,  May  4  to  18,  1895;  Wabash,  May  1  to  5,  1893; 
Bloomington,  May  9,  1893;  Lafayette,  May  12,  1892;  Laporte,  April 
10,  1893,  1894,  May  1,  1893;  Sedan,  May  6,  1896,  May  16,  1889;  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  the  earliest  date  of  arrival  is  April  28,  1896,  and  they  were 
noted  there  May  26,  1897. 

The  Olive-backed  Thrush  is  found  in  all  kinds  of  woodland,  where 
either  singly  or  in  small  groups  they  spend  much  time  upon  the 
ground,  where  they  obtain  their  food.  When  surprised  they  fly  upon 
the  lower  braijches  of  a  tree  or  bush,  usually  getting  behind  a  limb 
or  tree  trunk  out  of  view,  but  sometimes  simply  turning  the  back  to 
the  intruder  and  then  slotting  motionless.  Often  when  frightened 
from  this  perch  they  fly  wdldly  away  with  a  flight  almost  as  erratic 
as  that  of  Wilson^ s  Snipe. 

Prof.  Forbes  examined  eleven  of  these  Thrushes  taken  at  different 
seasons  and  found  62  per  cent,  of  their  food  was  insects  and  35  per 
cent,  fruits.  Of  the  insects,  ants  constituted  17  per  cent;  caterpillars, 
12  per  cent.:  beetles,  18  per  cent.;  craneflies,  4  per  cent.  Of  the  fruit 
eaten  27  per  cent,  was  wild  grapes. 

73-Geol. 


1154  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

In  spring  their  food  is  like  that  of  the  last-described  species.  The 
large  number  of  ants,  caterpillars  and  beetles  eaten  are  especial  fea- 
tures. In  fall  they  fed  largely  upon  fruits,  which  constituted  60 
per  cent,  of  their  food.  These  were  principally  wild  cherries,  elderber- 
ries, blackberries,  and  wild  grapes.  These  last  constituted  over  half 
of  their  food  (Bulletin  No.  3,  111.  S.  Lab.  N.  H.,  pp.  131,  135,  136). 
(See  also  King's  Geol.  of  Wis.,  I.,  pp.  475,  476.) 

They  appear  about  our  northern  boundary  the  last  days  of  August 
and  early  part  of  September,  sometimes  all  the  month,  are  found  over 
the  State.  Occasionally  they  are  found  after  October  1.  The  latest 
fall  date  at  Brookville  is  September  13,  1897;  in  Warren  County, 
September  25,  1897  (V.  K.  Bamett);  at  Sedan  they  were  first  noted 
September  3,  1889,  and  September  16,  1892,  and  1894,  and  the  latest 
date  seen  was  September  26,  1894.  At  Cincinnati,  0.,  in  1879,  they 
were  first  seen  September  2,  and  last,  September  21.  In  1895  they 
were  first  seen  at  Chicago,  111.,  August  29,  and  were  last  noted  there 
October  5  (Elliot  Blackwelder).  In  1896  they  were  first  seen  there 
August  29  and  last  observed  September  30  (C.  A.  Tallman).  They 
appear  to  be  much  more  numerous  in  fall  than  in  spring. 

They  have  a  loud  and  beautiful  song  that  is  heard  about  their  sum- 
mer homes.  I  have  never  heard  them  sing  during  the  migrations,, 
though  it  is  possible  the  later  migrants  sometimes  do.  The  song  of 
Alice's  and  the  Olive-backed  Thrushes  are  said  to  be  different.  Mr. 
Bicknell  thinks  that  of  the  present  species  "is  louder,  more  spontane- 
ous and  lyrical.  Almost  the  first  note  is  the  loudest  and  most  liquid, 
after  which  the  melody  becomes  rapidly  finer,  seeming  to  dissolve 
upon  the  air  like  the  spent  vibration  of  a  stringed  instrument.  The 
song  of  the  Gray- cheeked  Thrush  commences  low  and  reaches  its 
loudest,  and  I  think  its  highest,  part  a  little  beyond  half  its  continu- 
ance. It  is,  throughout,  much  fainter  and  of  less  favorable  delivery 
than  the  song  of  the  Olive-backed  species''  (The  Auk,  April,  1884, 
pp.  130,  131). 

319.     (7596).    Turdus  aonalaschkae  pallasii  (Cab.). 

Hermit  Thrush. 

Adult. — Above,  olive-brown;  upper  tail-coverts  and  tail,  rufous;  buff 
ring  around  the  eye;  below,  whitish;  throat  and  front  of  breast,  huffy; 
sides,  olive-brown  or  olive-gray;  sides  of  throat  with  blackish  stripes 
and  breast  with  wedge-shaped,  triangular  blackish  spots. 

Length,  6.50-7.65;  wing,  3.40-3.90;  tail,  2.55-3.15. 

Eange. — Eastern  North  America,  from  Gulf  Coast  to  mouth  of  St. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1155 

Lawrence  Eiver  and  Manitoba.  Breeds  from  northern  Michigan  and 
southern  Xew  York  north.  Winters  from  Illinois  and  Pennsylvania 
south. 

Nesty  in  swampy  or  low  places  in  woods,  on  ground;  of  old  leaves, 
weeds,  bark-strips,  rootlets  and  grass;  contains  no  mud;  lined  with  the 
finer  materials.    Eggs,  4;  greenish-blue,  pale;  .90  by  .QQ. 

The  Hermit  Thrush  is  a  common  migrant.  It  may  possibly  rarely 
winter  in  the  lower  Wabash  Valley  and  perhaps  rarely  breeds.  Dr. 
F.  W.  Langdon  says,  upon  the  authority  of  Mr.  Charles  Dury,  that 
its  nest  and  eggs  were  taken  near  Cincinnati,  0.,  May  10,  1877  (Journ. 
Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  January,  1879,  p.  169). 

The  Hermit  Thrush  is  the  first  to  arrive  in  the  spring  and  the  last 
to  depart  in  the  autumn.  The  early  arrivals  and  tardy  departures, 
however,  are  but  a  few  of  the  many  who  visit  us.  The  bulk  of  the 
species  are  found  with  us  the  last  half  of  April  and  the  first  half  of 
October.  The  earliest  and  latest  spring  records  at  Grreensburg  are 
March  28,  1896,  April  30,  1895;  Brookville,  April  12,  1897,  May  3, 
1889;  Richmond,  April  11,  1897,  May  19,  1897;  Greencastle,  April 
22,  1893,  May  8,  1895;  Carroll  County,  March  30,'  1884;  Wabash, 
March  26,  1894,  April  29,  1894;  Lafayette,  April  5,  1896,  May  3, 
1893;  Sedan,  April  5,  1893,  May  6,  1889;  Laporte,  April  12,  1896, 
May  4,  1894;  Chicago,  111.,  Apriri3,  1897,  May  20,  1897;  Petersburg, 
Mich.,  April  7,  1889, 1893,  May  20,  1889.  They  are  found  in  the  more 
open  woodland,  along  the  wooded  banks  of  streams,  in  the  more  open 
second-growth  and  along  bushy  ravines.  In  the  northern  part  of  the 
State  they  frequent  damp  woods,  groves  and  scrubby  growth  and  about 
Chicago  vacant  lots  and  grounds  containing  shrubbery.  When  sur- 
prised they  fly  upon  a  low  limb  of  a  tree  or  bush  and  remain  there 
quietly  eying  the  intruder.  If  not  further  alarmed  they  soon  fly  to 
a  neighboring  brush  pile,  thicket  or  the  top  of  a  fallen  tree  and  begin 
anew  searching  for  food.  Every  now  and  then  one  hears  their  cluck, 
and  even  though-  they  are  hidden  by  the  tangle  of  leafless  vines  and 
stems,  one  .can  imagine  they  are  busy. 

The  winter  home  of  the  Hermit  Thrush  was  partly  in  the  range  of 
the 'destructive  storms  of  1895,  and  great  numbers  evidently  perished. 
In  some  places  none  were  seen  that  spring;  in  others,  they  were  scarce, 
while  a  few  stations  report  the  usual  number.  About  Chicago  they  were 
rather  common  (Elliot  Blackwelder,  C.  A.  Tallman);  at  Greencastle 
the  usual  numbers  were  noted  (Jesse  Earlle);  at  Spearsville  (V.  H. 
Bamett)  and  Lafayette  (L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test)  none  were  seen;  at 
Sedan  they  were  very  rare,  only  one  being  obsevred  (Mrs.  Jane  L, 
Hine).    At  Palmer,  Mich.,  where  they  breed,  Mr.  0.  B.  Warren  writes 


1156  Report  op  State  Geologist. 

there  was  a  marvelous  decrease  in  numbers,  more  noticeable  than  the 
absence  of  the  Bluebird.  In  the  depths  of  the  northern  forests  it 
finds  its  voice,  lost  there  the  year  before,  of  which  we  of  more  southern 
latitudes  know  nothing.  Neither  Audubon  nor  Wilson  seem  to  have 
known  of  its  song,  but  such  gifted  interpreters  as  Dr.  Coues  and  Mr. 
John  BmToughs  have  heard  it  sing  and  brought  to  us  their  concep- 
tions of  its  efforts,  fresh  from  the  cool  north  woods,  written  as  with 
the  flowing  of  inspiration  from  the  point  of  the  pen.  In  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs' "Wake  Robin,"  we  find  these  words:  "Ever  since  I  entered 
the  woods,  even  while  listening  to  the  lesser  songsters  or  contemplat- 
ing the  silent  foi-ms  about  me,  a  strain  has  reached  my  ears  irom  out  of 
the  depths  of  the  forest  that  to  me  is  the  finest  sound  in  nature — the 
song  of  the  Hermit  Thrush. 

"I  often  hear  him  thus  a  long  way  off,  sometimes  over  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  away,  when  only  the  stronger  and  more  perfect  parts  of  his 
music  reach  me;  and  through  the  chorus  of  Wrens  and  Warblers  I 
detect  this  sound,  rising  pure  and  serene,  as  if  a  spirit  from  some 
remote  height  were  slowly  chanting  a  divine  accompaniment.  This 
song  appeals  to  the  sentiment  of  the  beautiful  in  me,  and  suggests  a 
serene  religious  beatitude  as  no  other  sound  in  nature  does.  It  is, 
perhaps,  more  of  an  evening  than  a  morning  hymn,  though  I  hear 
it  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  It  is  very  simple  and  I  can  hardly  tell  the 
secret  of  its  charm.  ^0  spheral,  spheral!'  he  seems  to  say;  ^0  holy, 
holy!  0  clear  away,  clear  away!  0  clear  up,  clear  up!'  interspersed  with 
the  finest  trills  and  the  most  delicate  preludes.  It  is  not  a  proud, 
gorgeous  strain,  like  the  Tanager's  or  the  Grosbeak's;  suggests  no  pas- 
sion or  emotion — nothing  personal — but  seems  to  be  the  voice  of  that 
calm,  sweet  solemnity  one  attains  to  in  his  best  moments.  It  realizes 
a  peace  and  a  deep,  solemn  joy  that  only  the  finest  soul  may  know. 
A  few  nights  ago  I  ascended  a  mountain  to  see  the  world  by  moon- 
light, and  when  near  the  summit,  the  Hermit  commenced  his  evening 
hymn  a  few  rods  from  me.  Listening  to  this  strain  on  the  lone  moun- 
tain, with  the  full  moon  just  rounded  from  the  horizon,  the  pomp 
of  your  cities  and  the  pride  of  your  civilization  seemed  trivial  and 
cheap." 

The  greater  part  of  their  food  is  obtained  from  the  ground.  Prof. 
H.  K.  King  examined  nine  specimens.  One  had  eaten  twenty  ants: 
three,  a  caterpillar  each;  two,  three  grasshoppers;  six,  six  beetles;  one. 
a  wire-worm;  one  had  eaten  wild  grapes,  and  one  berries  of  the  Indian 
turnip  (Geol.  of  Wis.,  p.  475).  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes  examined  twenty- 
one  specimens.  Eighty-four  per  cent,  of  their  food  was  insects;  four 
per  cent,  spiders,  and  twelve  per  cent,  thousand-legs.     The  most  of 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1157 

the  insects  consisted  of  ants,  fifteen  per  cent.;  lepidoptera  (butterflies, 
moths,  cut-worms,  caterpillars,  etc.),  nineteen  per  cent.;  beetles,  thirty 
perjcent.;  hemiptera,  mostly  predaceous,  eight  per  cent.;  grasshoppers, 
eight  per  cent.  (Bulletin  No.  3,  111.  State  Lab.  N.  H.,  pp.  139,  130). 

In  the  fall  they  begin  to  be  seen  in  northern  Indiana,  late  in  Sep- 
tember. While  the  multitude  passes  through  the  early  part  of  Octo- 
ber, there  are  some  that  remain  into  November.  The  earliest  and 
latest  dates  where  they  have  been  observed  are  at  Sedan,  September 
22,  1889,  October  27,  1894;  Brookville,  October  11,  1887,  October  22, 
1894;  Greensburg,  October  22,  1893,  October  27,  1894;  Carroll 
County,  October  5,  1878;  Chicago,  111.,  October  6,  1893,  November  11, 
1895. 

The  Hermit  Thrush  may  be  readily  recognized  by  its  bright,  tawny 
tail.     It  is  the  only  thrush  that  has  the  tail  brighter  than  the  back. 

177.    Genus  MERULA  Lrach. 

*320.     (761).    Merula  migratoria  (Linn.). 

American  Robin. 
Synonym,  Robin. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  head,  black;  eyelids  and  a  spot  in  front  of  the 
eye,  white;  wings,  black;  tail,  blackish,  the  two  outer  feathers  tipped 
with  white;  other  upper  parts,  slate-gray;  below,  throat,  breast  and 
sides,  deep  rufous,  or  reddish;  other  lower  parts,  white,  the  crissum 
tinged  with  dusky;  bill,  yellow.  Adult  Female. — Similar,  but  paler 
and  duller.  Bill,  less  yellow.  Immature. — Back,  with  black  markings; 
breast,  sides  and  abdomen,  pale  rufous,  thickly  spotted  with  black. 

Length,  9.00-10.00;  wing,  4.90-5.40;  tail,  4.10-4.50. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America,  from  eastern  Mexico  to  Hudson 
Bay  and  Alaska,  west  to  Rocky  Mountains.  Breeds  from  Virginia  and 
southern  Missouri  north.  Winters  from  Minnesota.,  Michigan  and 
southern  New  England  south. 

Nest,  preferably  in  fruit  tree  or  shade  tree;  of  twigs,  grass,  weeds, 
strings,  papers,  fibres,  with  much  mud;  lined  with  fine  grass.  J^Jggs, 
4-6;  greenish-blue;  1.18  by  .81.     Two  broods. 

The  Robin  is  a  common  summer  resident,  abundant  during  the 
migrations.  It  is  an  irregular  winter  resident  throughout  the  State, 
more  regular  and  numerous  southward.  While  almost  every  year  they 
are  found  the  whole  year  round  somewhere  in  the  State,  the  prob- 
ability is  that  the  Robins  that  breed  with  us  are  not  the  ones  that 
winter  in  the  same  locality.  Usually  the  migrations  begin  near  the 
first  of  February  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  the  birds  ])e- 


1158 


Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 


come  cominon  that  month  sometimes  within  a  few  days  after  the 
migrants  are  first  noted.  In  the  center  of  the  State,  in  general,  they 
may  be  looked  for  near  the  middle  of  February,  and  to  become  com- 
mon within  the  next  two  weeks.  In  the  northern  counties  the  aver- 
age arrival  is  about  March  10,  a  little  later  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago, 
and  they  are  common  about  the  25th  of  that  month.  The  following 
are  the  eaxly  and  late  first  appearances  of  migrants :  Brookville,  Janu- 
ary 17,  1897,  February  23,  1885:  Greensburg,  February  23,  1894; 
Greencastle,  February  11,  1893,  March  1,  1896;  Lafayette,  February 
1,  1897,  March  23,  1895;  Sedan,  February  28,  1896,  March  18,  1895; 
Laporte,  March  2,  1893^  March   16,   1896;  .Chicago,  111.,  March  3, 


"T^-^tv^^I-^— - 


American  Robin. 
(Beal.— Farmers'  Bulletin  54,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.) 

1894,  March  27,  1895;  Petersburg,  Mich.,  February  26,  1893,  March 
9,  1897.  At  Brookville  I  have  found  the  migrants  in  flocks  in  the 
woods  making  their  way  north  so  late  as  April  2  (1896),  when  the  local 
summer  residents  were  nest  building.  Within  the  last  few^  years  they 
remained  through  the  winter  of  1894-5  in  favorable  locations  over 
southern  Indiana  as  far  north  as  Greensburg  (Shannon)  and  Green- 
castle (Earlle).  The  most  general  distribution  of  Eobins  in  winter 
occurred  the  past  winter  (1896-7).  That  year  they  were  found 
throughout  Indiana  into  northern  Illinois  and  southern  Michigan. 
They  were  reported  from  Hanover  (Culbertson),  on  the  Ohio  Eiver; 
from  Greensburg,  where  a  flock  of  five  hundred  was  seen  December 
30,  1896  (Shannon).  They  were'  observed  at  Waterloo  (Keep)  and 
Sedan  (Mrs.  Hine).    At  Angola  they  were  abundant  all  winter,  feed- 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1159 

ing  upon  dogwood  berries  (Mrs.  Sniff).  They  were  common  all  winter 
in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  111.  (Dunn),  and  at  Petersburg,  Mich.,  a 
flock  of  a  hundred  or  more  were  present  all  winter  feeding  upon  frozen 
apples  (Trombley).  At  Spearsville,  Brown  County,  and  Bicknell, 
Knox  County,  they  are  usually  found  through  the  winter. 

At  the  height  of  the  migration  they  arrive  in  great  flocks,  which 
scatter  over  the  country  in  little  bands  through  the  day  and  at  night 
collect  in  favorite  roosting  places,  where  several  flocks  are  sometimes 
associated  together.  My  yard  is  one  of  these  roosting  sites.  There 
they  may  be  found  for  two  or  four  weeks  after  arrival  every  spring. 
The  summer  residents  usually  arrive  after  the  first  of  March*  and 
sometimes  not  until  the  latter  part  of  that  month.  The  latest  date 
for  their  arrival  is  in  1897,  when  they  arrived  March  25.  I  have 
heard  them  begin  singing  as  early  as  March  8  (1893)  and  as  late  as 
March  23  (1895).  The  first  song  is  sung  from  the  top  of  a  certain 
maple  tree  in  my  front  yard.  As  the  time  approaches,  I  am  listening 
for  it,  and  often  while  at  supper  its  call  sounds,  "cheerily,  cheer  up, 
cheer  up,  cheerily,  cheerily,  cheer  up,^^  as  Mr.  Nehrling  would  inter- 
pret it.  He  also  gives  its  well-known  call  as  "Durick,  tuck,  tuck, 
tuck.^'"  They  usually  begin  building  early  in  April,  sometimes  the 
first  week.  Prof. .  W,  P.  Shannon  notes  a  pair  at  Greensburg  that 
began  their  nest  March  28,  1896;  first  egg  laid,  April  5;  second,  April 
6;  third  and  last,  April  7;  began  to  sit,  April  8;  hatched,  April  21; 
young  left  nest.  May  3.  It  requires  about  seven  days  to  build  the 
nest;  an  egg  is  usually  laid  each  day;  about  thirteen  days  are  required 
for  incubation,  and  the  young  remain  in  the  nest  twelve  or  thirteen 
days.  Two  broods  are  reared  each  year  and,  doubtless,  occasionally, 
three.  The  bright  color  of  the  breast  in  spring  has  darkened  by  the 
first  of  May  or  before  to  a  dingy  reddish-brown.  Throughout  the  late 
summer  the  Eobins  wander  over  the  country,  in  dry  years  seeking 
swampy  and  other  wet  places  where  wild  fruits  are  ripe  and  ripening. 
Often  about  their  breeding  places  they  will  seem  quite  scarce.  With 
the  last  of  September  flocks  of  early  migrants  may  be  seen,  quietly 
trooping  through  the  woods,  making  their  way  southward.  This  is 
continued  through  October  and  sometimes  well  into  ISTovember.  They 
are  usually  rather  quiet,  sometimes  uttering  a  loud  cry  and  occa- 
sionally voicing  a  few  notes.  I  heard  its  well  known  "duricF'  call 
November  23,  1896,  as  strong  and  clear  as  it  was  the  preceding  spring. 
Mr.  J.  G.  Parker  informs  me  the  migrants  sometimes  linger  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago  until  November.  I  have  the  following  late  fall 
dates  when  they  did  not  winter.  Brookville,  October  14,  1890;  La- 
fayette. October  21,  1894;  CIreencastle,  December  15,  1893;  Sedan, 


1160  Eeport  of  State  GtEOlogist. 

November  11,  1889.  Their  remaining  through  the  winter  depends 
not  so  much  upon  the  weather  as  upon  a  supply  of  food  that  may  be 
easily  obtained. 

They  gather  into  large  roosts  some  winters.  There  was  one  re- 
ported the  winter  of  1896-7  in  Brown  County.  Considerable  attention 
has  been  given  in  different  parts  of  the  country  to  the  food  of  the 
Eobin.  I  can  give  but  a  few  points  from  the  conclusions  reached. 
From  the  time  of  its  first  arrival  until  June,  almost  its  entire  food  is 
insects.  In  the  early  spring  in  Illinois,  Prof.  Forbes  found  its  chief 
food  was  the  larvge  of  a  fly  (Bibio  alUpennis  Say  J,  a  species  which  if 
allowed  to  increase  might  do  much  damage  to  meadows  and  pastures. 
Mr.  Wilcox  has  found  this  to  be  the  same  in  Ohio  and  doubtless  it  is 
true  in  Indiana.  The  last  named  gentleman  has  found  that  over  96 
per  cent,  of  their  food  in  April,  97  per  cent,  in  May,  over  43  per  cent. 
in  June,  was  insects,  of  which  from  almost  one-fifth  to  near  two-fifths 
of  the  total  food  was  injurious  species  and  more  than  that  of  neutral, 
species.  In  June  they  began  eating  fruit  to  an  amount  equal  to  54 
per  cent,  of  their  food,  cherries  forming  14.6  per  cent,  and  raspberries 
'o6.6  per  cent.  Prof.  Forbes  found,  deducting  the  Bihio  larv^,  that 
the  total  percentage  of  injurious  insects  eaten  was  as  follows:  February, 
18;  March,  37;  April,  39;  May,  55;  June,  24;- July,  10;  August,  31; 
September,  7,  while  the  percentage  of  fruits  and  seeds  eaten  were 
for  June  (when  they  first  became  important),  58;  July,  79;  August, 
56;  September,  70,  and  October,  56.  In  June  cherries  formed  47 
per  cent,  and  raspberries  8;  in  July,  blackberries  were  56  and  currants 
17  per  cent.;  in  August,  cherries  were  44  and  hackberries  5  per  cent.; 
in  September  grapes  were  52  and  Mountain  Ash  berries  8  per  cent.; 
and  in  October  grapes  constituted  53  per  cent,  of  their  food. 

The  grapes  eaten  in  October  and  doubtless  many  of  those  eaten  in 
September  were  wild  kinds.  In  an  orchard  infested  with  canker- 
worms  the  Eobins'  food  consisted  of  40  per  cent,  of  that  species  (Kept. 
Mich.  Plort.  Soc,  1881,  p.  204). 

Profs.  F.  and  L.  Beal  have  reported  an  examination  of  330  stomachs 
of  Eobin s  taken  at  different  seasons.  Forty-two  per  cent,  of  their 
food  was  found  to  be  animal  matter,  principally  insects,  and  the  re- 
mainder is  largely  small  fruits  and  berries. 

From  the  evidence  presented  it  is  safe  to  say  that  noxious  insects 
comprise  more  than  one-third  of  the  Eobin^s  food.  Vegetable  food 
was  found  to  be  nearly  58  per  cent,  of  that  eaten,  wild  fruits  forming 
47,  and  varieties  that  were  possibly  cultivated  a  little  more  than  4 
per  cent.  They  ate  25  per  cent,  of  cultivated  fruit  in  June  and  July. 
Wild  fruit  was  eaten  every  month  and  forty-one  kinds  were  noted. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1161 

Small  fi-uits  and  cherries  that  ripen  early  are  almost  the  only  fruits 
that  are  eaten  to  any  amount.  Early  cherries  are  about  the  only  fruit 
that  is  ripe  at  that  time  when  the  Eobin  wants  a  change  of  diet.  By 
July  and  through  the  remainder  of  the  season  there  is  an  abundance 
of  wild  kinds  that  are  more  to  its  taste.  The  investigations  show  that 
the  Robin  takes  ten  times  as  much  wild  as  cultivated  frnit.  The  wild 
plants  upon  which  it  feeds  are  not  those  gathered  by  man  or  adopted 
by  him  for  cultivation.  It  is  wise  either  to  plant  a  few  extra  plants 
or  trees  for  the  birds  or  to  plant  a  few  of  some  such  trees  as  the  Rus- 
sian mulberry,  the  fruit  of  which  they  seem  to  prefer  to  kinds  that 
man  values  more  highly.  (On  this  subject  see  Farmers'  Bulletin,  No. 
34,  IT.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  pp.  37,  38;  Journal  Columbus  (0.) 
Hort.  Soc,  Vol.  VI.,  September,  1891,  pp.  75,  80;  and  Bull.  111. 
State  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  3,  pp.  89,  107.) 

There  come  years  when  the  severe  weather  Idlls  some  of  the  Robins. 
Perhaps  this  has  not  been  observed  to  have  occurred  to  so  great  an 
extent  as  it  did  the  latter  part  of  the  winter  and  early  spring  of  1895. 
The  sudden  storms  and  severe  weather  of  February,  March  and  April 
south  of  us  covered  much  of  the  territory  where  they  winter  Just  as 
they  were  beginning  to  move  northward,  that  they  were  undoubtedly 
destroyed  in  countless  numbers.  In  some  localities  they  seem  to  have 
been  almost  exterminated.  The  effects  of  this  were  noted  throughout 
Induma,  Illinois  and  Michigan.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  first  two 
States,  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  they  were  very  scarce. 
(See  Proc.  Ind.  Acad.  Science,  1895,  pp.  165,  166.) 

178.    Gknus  SIALIA  Swainson. 

*321.     (766).    SiaHa  sialis  (Linn.). 

Bluebird. 

Adult  Male. — Above,  bright  blue;  below,  throat  and  breast  cinna- 
mon, other  under  parts  white.  Adult  Female. — Above,  grayish;  wings, 
tail  and  rump  blue;  below,  paler.  Immature. — Similar  to  female; 
"upper  parts  'and  breast  marked  with  white. 

Length,  5.70-7.00;  wing,  3.90-4.15;  tail,  2.60-2.90. 

Range. — Eastern  North  America  from  Cuba,  and  Bermudas  to 
Nova  Scotia,  Ontario  and  Manitoba,  west  to  Rocky  Mountains.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range.  Winters  from  northern  Indiana  and  southern 
New  York  southward.    Resident  in  Bermudas. 

Nest,  in  hole  in  tree,  post,  stump  or  in  a  box;  of  grass.  Eggs.  4-6; 
pale  blue,  unmarked. 


1164  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

of  unusual  severity.  By  the  end  of  the  severe  weather  in  April,  it  is 
said,  but  few  Eobins  or  Bluebirds  could  be  found.  The  destruction  of 
bird  life  must  have  been  enormous.  The  Bluebirds  seem  to  have 
been  almost  exterminated.  Few,  indeed,  returned  to  their  breeding 
grounds  in  the  north  and  from  many  localities  none  were  reported 
the  spring  of  1895.  At  Vincennes  (Bicknell),  Frankfort  (A.  B.  Ghen), 
and  Eochester  (Gould),  Ind.,  and  Oxford,  Ohio  (Prof.  A.  L.  Tread- 
well),  none  were  observed. 

At  the  following  places  very  few  were  seen:  At  Eedkey,  probal)ly 
six  or  seven  (Eoy  Hathaway),  none  breeding;  Greensburg,  few  (Prof. 
W.  P.  Shannon);  Upland,  not  more  than  a  dozen  (D.  W.  Collet);  Han- 
over, few  (Prof.  Glenn  Culbertson);  Greencastle,  few  (Jesse  Earlle); 
Sedan,  very  rare  (Mrs.  Hine);  Lafayette,  three  (L.  A.  and  C.  D.  Test); 
Waterloo,  very  rare,  (C.  L.  Hine);  Orange,  Martin  and  Dubois 
counties,  very  scarce  (E.  M.  Kindle);  English  Lake,  one  seen,  very 
scarce  (E.  Deane);  Wilders,  Ind.,  heard  a  pair  in  July,  very  scarce; 
none  seen  about  Chicago  (J.  0.  Dunn);  Sandusky,  Ohio,  very  scarce 
(Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley);  Agricultural  College,  Mich.,  one  heard,  none 
seen  (Prof.  T.  L.  Hankinson);  Brant,  Mich.,  very  scarce  (Dr.  W.  De- 
Clarenze);  Bay  City,  Mich.,  one,  nearly  extinct  (Eddy);  Grand  Haven, 
Mich.,  two  (E.  Davidson);  Pl3^mouth,  Mich.,  few,  one  pair  nested  (E. 
C.  Alexander);  Glen  Ellyn,  111.,  three  seen  (B.  T.  Gault);  Morgan  Park, 
111.,  twelve  seen,  four  of  them  young  (Elliott  Blackwelder);  Chicago, 
111.,  not  over  twenty  seen  the  entire  year  (C.  H.  Tallman).  At  Brook- 
ville  but  a  few  were  seen  in  the  spring  and  none  through  the  summer. 
In  the  fall  a  number  were  noted.  (See  P.roc.  Ind.  Acad.  Sci.,  1895, 
pp.  162,  165.)  There  was  an  increase  in  number  in  1896  and  a^ain 
in  1897. 

Indeed  through  October  and  November  of  the  latter  year  they  were* 
quite  common  at  Brookville. 

The  Bluebird  is  one  of  the  most  domestic  of  birds.  It  builds  its 
nest  in  holes  in  posts,  rails,  outbuildings,  in  holes  in  trees,  very  often 
selecting  the  orchard  as  its  site.  It  eats  almost  no  fruits  or  seeds  of 
beneficial  plants,  and  the  only  thing  charged  against  it  is  the  beneficial 
insects  it  takes.  Of  205  birds  reported  upon  by  Prof.  F.  E.  L.  Beal, 
76  per  cent,  of  their  food  was  insects  and  allied  forms.  The  other  24 
per  cent,  was  various  vegetable  substances,  mostly  eaten  in  winter. 
Beetles  constituted  28  per  cent  of  the  total  food;  grasshoppers,  22; 
caterpillars,  11.  All  are  more  or  less  harmful,  except  a  few  predaceous 
beetles,  amounting  to  8  per  cent.  The  destruction  of  grasshoppers  and 
caterpillars  is  very  large.     The  former  constitute  more  than  60  per 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1165 

cent,  of  its  diet  in  August  and  September  (Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  54, 
U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.). 

Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes  found  a  bird  taken  in  an  orchard  infested  with 
canker-worms  had  eaten  60  per  cent,  of  that  food.  But  on  the  con- 
trary he  found  that  both  this  and  the  Thrushes  made  about  16  per 
cent,  of  their  food  of  predaceous  beetles  which  are  beneficial,  and  were 
making  about  one-sixth  of  their  food  of  canker-worms.  (Rept.  Mich. 
Hort.  Soc,  1881,  p.  204;  see  also  Bulletin  111.  State  Lab.  N.  H.,  ISTo. 
3,  pp.  137,  148.) 

This  bird  deserves  special  encouragement  and  protection. 

Nesting  places  should  be  provided  for  it  about  gardens,  orchards, 
groves  and  yards.  If  protected  from  pestiferous,  English  Sparrows 
and  wanton  boys  it  will  thus  have  a  better  opportunity  to  regain 
its  former  numbers  and  will  be  more  useful  where  its  powers  as  an  in- 
sect destrover  are  most  needed. 


1168  Report  or  State  Geologist. 

Family  LARID^.     Gulls  and  Terns. 

Subfamily  LARINJE.     Gulls. 
Genus  RISSA  Stephens. 

7.     (40).    Rissa  tridactyla  (Linn.). 

Kittiwake  Gull. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  rare  winter  visitor  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p. 
146;  Eidgway,  111.  Orn.,  II.,  pp.  221-2);  Ohio,  rare  Tvdnter  visitor 
(Wheaton,  p.  549);  Michigan,  rare  (Gibbs,  p.  495);  Illinois  (Woodruff, 
in  letter). 

Genus  LARUS  Linnaeus. 

8.     (47).    Larus  marinus  Linn. 

Great  Black-backed  Gull. 

Kent  County,  Mich.,  March  28,  1889,  White.  (Cook,  Mich.,  p. 
32.)  Illinois,  winter  resident  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  145);  Ohio,  rare 
winter  visitor  (Wheaton,  p.  547);  Michigan,  rare  (Gibbs,  p.  495). 

9.    (51).    Larus  argentatus  Brijnn. 

Herring:  Gull. 

Eidgway  (111.  Om.,  Vol.  II.)  thinks  its  occurence  doubtful.  Illinois, 
rare  winter  visitor  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  145). 

10.  (58).    Larus  atricilla  Linn. 

,  Laughing  Gull. 

Washtenaw  County,  1  specimen,  1884,  Watkins  (Cook,  Mich.);  Illi- 
nois, rare  summer  visitor  southward  (Eidgway  Cat.,  p.  202);  Michigan, 
abundant  (?)  (Gibbs,  p.  495). 

Genus  XBMA  Leach. 

11.  (62).    Xema  sabinii  (Sab.). 

Sabine's  Gull. 

Illinois,  rare  winter  visitor  to  Lake  Michigan  (Eidgway,  111.  Om., 
II.,  pp.  237-8)  (Eidgway  Cat.,  p.  202);  Ohio,  accidental  on  Lake  Erie 
(Wheaton,  p.  552). 


BiRDS  OF  Indiana.  1169 

Subfamily  STERNINJi:.     Terns. 
Genus  GELOCHELIDON  Brehm. 

12.     (63).     Gelochelidon  nilotica  (Hassblq.). 

Gull-billed  Tern. 

Illinois,  rare  summer  visitor  (Ridgway  Cat.,  p.  202);  Ohio,  rare  vis- 
itor northward  (Wheaton,  p.  552);  Michigan,  not  rare  summer  visitor 
(Gibbs,  p.  496).  St.  Clair  Flats,  breeds  (Cook,  Mich.).  Breeds,  Lake 
Michigan  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  II.,  p.  242). 

Genus  STERNA  LiNN^us. 
Subgenus  Thalasseus  Boie. 

13.     (64).    Sterna  tschegrava  Lepech. 

Caspian  Tern. 

Illinois,  winter  visitor  (Ridgway  Cat.,  p.  202);  Michigan,  accidental 
(Gibbs,  p.  495).  St.  Clair  Flats.  Breeds,  Islands,  Lake  Michigan 
(Cook,  Mich.);  also  C.  L.  Cass,  Manuscript.  Breeds  abundantly  on 
islands  in  Lake  Michigan. 

Subgenus  Actochklidon  Kaup. 

14.     (65).    Sterna  maxima  Bodd. 

Royal  Tern. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  summer  visitor  (Ridgway  Cat.,  p.  202); 
Michigan,  rare  summer  visitor  (Gibbs,  p.  495;  Cook,  Mich.,  p.  34). 

15.     (71).    Sterna  paradissea  BRiiNN. 

Arctic  Tern. 

Michigan,  not  common  migrant  (Gibbs,  p.  496).  It  has  been  accred- 
ited to  Ohio,  perhaps  by  mistake  (Wheaton,  p.  561).  Lake  Kosh- 
konong,  Wis.,  breeds  (L.  Kumlein)  (Cook,  Mich.). 

Family  PHALACROCORACIDJE.     Cormorants. 

Genus  PHALACROCORAX  Brisson. 
Subgenus  Phalacrocorax. 

16.     (119).    Phalacrocorax  carbo  (Linn). 

Cormorant. 

Given  by  Dr.  Haymond,  but  more  recently  regarded  as  an  error. 
Also  reported  from  Ohio,  but  that  is  now  considered  an  error  (Whea- 
ton, p.  545);  Michigan  (?).  N^oted  as  doubtfully  an  occasional  visitor 
<Gibbs,  p.  495). 

74— Geol 


1170  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

17.     (121).    Phalacrocorax  mexicanus  (Brandt). 

Mexican  Cormorant. 
Illinois  (Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  V.,  p.  31). 

Family  PELECANID^.     Pelicans. 

Genus  PELBCANUS  Linn^us. 
Subgenus  Lbptopelicanus  Reichenbach. 

18.     (126).    Pelecanus  fuscus  Linn. 

Brown  Pelican. 
Illinois  (Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  Vol.  V.,  p.  31). 

Family  ANATID^.     Ducks,  Geese  and  Swans. 

Subfamily  ANATINJ^.     River  Ducks. 

Geitus  anas  Linh-bus. 
Subgenus  Querquedula  Stephens. 

19.     (141).    Anas  cyanoptera  Vieill. 

Cinnamon  Teal. 

Illinois,  occasional  visitor  (Ridgway  Cat.,  p.  199). 

Genus  HISTRIOXICUS  Lesson. 

20.     (155).    Histrionicus  histrionicus  (Linn.). 

Harlequin  Duck. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  in  winter  (Nelson,  N.  E'.  Ills.,  p.  142);  Ohio, 
mentioned  b}^  error  (Wheaton,  p.  535);  Michigan  and  Wisconsin 
(Cook,  Mich.,  p.  44).    Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I.,  pp.  172-3. 

Genus  CAMPTOLAIMUS  Gray. 

21.     (156).    Camptolaimus  labradorius  (Gmel.). 

Labrador  Duck. 

Formerly  found  in  Michigan  (Gibbs,  p.  494);  Great  Lakes  (Ridgway 
Manual,  p.  107).    Now  very  rare,  if  not  extinct. 

Genus  SOMATERIA  Leach. 
Subgenus  Somateria. 

22.     (160).    Somateria  dresseri  Sharpe. 

American  Eider. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  in  winter  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  142);  Michi- 
gan, occasional  (Gibbs,  p.  495).  Michigan  (Cook,  Mich.,  p.  41V 
Ridgway,  111.  Om.,  II.,  p.  177. 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1171 

Subgenus  Eriohbtta  Coues. 

23.     (162).    Somateria  spectabilis  (Linn.). 

King-  Eider. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  rare  winter  visitor  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p. 
143);  Ohio  (Wheaton,  p.  535).  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  Kumlein 
(Cook,  Mich.;  Eidgway,  111.  Orn.,  II.,  p.  178). 

Genus  OIDEMIA  Fleming. 

SUBQKNUS  OlDEMIA. 

24.     (163).    Oidemia  americana  Sw.  &  Rich. 

American  Scoter. 

Illinois,  winter  resident  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  143);  Michigan,  rare 
(Gibbs,  p.  494).  Lake  Michigan.  Bay  City,  female  (Cook,  Mich.,  p. 
41).    Eidgway,  111.,  II.,  p.  180.    Ohio  (Wheaton),  pp.  537-8. 

Genus  NOMONYX  Ridgway. 

25.     (168).    Nomonyx  dominicus  (Linn.) 

Masked  Duck. 

A  tropical  species,  accidental  in  New  York  and  Wisconsin  (Eidgway 
Manual,  p.  114). 

Subfamily  ANSERINE.     Geese. 
Genus  BRANTA  Scopoli. 

26»     (1726).    Branta  canadensis  occidentalis  (Baird). 

White-cheeked  Goose. 

Michigan  (Cook.,  Mich.,  p.  47). 

27.     (172e).    Branta  canadensis  minima  Ridgw. 

Cackling  Goose. 

Illinois  (Bull.  Nntt.  Orn.  Club,  1876,  p.  41);  Eidgway,  111.  Om.,  II., 
pp.  123-4;  Wisconsin  (Eidgway  Manual,  1887,  p.  117).  A  specimen 
from  Wisconsin  presented  to  Smithsonian  Institution  by  Mr.  G.  F. 
Morcom  (Deane,  in  Manuscript). 

Family  IBIDID^.     Ibises. 

GENUS  PLEGADIS  Kaup. 

28.     (186).    Plegadis  autumnalis  (Hasselq.). 

Glossy  Ibis. 

Illinois,  rare  (Eidgway  Cat.,  p.  192);  Ohio,  accidental  (Wheaton,  p. 
498).    Michigan  (Cook,  Mich.,  p.  48). 


1172  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Family  ARDEID^.     Herons,  Bitterns,  Etc. 

Subfamily  BOTAURIN.E.     Bitterns. 
Genus  ARDETTA  Gray. 

29.     (191.1).    Ardetta  neoxena  Cory. 

Cory's  Least  Bittern. 

August  8,  1894.  Manchester,  Mich.  A  specimen  of  this  rare  species- 
was  brought  to  Mr.  L.  Whitney  Watkins  by  a  neighbors  boy.  Mr. 
Watkins  at  once  wrote  me  of  the  peculiar  dark  Least  Bittern  that  he 
had  received.  I  suspected  its  identity  and  requested  that  he  send  it 
to  me  for  examination.  It  had,  however,  been  forwarded  to  Prof.  W. 
B.  Barrows,  Agr.  Coll.,  Mich.  He  dejtermined  it  to  be  Cory's  Bittern. 
It  will  be  noted  that  six  of  those  known  have  been  taken  in  Florida 
and  the  other  three  north  of  the  latitude  of  the  northern  boundary 
of  Indiana. 

The  bird  may  be  reasonably  expected  to  occur  in  Indiana.  Its  dark 
color  gives  it  the  name  of  "Black  Bittern'"  in  Florida,  to  distinguish 
it  from  the  "Least  Bittern,"  which  is  called  '"Brown  Bittern."  They 
are  about  the  same  size. 

Subfamily  ARDEINiE.     Herons  and  EfjRETs. 

Genus  ARDEA  Limn.eus. 
Subgenus  Ardea. 

30.     (198).    Ardea  rufescens  Gmel. 

Reddish  Eg^et. 

Illinois,  summer  visitor  southward  (Xelson,  S.  111.,  p.  60). 


Family  RECURVIROSTRIDJ^.     Avocets  and  Stilts. 

Genus  HIMANTOPUS  Brisson. 

31.     (226).    Himantopus  mexicanus  (Mull.). 

Black-necked  Stilt. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  rare  (Nelson,  X.  E.  111.,  p.  124).  Ridgway. 
111.  Om.,  II.,  p.  76.  Ohio,  rare  (Wheaton,  p.  463);  Michigan,  rare 
(Gibbs,  p.  492).     Cook,  Mich.,  p.  57. 


BiKDS  OF  Indiana.  1173 

Family   SCOLOPACIDJC.     Snipes,  Sandpipers,  Etc. 

Gknus  TRINGA  Linn.eus. 
Subgenus  Arquatella  Baird. 

32.  (235).    Tringa  maritima  Brunn. 

Purple  Sandpiper. 

Illinois,  rare  (Ridgway  Cat.,  p.  195);  Ohio,  rare  (Wheaton,  p.  476). 
Cook  Co.,  111.,  Auk,  April,  1896,  p.  180. 

Subgenus  ACTODROMAS  Kaup. 

33.  (240).    Tringa  fuscicollis  Vieill. 

WTiite-ruinped.  Sandpiper. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  127);  Ohio,  migrant 
(Wheaton,  p.  475);  Michigan,  rare  (Gibbs,  p.  492;  Cook,  p.  59).  Cin- 
cinnati, two  specimens.  Glendale,  0.,  September  6,  1879.  (Journal 
Cincinnati  Society  Natural  History,  July  8,  p.  127.) 

34.  (244).    Tringa  ferruginea  Brunn. 

Curlew  Sandpiper. 
Michigan  (Cook,  Mich.,  p.  59). 

Genus  EREUNETES  Illiger. 

36.     (247).    Ereunetes  occidentalis  Lawr. 

Western  Sandpiper. 
Illinois  (Ridgway,  111.  Om.,  II.,  p.  54. 

Genus  PAVONCELLA  Leach. 

36.     (260).    Pavoncella  pugnax  (Linn.). 

Ruff. 
A  European  species,  accidental  in  Ohio  (Wheaton,  p.  489). 

Grnus  TRYNGITES  Cabanis. 

37.     (262).    Tryngites  subruficoUis  (Vieill.). 

Buflf-breasted  Sandpiper. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin  (Nelson,  N.  K  111.,  p.  130);  Ohio  (Wheaton, 
p.  491);  Michigan,  rare  (Gibbs,  p.  493).  Cook  Co.,  111.,  Auk,  April, 
1896,  p.  180. 


1176  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

Genus  BUBO  Dumbril. 

50.     (3756?).    Bubo  virginianus  subarcticus  (Hoy). 

Western  Horned  Owl. 

Illinois,  occasional  in  winter  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I.,  p.  421).  On« 
record.    No  record,  Michigan  (Cook,  Mich.,  p.  83). 

Family  PICID^.     Woodpeckers". 

Gekus  PICOIDES  Lackpede. 

51.    (400).    Picoides  arcticus  (Swains.). 

Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 
Synonym,  Black-backed  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 

Illinois,  rare  winter  visitor  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  115;  Ridgway, 
111.  Om.j  I.,  PP-  379-80);  Ohio,  accidental  (Wheaton,  p.  397);  Michi- 
gan, rare  (Gibbs,  p.  489;  Cook,  Mich.,  p.  88).    Kent  and  Ionia  counties. 

52.    (401).    Picoides  amiericanus  Brehm. 

American  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 
Michigan  (Cook,  Mich.,  p.  88);  Wisconsin  (0.  B.  Warren,  in  letter). 

Family  CAPRIMULGID^.     Goatsuckers,  Etc. 

Genus  CHORD EILES  Swainson. 

53.     (420«).    Chordeiles  virginianus  henryi  (Cass). 

Western  Nighthawk.  .    . 

Illinois,  occasional  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I.,  p.  370). 

Family  TYRANNID.^.  Tyrant  Flycatchers. 

Genus  MILVULUS  Swainson. 

54.  (442).    Milvulus  tyrannus  (Linn.). 

Fork-tailed  Flycatcher. 

A  tropical  species,  accidental  in  Kentucky  (Ridgway  Manual,  p. 
327). 

55.  (443).    Milvulus  forficatus  (Gmel.). 

Scissor-tailed  Flycatcher. 

Accidental  in  Missouri,  New  England,  Manitoba,  etc.  (Ridgway 
Manual,  p.  328). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1177 

Grnus  SAYORNIS  Bonaparte. 

56.     (457).    Sayornis  saya  (Bonap.). 

Say's  Phoebe. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin  (ISTelson,  X.  E.  111.,  p.  113);  Michigan  (G-ibbs^ 
p.  488).     :N^ot  in  Mich.,  Cook.     Kidgway,  111.  Orri.,  I.,  p.  348; 

Family  ALAUDID^.     Larks. 

Grnus  ALAUDA  Linn^us. 

57.     (473).    Alauda  arvensis  Linn. 

Skylark. 

Ohio,  introduced  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  but  it  seems  doubtful 
if  it  will  succeed  in  establishing  itself  in  this  country.  (Langdon,. 
Journ.  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  L,  1878,  p.  111.) 

Family  CORVID^.     Crqws,  Jays,  Magpies,  Etc. 
SuBFAMiiiY  GARRULIN^.     Magpies  and  Jays. 

GrENUS  PICA   BrISSON. 

58.     (475).    Pica  pica  hudsonica  (Sab.). 

American  Magpie. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  a  former  winter  visitor  (Nelson,  N".  K  111., 
p.  112);  Cook,  Mich.,  p.  99.  Michigan  (?)  (Ridgway  Manual,  p.  352). 
Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I.,  pp.  333-4.  J.  0.  Dunn.  One  specimen  identi- 
fied by  Wallace  Craig,  October  17,  1892,  near  World's  Fair,  Chicago. 

Grnus  PERISOREUS  Bonaparte. 

59.     (484).    Perisoreus  canadensis  (Linn). 

Canada  Jay. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  former  winter  visitor  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p. 
113);  Michigan,  breeds  (Gibbs,  p.  848);  has  been  reported  from  Ohio, 
but  that  is  an  error  (Wheaton.  p.  366). 

Family  ICTERID^.     Blackbirds,  Orioles,  Etc. 

Grnus  STURNELLA  Virillot. 

60.    (5016).    Sturnella  magna  neglecta  (Aud). 

Western  Meadow  Lark. 

Illinois  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  318);  Michigan  (Gibbs,  p. 
488;  Cook,  Mich.,  p.  103). 


1178  Eeport  of  State  Geologist. 

Genus  SCOLECOPHAGUS  Swainsom. 

61.     (510).     Scolecophagus  cyanocephalus  (Wagl.). 

Brewer's  Blackbird. 
Illinois,  Mt.  Carmel,  straggler  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn./I.,  p.  324). 

Family  FRINGILLID^.     Finches,  Sparrows,  Etc. 

Gbnus  ACANTHIS  Bbchstrik. 

62.     (527a).    Acanthis  hornemannii  exilipes  (Coues.) 

Hoary  Redpoll. 

Illinois,  rare  winter  visitor  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I.,  p.  232);  Michi- 
gan (Gibbs,  p.  486).    Omitted  by  Cook. 

Genus  SPINUS  Koch. 

63.     (532).     Spinus  notatus  (Du  Bus). 

Black-headed  Goldfinch. 

A  Mexican  and  Central  American  species,  accidental  in  Kentucky 
(Ridgway  Manual,  p.  400). 

Genus  RHYNCHOPHANES  Baiec. 

64.     (539).    Rhynchophanes  mccownii  (Lawr.). 

McCown's  Long-spur. 

Illinois,  straggler  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I.,  p.  246).    Not  in  Michigan. 

Genus  ZONOTRICHIA  Swainson. 

65.     (553).    Zonothrichia  querula  (Xutt.). 

Harris'  Sparrow. 

Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  rare  winter  visitor  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I., 
pp.  266-7). 

J.  0.  Dunn  shot  a  Harris  Sparrow  in  some  bushes  along  a  road,  east 
of  Riverdale,  111.,  October  6,  1894.    Letter,  January  26,  1895. 

66.     (554a.)    Zonotricia  leucophrys  intermedia  Kidgw. 

Intermediate  Sparrow. 

Wisconsin,  accidental  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  107). 

67.     (557.)     Zonotriehia  coronata  (Pall.). 

Golden-crowned  Sparrow. 
Wisconsin,  accidental  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  108). 


BiEDS  OF  Indiana.  1179 

Gekus  PIPILO  Vieillot. 

68.     (588).    Pipilo  maculatus  arcticus  (Swains.).' 

Arctic  Towhee. 

AVisconsin,  two  specimens  (Xelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  110). 

Gbkus  HABIA  Reichenbach. 

69.     (596).    Habia  melanocephala  (Swains.). 

Black-headed  Grosbeak. 

Michigan,  very  rare  (Gibbs,  p.  487). 

Grsus  PASSERINA  Vieillot. 

70.     (600).    Passerina  versicolor  (Bon.). 

Varied  Bunting. 

Michigaji,  one  specimen  by  Dr.  H.  A.  Atkins  (Cook,  Birds  of  Michi- 
gan, p.  118). 

71.     (601).    Passerina  ciris  (Linn.). 

Painted  Bunting. 
Illinois,  Wabash  County,  rare  (Eidgway,  111.  Om.,  I.,  p.  302). 

Family  VIREONID^.     Vireos. 

Genus  VIREO  Vieillot. 
Subgenus  Vireo. 

72.     (633).    Vireo  beUii  Aud. 

BfelPs  Vireo. 

Illinois,  summer  resident  in  prairie  districts  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn.,  I., 
pp.  190-91).  Richland  County,  June  8,  1871,  and  1875.  One  speci- 
men in  Chicago,  June  23,  1875. 

Family  MNIOTILTID^.     Wood  Warblers. 

Genus  HELMINTHOPHILA  Ridgway. 

73.     ( — ).    Helminthophila  leucobronehialis  (Brewst.). 

Brewster's  Warbler. 

A  rare  and  peculiar  Warbler,  fo\ind  in  eastern  United  States,  west 
into  Michigan  (Gibbs,  p.  483;  Ridgway  Manual,  p.  486). 


1180  Report  of  State  Geologist. 

74.     ( — ).    Helminthophila  cincinnatiensis  (Langd.). 

Cincinnati  Warbler. 

Only  known  from  one  specimen  from  Cincinnati^  0.  (Joiirn.  Cin. 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  July,  1880,  pp.  119-120).  This  is  supposed  to  he  a 
hybrid,  between  Helminthophila  pinus  and  Oporornis  formosa  (Bull. 
Nutt.  Om.  Club,  A"ol.  V.,  1880,  p.  237). 

Genus  DENDROICA  Gray. 
Subgenus  Drndkoica. 

75.    (672a).    Dendroica  palmarum  hypochrysea  Ridgw. 

Yellow  Palm  Warbler. 

One  specimen,  Oberlin,  0.,  April  16,  1892  (Auk,  October,  1892, 
p.  397). 

Family  PARID^.     Nuthatches  and  Tits. 

Subfamily  SITTING.     Nuthatches. 
Genus  SITTA  Ltnnakus. 

76.    (729).    Sitta  pusilla  Lath. 

Brown-headed  Nuthatch. 

Ohio  and  Michigan,  accidental  (Wheaton,  p.  226);  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
<Ridgway,  111.  Om.,  I.,  p.  83). 

Subfamily  PARIN^E.     Titmice. 

Gknus  PARUS  Linwaeus. 
Subgenus  Parus. 

77.     (740)     Parus  hudsonicus  Forst. 

Hudsonian  Chickadee. 

Illinois,  Rock  Island,  accidental.  Racine,  Wis.  (Ridgway,  111.  Orn., 
I.,  p.  82);  Michigan  (Ridgway  Manual,  p.  561;  Cook,  Mich.,  p.  147). 

Family  TURDIDiE.     Thrushes,  Solitaires,  Bluebirds,  Etc. 

Subfamily  MYADESTIN^.     Solitaires. 

Genus  MYADESTES  Swainson. 

78.     (754).    Myadestes  townsendii  (Aud  ) 

Townsend's  Solitaire. 

Illinois,  accidental  northward  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  94). 


Birds  of  Indiana.  1181 

SiBFAMiLY  TURDIN^.     Thrushes. 

Genus  TURDUS  Linnaeus. 
Subgenus  Hylocichla  Baird. 

79.    (757a).    Turdus  alicise  bicknelli  (Ridgw.). 

BicknelPs  Thrush. 

Illinois,  rare  in  spring  (Eidgway,  111.  Om.,  I.,  p.  59).  Warsaw,  111., 
May  24,  1884,  by  Chas.  K.  Worthen. 

Gknus  SAXICOLA  Bkchstein. 

80.     (765).    Saxicol^  oenanthe  (Linn.). 

Wheatear. 

A  specimen  of  this  species  was  shot  from  among  a  flock  of  Titlarks 
at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  October  4,  1894,  by  Adolphe  B.  Covert.  The 
specimen  is  now  in  the  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Washington,  D.  C. — No.  135,- 
068,  male,  immature.  (The  Nidologist,  Vol.  II.,  No.  3,  November, 
1894,  pp.  42-43.) 

Genus  SIALIA  Swainson. 

81.     (768).    Sialia  arctica  (Swains.) 

Mountain  Bluebird. 
Iowa,  accidental  (Nelson,  N.  E.  111.,  p.  95). 


The  following  species  have  been  reported  from  a  range  which  would 
seem  to  include  Indiana,  but  should  properly  be  excluded  from  the 
Hypothetical  List: 

1.     ( — ).    Colymbus  cristatus  Lath. 

Crested  Grebe. 

An  Old  World  species,  wrongfully  accredited  to  America. 

2.     (336).    Buteo  buteo  (Linn.). 

European  Buzzard. 

A  European  species,  attributed  to  Michigan.    Perhaps  an  error. 


INDEX  TO  BIRDS  OF  INDIANA* 


Page. 

Aeanthis  linaria 922 

linaria  rostrata 924 

Accipiter  atricapillus 779 

cooperi 777 

velox 775 

Actitis  macularia 729 

^Egialitis  meloda 7S3 

meloda  circumcincta 743 

semipalmata 741 

vocifera 739 

Agelaius  phoeniceus 893 

Aix  sponsa 610 

Ajaja  ajaja 643 

Ammodramus  caudaciitus  nelsoni 947 

henslowii 943 

leconteii 94^ 

sandwichensis  savanna  .  940 

savannarum  passerinus.  941 

Ampelis  cedrorum 1002 

garrulus 1000 

Anas  americana 600 

boschas 595 

carolinensis 602 

discors  603 

obscura ,  —  597 

Penelope —  599 

strepera 598 

Anhinga  anhinga 582 

Anser  albifrons  gambeli 633 

Anthus  pensylvanicus  1104 

Antrostomus  carolinensis 846 

vociferus 847 

Aquila  chrysaetos 790 

Archibuteo  lagopus  sancti-jobannis  —  789 

Ardea  candidissima 662 

caerulea 653 

egretta 659 

herodias 655 

tricolor  ruficollis 663 

virescens  664 

wuerdemanni 655 

Ardetta  exilis 652 

Arenaria  interpres 744 

Asio  accipitrinus 804 

wilsonianus 803 

Avocet,  American 695 

Aythya  affinis 618 

americana  613 

eollaris 619 . 

marila  ne-arctica 617 

v.illisneria 615 


Page. 

Baldpate '. 600 

Bartramia  longicaiida 727 

Bittern,  American 649 

Least _ 652 

Blackbird,  Crow 905 

Red-winged  893 

Rusty : 9m 

Yellow-headed 892 

Bluebird 1161 

Bobolink 886 

Bob-white  . .   746 

Bonasa  umbellus 752 

Botaurus  lentiginosus 649 

Brant 639 

Branta  bernicla (^.39 

canadensis t  6:^5 

canadensis  Iwitchinsii 638 

Bubo  virginianus 813 

Buffle-head 62^ 

Bunting,  Indigo 982 

Butoo  borealis • .' 780 

borealis  harlani 784 

latissimus 788 

lineatus      784 

Calcarius  lapponicus 929 

pictus : 932 

Calidris  arenaria 716 

Campepliilus  principalis 829 

Can  vasback 615 

Cardinal 975 

Cardinalis  cardinalis 975 

Carpodacus  purpureus 916 

Catbird 1108 

Catharista  atrata 768 

Cathartes  aura 766' 

Ceophloeus  pileatus 8:^7 

Certhia  familiaris  americana 1128 

Ceryle  alcyon 826 

Cha^tura  pelagica 852 

Charadrius  dominicus  737 

squatarola 735 

Charitonetta  albeola 623 

Chat,  Yellow-breasted 1093 

Chelidon  erythrogaster 994 

Chen  c^erulescens  632 

hyperborea 630 

hyperborea  nivalis 631 

Chewink 973 

Chickadee im 

Carolina 11-^T 


Index  to  Birds  of  Indiana. 


1183 


Page. 

Choudestes  grainmacus 949 

Chordeiles  virginianus 849 

Chuck-wiirs-widow 846 

Circus  hudsonius 773 

Cistothorus  palustris 1126 

stellaris 1124 

Clangula  hyeinalis 625 

Clivieola  riparia 997 

Coccothraustes  vespertinus 911 

Coccyzus  americanus 822 

erythrophthalmus 825 

Colaptes  auratus 844 

Colinus  virginianus 746 

Colymbus  auritus 557 

holboelii 556 

ColymV)US  nigricollis  californicus 558 

Compsothlypis  americana 1037 

Contopus  borealis 86!^ 

virens 864 

€onuru8  carolinensis 819 

Coot,  American 684 

Cormorant,  Double-cre sted 583 

Florida 585 

Corvus  americanus ." 881 

corax  sinuatus 879 

Cowbird 889 

Crane,  Sandhill '. 670 

Whooping 669 

Creeper,  Brown 1128 

Crossbill,  American 918 

White-winged 920 

Crow,  American 881 

Crymophilus  fulicarius 687 

Cuckoo,  Black-billed 825 

Yellow-billed 822 

Curlew,  Eskimo 733 

Hudsonian 732 

Long-billed 731 

•Cj'anocitta  cristata 876 

Dafila  acuta 607 

Dendroica  ae^tiva .' 1045 

blackburniae 106;^ 

caerulae 105;^ 

caerulescens  1047 

castanea 1058 

coronata 1049 

discolor 1076 

dominica  albilora 1065 

kirtlandi  1070 

maculosa 1051 

palmarum .-. 1074 

pensylvaniea 1056 

rara Ift5:^ 

striata 1069 

tigrina 104:', 

vigorsii 1072 

virens 1068 

Dickeissel  983 

Dolichonyx  oryzivorus 886 

Dove,  Mourning 765 

Dowiteher 703 

Long  billed 704 


Page. 

Dryobate^  pubescens 832 

villQSus 830 

Duck,  American  vScaup 617 

Black *  597 

Fish 590 

Lesser  Scaup 618 

Muscovy 612 

Ring-necked 619 

Ruddy 629 

Wood 610 

Eagle,  Bald 792 

Golden 790 

Ectopistes  migratorius 760 

Egret,  American 659 

Elanoides  forficatus 771 

Empidonax  flaviventris- 866 

minimus 871 

traillii 869 

traillii  alnorum 870 

virescens 867 

Ereunetes  pusillus 715 

Erismatura  rubida 629 

Falco  columbarius 796 

peregrinus  anatum 794 

sparverius 797 

Finch,  Purple 916 

Flicker ' 844 

Flycatcher,  Alder 870 

Crested 859 

Green-crested " 867 

Least 871 

Olive-sided 863 

Traill's 869 

Yellow-bellied 866 

Fregata  aquila 587 

Fulica  americana 684 

Gadwall 599 

Galeoscoptes  carolinensis • —  1108 

Gallinago  delicata 700 

Gallinulagaleata 682 

Gallinule,  Florida 682 

Purple  681 

Geothlypis  agilis 1087 

formosa 1085 

Philadelphia 1088 

trichas 1090 

trichas  oceidentalis 1092 

Glaucionetta  clangula  americana 621 

islandica  622 

Gnat-catcher,  Blue-gray 1143 

Godwit,  Hudsonian 718 

Marbled , 717 

Golden-eye ,  American 621 

Barrow's 622 

Goldfinch,  American 924 

Goose,  American  White-fronted 633 

Blue 632 

Canada 6;^5 

Greater  Snow 631 

Hutchin's 638 

Lesser  Snow 630 


1184 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


Page. 

(xoshawk,  American   779 

Grackle,  Bronzed 905 

Grebe,  American  Eared 558 

,    Holboell'? 556 

Horned 557 

Pied-billed 559 

Grosbeak,  Blue 981 

Evening 911 

Pine  914 

Rose-breasted 978 

Grouse,  Ruflfed 752 

Grus  americana 669 

mexicana 670 

Guara  alba 644 

Guiraea  oaerulea 981 

Gull ,  American  Herring 571 

Bonaparte's 575 

Franklin 574 

Glaucous 569 

Iceland 570 

Ring-billed 572 

Habia  ludoviciana  978 

Haliaeetus  leucocephalus 792 

Harp'orhynchus  rufus 1111 

Hawk,  American  Rough-legged 789 

American  Sparrow 797 

Broad-winged 788 

Cooper's 777 

Duck 794 

Harlan's 784 

Marsh 773 

Pigeon 796 

Red-shouldered  784 

Red-tailed 780 

Sharp-shinned  775 

Helinaia  swainsonii 1024 

Helminthophila  celata 1034 

chrysoptera 1031 

peregrina 1035 

pinus 1029 

ruficapilla 1033 

Helraitherus  vermivorus 1026 

Hen ,  Prairie 755 

Heron,  Black-crowned  Night 666 

Great  Blue  655 

Green 664 

Little  Blue 663 

Louisiana 663 

Snowy 662 

Wiirdemann's 655 

Yellow-crowned  Night 677 

Hummingbird,  Ruby-throated 854 

Hydrochelidon  nigra  surinamensis 580 

Ibis,  White  644 

Wood 645 

Icteria  rirens 1093 

Icterus  galbula 900 

spurius 898 

Ictinia  mississippiensis 773 

Tonornis  martinica 681 


Page. 

Jaeger,  Poiuarine  567 

Jay,  Blue 876 

.Junco  hyemalis 96:i 

hyemalis  shufeldti 965 

Junco,  Slate-colored  963 

Shufeldt's 965 

Kildeer 739 

Kingbird 857 

Kingfisher,  Belted 826 

Kinglet,  Golden-crowned 1139 

•  Ruby-crowned 1141 

Kite,  Mississippi  773 

Swallow-tailed 771 

Knot 706 

Lanins  borealis 1005 

ludovicianus 100<> 

ludovicianus  excubitorides 1007 

Lark,  Horned 873 

Prairie  Horned 874 

Shore 873- 

Larue  argentatns  smithsonianus 571 

delawarensis  572 

franklini 574 

trlaucus  569' 

leucopterus 570 

Philadelphia 575 

Limosa  fedoa 717 

haemastica 718 

Longspur,  Lapland 929 

Smith's 932 

Loon  . . .  .• 561 

Red-throated 563 

Lophodytes  cucullatus 593 

Loxia  curvirostra  minor 918 

leucoptera —  920 

Maerorhaniphus  griseus  TO;i 

scolopaceus 704 

Mallard ' 595 

Man-o"-War-bird 587 

Martin,  Purple  990 

Meadowlark  .  . . .  • 896 

Megascops  asio 811 

Melanerpes  earolinus 842 

erythrocephalus  . ; 83i'' 

Meleagris  gallopavo 758 

Melospiza  fasciata 967 

georgiana 970 

lincolni  969" 

Merganser  americanus 590 

serrator 391 

Merganser,  American 590 

Hooded o93 

Red-breasted 591 

Merula  migratoria 1157 

Mieropaluia  himantopus 705 

Mimus  polyglottos  1106 

Mniotilta  varia   1019 

Mockingbird 1106 

Molothrus  ater  889 

Murre,  Brunnich's 564 

Myiarehus  criiiitus ^-^ 


Index  to  Birds  of  Indiana. 


1185 


Page. 

Nighthawk  849 

Numenius  burealis 733 

hudsonicus 732 

longirostris 731 

Nuthatch,  Red-breasted 1132 

White-breasted 1131 

Nyctala  acadica 809 

Nyctea  nyctea 816 

Nyeticorax  nycticorax  nsevius 666 

violaceus 667 

Oidemia  deglandi 627 

perspicillata 627 

Old-squaw 625 

Olor  buccinator 641 

foluinbianus 639 

Oriole,  Baltimore 900 

Orchard 898 

Osprey,  American 798 

Octocoris  alpestris 873 

alpestris  praticola 874 

Oven-bird 1078 

Owl ,  American  Barn 800 

American  Hawk 818 

American  Long-eared 80? 

Barred 807 

.  Great  Gray 808 

Great  Horned 813 

Saw-whet 809 

Screech 811 

.    Short-eared 804 

Snowy 816 

Pandion  halis3etus  carolinensis 798 

Paroquet,  Carolina 819 

Parus  atricapillus 1136 

bicolor 1134 

carolinensis 1137 

Passer  domesticus 935 

Passerella  iliaca  971 

Passerina  cyanea 982 

Pelecanus  erythvorhynchos 586 

Pelican,  American  White 586 

Petrochelidon  lunifrons  . .'. 991 

Peuea>a  aestivalis  bachmanii 965 

Pewee,  Wood 864 

Phalacroeorax  dilophus 583 

dilophus  floridanus 586 

Phalarope,  Northern 689 

Red 687 

Wilson's 690 

Phalaropus  lobatus 689 

tricolor 690 

Philohela  minor 696 

Phoebe... 861 

Pigeon,  Passenger 760 

Pinieola,  enucleator 914 

Pintail 607 

Pipilo  erythrophthalmus 973 

Pipit,  American 1104 

Piranga  erythromelas 986 

rubra 988 

Plectrophenax  nivalis  927 

75— Gkol. 


Page . 

Plover,  Belted  Piping 743 

Black-bellied 735 

Golden 737 

Piping 743 

Semipalmated 741 

Podilymbus  podiceps  599 

Polioptila  caerulea 1143 

PoocaJtes  gramineus 933 

Porzana  Carolina 675 

jamaicensis  679 

;ioveboracensis 677 

Progne  subis 990 

Protoi. otaria  citrea 1021 

Quiscalus  quiscula  aeneus 905 

Rail,  Black 679 

King  . . . .  , 672 

Virginia 674 

Yellow ,    677 

Rail  us  elegans 672 

virginianus 674 

Raven,  American 879 

Recurvirostra  americana 695 

Redbird 975 

Redhead 613 

Redpoll 922 

Redpoll,  Greater : 924 

Redstart,  American 1102 

Regulus  calendula 1141 

satrapa 1139 

Robin,  American 1157 

Sanderling 716 

Sandpiper,  Baird's 710 

Bartramian 727 

BuflF-breasted 728 

Least 711 

Pectoral 708 

Red-backed 713 

Semipalmated 715 

Solitary 722 

Spotted ; . . . .    729 

Stilt 705 

Sapsucker;  Yellow-bellied 834 

Sayornis  phoebe : 861 

Scolecophagus  carolinus 904 

Scoter,  Surf 627 

Velvet 627 

Scotiaptex  cinerea 808 

Seiurus  aurocapillus 1078 

motacilla 1082 

Seiurus  noveboracensis 1080 

noveboracensis  notabilis 1082 

Setophaga  ruticilla 1102 

Shoveller 605 

Shrike,  Loggerhead 1006 

Northern 1005 

White-rumped 1007 

Sialia  sialis 1161 

Siskin,  Pine 926 

Sitta  canadensis 1132 

carolinensis 1131 

Snipe,  Wilson's 700 


1186 


Report  of  State  Geologist. 


Page. 

Snowflake 927 

Sora 675 

Sparrow,  Bachman'.* 965 

Chipping 958 

Clay-colore'-l 959 

Engligh 935 

Field  %1 

Fox 971 

Grasshopper 941 

Henslow's 943 

Lark 949 

Leconte's 945 

Lincoln's %9 

Nelson's. 947 

Savanna 940 

Sons 967 

Swamp 970 

Tree 950 

Vesper  933 

White-crowned 951 

White-throated 953 

Spatula  clypeata 605 

Sphyrapicus  varius 834 

Spinus  pinus 926 

tristis 924 

Spiza  americana 983 

Spizella  monticola 956 

pallida 959 

pusilla 961 

•  socialis 958 

Spoonbill,  Roseate 643 

Stelgidopteryx  serripennij; 999 

Stercorarius  pomarinus 567 

Sterna  antillarum 579 

dougalli 579 

forsteri 576 

hirundo '. 578 

Strix  pratincola 800 

Sturnella  magna 896 

Surnia  ulula  caparoch 818 

Swallow,  Bank 997 

Barn  994 

Cliff. 991 

Rough-winged 999 

Tree • 996 

Swan,  Trumpeter 641 

Whistling 639 

Swift,  Chimney 852 

Sylvania  canadensis 1100 

mitrata 1096 

pusilla  1099 

Symphemia  semipalmata 725 

semipalmata  inornata 726 

Syrniura  nebulosum 807 

Tachycineta  bicolor 996 

Tanager,  Scarlet 986 

Summer 988 

Tantalus  loculator  ; 645 

Teal,  Blue-winged 603 

Green-winged 602 

Tern,  Black 580 

Common     578 


Page . 

Tern,  For.ster'.«  '576 

Least 579 

Roseate 579 

Thrasher,  Brown  1111 

Thrush,  Gray-cheeked 115] 

Hermit 1154 

Olivo-backed 1152 

Willow 1150 

Wilson's 1!49 

Wood  1147 

Thryothorus  bewickii 1116 

ludovicianus 1114 

Titmouse,  Tufted 1134 

Totanus  flavipes 721 

melanoleuous 719 

solitarius 722 

Towhee  973 

Tringa  alpina  paei  fica 713 

bairdii 710 

canutus 7C6 

maculata  708 

minutilla  711 

Trochilus  colubris 854 

Troglodytes  aidon  1119 

tedon  aztecus 1121 

hiemalis 1122 

Tryngites  subruficoU  is 728 

Turdus  alicige 1151 

aonalaschkae  pallasi 1154 

fuscescens 1149 

fuscescens  salicicolus 1150 

mustelinus 1147 

ustulatus  swainsouii". 1152 

Turkey,  Wild 758 

Turnstone  744 

Tympanuchus  americanus 755 

Tyrannus  tyrannus  857 

Uria  lomvia 564 

U rinator  imber 561 

lumme 56:^ 

Vireo  flavifrons 1013 

gilvus 1012 

noveboracensis 1016 

olivaceus 1009 

philadelphicus 1011 

solitarius 1015 

Vireo,  Blue-headed 1015 

Philadelphia 1011 

Red-eyed 1009 

Warbling 1012 

White-eyed 1016 

Yellow-throated  1013 

Vulture,  Black 768 

Turkey 766 

Warbler,  Bay-  breasted 105S 

Black  and  White 1019 

Blackburnian 1063 

Black-poll 1060 

Black-throated  Green 1068 

Black-throated  Blue 1047 


Index  to  Birds  of  Indiana. 


1187 


Page. 

Warbler,  Blue-winged 1092 

Canadian 1100 

Cape  May 1043 

Cerulean 1053 

Chestnut-sided 1056 

Connecticut 1087 

Golden-winged 1031 

Hooded 1096 

Kentucky 1085 

Kirtland's 1070 

Magnolia 1051 

Mourning  1088 

Myrtle 1049 

Nashville 1033 

Orange-crowned  1034 

Palm ■. 1074 

Parula 1037 

Pine 1072 

Prairie 1076 

Prothonotary 1021 

Swainson's    1024 

Sycamore 1065 

Tennessee 1035 

Wilson's 1099 

Worm-eating 1026 

Yellow 1045 

Yellow-rumped 1049 

Water  Thrush 1080 

Grinnell's 1082 

Louisiana 1082 

Waxwing,  Bohemian 1000 

Cedar 1002 


Page. 

Whip-poor-will 847 

Widgeon 599 

Willet 725 

Western 726 

Woodcock,  American 696 

Woodpecker,  Downy 832 

Hairy 830 

Ivory-billed 829 

Pileated  837 

Red-bellied 842 

Red-headed 839 

Yellow-bellied 834 

Wren,  Bewick's 1116 

Carolina 1114 

House 1119 

Long-billed  Marsh 1126 

Short-billed  Marsh 1124 

Western  House 1121 

Winter 1122 

Xanthocephalus  xanthocephalus 892 

Yellow-Legs 721 

Greater 719 

Yellow-throat,  Maryland 1090 

Western- 1092 

Zenaedura  macroura 765 

Zonotrichia  albicollis 953 

leucophrys 951 


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jcd  library 

3UENOV2  8  1969 


LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

Book  Slip-50TO-8,'66(G5530s4)45S 


N2  469067 

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Butler,  A.W.  15 

The  birds  of  Indiana.     B8 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

DAVIS 


